NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2012 — page 1 of 14
Assessment Schedule – 2012
Art History: Analyse style in art (90490)
Evidence Statement
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
A range of stylistic characteristics in selected art works is identified and the styles of selected art works are distinguished between. / The reasons for differences in stylistic characteristics in selected art works are explained. / Stylistic characteristics are comprehensively related to their context.- Addresses the requirements of the two selected questions.
- Correctly identifies the required stylistic characteristics (at least three characteristics altogether, including at least one stylistic characteristic in each work).
- Distinguishes between the stylistic characteristics of the given plates in each of the two selected questions.
- Demonstrates adequate understanding of relevant art historical terminology in relation to the stylistic characteristics of the selected art works.
- Uses evidence from the given plates in each question to answer specific requirements of questions.
- Moves beyond simple descriptions of stylistic characteristics to explain reasons for the differences between the given art works.
- Clearly explains relevant reasons for the differences in the stylistic characteristics in the two given plates in each of the selected questions.
- Addresses selected questions directly.
- Discusses stylistic characteristics of the given plates and relates them to relevant aspects of the specified context.
- Contextualises the given art works, accurately focusing on the specific requirements of both questions.
- Uses relevant contextual evidence to support discussion points.
- Supports explanations and discussion points with relevant evidence in the form of pertinent references to other art works, artists and / or texts.
- Demonstrates informed and comprehensive understanding of the set art works, artists, movements, and relevant contexts.
- Demonstrates an understanding of the relationships between art works, artists, and contexts within which they worked.
- Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge sustained across the two selected questions.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2012 — page 1 of 14
Question One: Fourteenth-Century Italian Painting
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
The candidate has compared and contrasted the treatment of narrative in:Giotto, The Arena Chapel (Scrovegni Chapel)
- All panels are of equal size.
- The story is depicted in a narrative sequence that moves from left to right.
- Most panels are the same size however the central panels are larger.
- The Maestà panels are organised in two rows leading up to the main focus of the Crucifixion scene.
Giotto's narrative is more straightforward because it is organised into three bands, which wrap around the chapel.
Duccio's narrative is more complex because he uses big central panels to focus the attention on key points. / As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the reasons for the differences between the two cycles, eg:
Giotto's frescoes were designed to decorate all of the internal walls of the Arena Chapel, while Duccio's work was designed for the back of the high altar in the Siena Cathedral. This meant that Giotto had to create an arrangement that unified the chapel, and made it easy to read from all parts of the chapel; while Duccio was creating a large panel painting, made up of many small parts, which would only really be read by people standing close to it. / As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to the location and purpose of each cycle, eg:
Giotto's fresco cycle was designed for a private chapel where it would provide a small-scale, intimate setting for family and household worship. The fresco programme, running around all four walls of the chapel, was intended to be read by all who worshipped or attended services there. The purpose of the fresco was to show the expiation of Scrovegni’s father’s sins of usury.
Duccio's work was designed for the high altar in the Duomo of Siena where it would act as a backdrop to services in the cathedral. This accounts for the work’s rich, decorative appearance, which contributes to the regal atmosphere of the cathedral. His aim was to create an awe-inspiring image with focus on the central event of Christ’s passion.
Question Two: Fifteenth-Century Italian Painting
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
The candidate discussed the use of line and the treatment of the subject in:Uccello, The Deluge
- Uccello uses diagonal lines recede to a distant point; and uses orthogonals.
- Attention is focused on the subject in the centre of composition.
- Leonardo uses swirling lines to show the movement of water.
- It is a panoramic view.
Uccello's large-scale composition is of a narrative subject – two events depicted of the story of the flood, so it includes lots of people and other things. Leonardo's work is a study of natural phenomena and does not have so many other details. / As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the reasons for the differences between the two art works, eg:
These are two very different works. Leonardo's study of water is a sketch in which he explores aspects of nature and works on things that he might use in a later painting, while Uccello's work is a final painting, and is a carefully considered composition designed to tell a story.
Uccello had an international Gothic background and more of an interest in perspective, whereas Leonardo liked to conduct extensive studies of nature. / As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to each artist's approach to nature, eg:
During the fifteenth-century, there was a growing interest in nature and science. This is reflected in the development of mathematical perspective and observations from nature in fifteenth-century Italian paintings.
