Guidelines are given for an Art History exam, including knowing influential artist names and movements throughout history from prehistoric to modern art. A sample exam question analyzes an unknown marble sculpture from ancient Rome through describing visual elements seen and analyzing historical influences on the artist both before and after creation of

1. Get out to your Art History Notes
• 1st- Prehistoric through Gothic
• 2nd- Renaissance (Early, Middle and Late)
• 3rd-Baroque through Regionalism
• 4th-Abstract Expressionism through Modern Art
How useful were your notes you took in class for
studying? How could you change to make them
more useful/meaningful?

2. Art History Exam
KNOW: Influential Artist Names and Movements
Describe it….. What Do you See? Style of marks,
medium, characteristics?
Analyze it… What influenced the artist before,
during or after creation of work? (Other
Movements, Simple technology, Culture, Historical
Events, Nature, other Artists.)
No Dates!!!

3. Discobolus (The Discus Thrower) 460-50 BC
Marble
Movement: _______________________
(Artist Unknown: Copy of Greek Bronze
sculpture by Myron)

4. Discobolus (The Discus Thrower) 460-50 BC
Marble
Roman Art 1000-300BC
(Copy of Greek Bronze sculpture by Myron)
Description: What do you See?
I see a realistic/naturalistic marble sculpture of an Olympic
athlete in motion created in the “Classical Style”.
Analysis: What influenced the artist to create the work of art, Past or
Present? What did this work go on to influence?
– Roman artists and scholars looked to the Greek for inspiration. Just like
the Greeks, the Romans were perfectionists, they looked for perfect, god-
like humans. Nature was their inspiration they used human models and
natural elements to support their realism, this idea of using nature as
inspiration became known as “Naturalism”.
– Greek and Roman Art (Classical Art) when on to influence future artistic
movements including, the Renaissance and Neoclassicism. Sculptor
looked to Greeks/Romans for their proportions and mastery of realistic
sculpting techniques.

5. Title:_________________________
Oil Paint on Canvas
Movement:___________________
Artist:________________________

6. Mona Lisa
» Oil Paint on Canvas
» Renaissance Art
» Leonardo da Vinci
Artwork Description & Analysis:
– Cannon of proportion (Vitruvian Man by
Leonardo da Vinci) Proportions of head/body.
learned how to create humans realistically like the
Greeks/Romans by studying Nature and human
anatomy (Sketchbook).
– Oil paint was invented during the renaissance. Stayed wet
longer= rework shapes/forms. Had more vibrant realistic colors.
– Linear Perspective was invented and used to create visual space
and depth in works of art unlike earlier flat Byzantine art.

7. The Cambrai Madonna
1340
Tempera on Wood Panel
Movement:___________________
Anonymous

8. The Cambrai Madonna 1340
• Tempera on Wood Panel
• Byzantine Art 1300-1450
• Anonymous
Artwork Description & Analysis:
– After the fall of the roman empire. Artwork was Less
realistic/naturalistic. Distorted figures and lack of realistic
proportions. Loss a lot of technology discovered in the
classical era. Flat compositions without space= no linear
perspective until the Renaissance.
– Used gold and religious figures (commissions for art only
came from the Christian church) Christianity spread across
Europe.

9. The Rouen Cathedral Series
1892-1894
Oil Paint on Canvas
Movement:___________________
Artist:________________________

10. Rouen Cathedral Series 1892-1894
– Oil on Canvas
– Impressionism 1880s--1900
– Claude Monet
• Artwork Description & Analysis:
– Painted “en plein air”= outside instead of studio. Observed the subtle
changes in light (captured the moment in time on a canvas) In life
light creates colors, while in painting color creates light. Painted more
than 30 variations of the church façade.
– The impressionist used loose strokes and bright colors in a time when
academic painting (Realism/Rococo/ Romanticism/Neoclassicism) was
the only accepted style of art. Impressionism was considered Abstract
art and offensive.
– Influenced by the invention of photography. Now there was a
machine that could capture the likeness of something with the click of
a button- Painting didn’t NEED to be realistic anymore.

11. 10 year old Spiner at Rhones
1908
Silver Gelatin Plate
Movement:____________________
Artist:________________________

12. • 10 year old Spiner at Rhones. 1908
• Silver Gelatin Plate
• Documentary Photography Early 1900s
• Lewis Hines
• Artwork Description & Analysis:
– Photography wasn’t quite considered as art- tool for
educating/documenting
– Documented harsh working conditions of mostly
young boys and girls. His photos captured shocking
reality of dangerous and difficult working conditions
and helped to create social reform- influencing
government to pass child labor laws
– By the end of his career he has a collection of over
5,000 prints each with a caption about the details of
each story.

13. Nesting Tables
1926
Wood and Painted glass
Movement:____________
Josef Albers

14. Nesting Tables 1926
• Wood and Painted glass
• Bauhaus Art 1915-30
• Josef Albers
• Artwork Description & Analysis:
– Began after WWI, Bauhaus School was located in
Germany and influenced by Russian
constructivism with it’s primary bold colors and
simple geometric forms.
– Combined Form and Function. Bauhaus artist
believed pieces could be beautiful and functional.
These are artful side tables and compactable by
fitting perfectly under each other (saves space).

15. Self Portrait with a Thorn
Necklace and Hummingbird
1940
Oil on Canvas
Movement: _______________
Artist:____________________

16. Self Portrait with a Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird
1940
Oil on Canvas
Surrealism 1915-1970
Frida Kahlo
• Artwork Description & Analysis:
– Created art for personal expression of her identity ( her famous
unibrow and Mexican Heritage) and personal experiences. Was
involved in a bus accident and was in severe pain you see symbolic
references to that pain in her self portraits. (thorn necklace)
– Surrealism technique of using real imagery in unreal circumstances
allowed her to express herself and create her visual stories. When she
was stuck in her bed with her injuries, her paintings allow her to travel
to other places outside her bedroom.

17. Mural
1943
Oil on Canvas
Movement:_____________________
Artist:_________________________

18. Mural 1943
• Oil on Canvas
• Abstract Expressionism 1940s-60s
• Jackson Pollock
• Artwork Description & Analysis:
– Pushing the boundaries of what could be considered
as art. Working with expression of movement,
expressions, and experiences through action painting.
– Influenced by Lee Krasner, his wife with the linear
qualities of his later work.

19. Cutting