Here, Uccello uses a linear composition and captures the dramatic effects of nature, with lightening and wind-swept leaves, to create a sense of storm and chaos which adds drama to his narrative. It is typical of Uccello to use his understanding of perspective and nature to add drama to his works, ie The Hunt in the Forest.
Leonardo uses his scientific understanding of topography to create a realistic drawing of a storm over a local valley. This may be a study of natural phenomenon for its own sake or it may be evidence of Leonardo's collection of images from nature for later use in paintings like the Virgin of the Rocks (sometimes called Madonna of the Rocks).
For Uccello, nature is subservient to his purpose (also seen in his St George paintings), but for Leonardo nature is the determinant / starting point for his art works.
Question Three: Italian Renaissance Sculpture
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
The candidate has discussed the differences in the treatment of figure and setting in:Ghiberti, The Annunciation
- Curving lyrical figures that are derived from International Gothic art are set against a simple setting, which includes a lot of bare space.
- Rounded, naturalistic figures use familiar gestures and expressions.
- This has an architectural setting with a doorway behind the figures.
- Ghiberti's work reflects the International Gothic tradition, while Donatello's work is in the new classical style.
The candidate has explained the reasons for the differences between the two sculptures, eg:
Ghiberti’s work was produced earlier in the fifteenth-century when International Gothic influences were stronger. Donatello's work uses the classically influenced figures that were becoming fashionable in art works in Florence in the 1430s.
Ghiberti’s sculpture is more contained, as it was one of a series on a cathedral door whereas Donatello’s occupies its own space. / As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to the ideas that influenced each sculptor, eg:
Ghiberti’s figures echo the flowing curves of the quatrefoil format of the North Doors of the Baptistery, without superfluous detail. The simple setting of his work is similar in all the panels of these doors and acts as a unifying feature.
Donatello’s Annunciationis a much larger format, and he has placed his classically influenced figures in a setting with rich ornamentation and gilded panels. The framed setting and dramatic interaction of the figures demonstrates the growing influence of Alberti's ideas and reflects his visit to Rome and exposure to Classical sculpture. Giorgio Vasari (Italian painter, writer, historian) saw Donatello as striving to recover the beauty of the ancients, which is seen in the sculpture’s body form beneath robes.
Question Four: High Renaissance and the Development of Mannerism
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
The candidate has compared and contrasted the stylistic features in:Michelangelo, Jeremiah
- A seated, full-length figure that is bent forward in his seat.
- The figure is characterised by strong musculature and bold form.
- A roundel frames the head and shoulders of this saint.
- A reduced colour range places attention on the figure's twisting pose.
Michelangelo has foreshortened his figure and portrayed Jeremiah in a thinking pose as he looks down from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Pontormo has depicted only the head and shoulders of his saint but the figure is more dynamic because it is turning. / As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the reasons for the differences between the two art works, eg:
Michelangelo's figure is bigger, and its pose is more robust because it is situated up high on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which is a very large building.
Pontormo's painting is smaller, because it is on the wall of a small family side-chapel, and it looks to the side to draw the viewer's attention to the altar panel in the centre of the chapel. / As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to the development of Mannerism in the sixteenth century, eg:
Both plates provide evidence of the development of Mannerism, a style that was highly influential in Italy in the early sixteenth-century. Michelangelo was a major influence in the development of Mannerism with his increasing emphasis on musculature and monumental forms in both his sculpture and painting.
Jeremiah’s monumental form reflects High Renaissance principles, also seen in other prophets and sibyls, and Jeremiah’s dignified mood exemplifies the Pope’s ideals. The conveyance of mood is seen more dramatically in Michelangelo’s later, more Mannerist, works such as the Last Judgement, which reflects times of greater turmoil.
Pontormo's much later work demonstrates the development of Mannerism into a dramatic and emotive style, which was an important factor in the art of the Catholic Counter Reformation.
Question Five: Venetian Painting
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
The candidate has compared and contrasted the treatment of the figure and setting in:Titian, Francesco Maria della Rovera (Duke of Urbino)
- Duke stands at ease, holding weapons in each hand, wearing armour, and looking directly at the viewer.
- Attributes include plumed helmet, rolled-up banners, and rich red drapery.
- Duchess shown seated, accompanied by sleeping dog, looking out but slightly away from viewer.
- The interior setting is defined by the flat walls, and contrasts with the landscape seen through the window.
The duke is more dramatic with his right hand stretching out into the viewer's space, while the figure of the duchess is more passive because she is seated deeper, behind the surface of the painting. / As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the reasons for the differences between the two portraits, eg:
The different roles of the subjects have led to very different moods between the two portraits. The Duke has been depicted as a military leader in an active pose with a limited setting, designed to focus attention on him.
The portrait of the Duchess is more decorative with a lot of attention paid to her jewels and beautiful clothes. Her seated, passive pose reflects her female role in Urbino. / As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to the roles of the subjects of the two portraits eg:
These two state portraits have been designed as pendants in (parallels of) the tradition of earlier works, such as the portraits of an earlier Duke and Duchess by Piero della Francesca.
Like her predecessor, Battista Sforza, Eleonora is depicted in jewellery and rich fabrics to reflect her family’s and her husband’s wealth and position.
The Duke, a nephew of Pope Julius, is shown in a portrait style that hints at his military strength and adventures, while the Duchess (Eleonora) is depicted as the confined wife, shut-off from everyday life within the walls of her castle – though it is known that she ran her husband’s affairs when he was away fighting.
(Perceptive candidates might make links to Venus of Urbino.)
Question Six: Northern Renaissance Art
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
The candidate has compared and contrasted the setting and the treatment of light in:Rogier van der Weyden, Adoration of the Magi
- Clear light comes from a consistent light source and is used to mould the figures.
- A frontal setting is used and the stable is separated from the background landscape.
- The classical ruins in the background are shown obliquely, while the figures are positioned in the front.
Van der Weyden's painting is set in a traditional stable with a landscape stretching behind it. Dürer's is more ‘painterly’ with the whole work being bathed in a golden light. / As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the reasons for the differences between the two art works, eg:
Van der Weyden's wok was painted earlier, and the setting and treatment of light are closely linked to the style of Jan Van Eyck, while Dürer's later painting has been influenced by the Venetian art that he saw in Italy. / As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to the developments in the use of setting in Northern Renaissance Art, eg:
A growing interest in landscape settings is apparent in Northern art throughout the Renaissance. This probably reflects the International Gothic interest in detailed naturalism, which is apparent in the work of the Limbourg brothers and other miniaturists.
By the end of the fifteenth-century, the settings in Northern Renaissance paintings were strongly influenced by Venetian Pastoralism (especially the landscapes of Giovanni Bellini) and Italian Classicism, which are both reflected in the bucolic landscape and classical ruins in Dürer's work.
Question Seven: Cubism and Abstraction 1900–1930
Achievement
/Achievement with Merit
/Achievement with Excellence
The candidate has discussed the treatment of form and colour in:Picasso, The Acrobats (La famille de Saltimbanques)
- Simple naturalistic figures of acrobats, which are mainly on the left of the painting with one on the right.
- A restricted colour scheme in subdued tones has been used.
- Broken, angular forms made up of flat planes of colour.
- Limited colour that is very bright.
The Acrobats(painted earlier) is a serious depiction of actual people taken from life, while the later work, Three Musicians, is a more contrived painting in a cubist style. / As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the reasons for the differences between the two art works, eg:
The two paintings demonstrate two different stages in Picasso's development – the early period where he was still linked to traditional forms and colour, and the late cubist period when he began to use large blocks of solid colour.
The natural and simplified forms of The Acrobatsare typical of the pre-Demoiselles period; while the Three Musicians is post Synthetic Cubism period, but suggests it is still of this period by using paint to suggest cut papers. / As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to the artist’s ideas about art, eg:
Throughout his career, Picasso used a variety of styles and influences to convey his ideas. Picasso’s Rose Period work, The Acrobats, features a recurring theme of circus performers, depicted sympathetically and in a sombre mood, which marks a sad period in Picasso’s life after a friend died.
The later work, Three Musicians,links more directly to Picasso’s life, particularly with the loss of his friend Apollinaire, who is thought to be the Pierrot figure in the middle. In this work, Picasso is still experimenting with the broken forms of Cubism but he has begun to use colour again. His use of flat areas of primary colour reflects his interest in the ideas of later Cubist and Cubist influenced artists like Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger.
Question Eight: Fauvism and Expressionism
Achievement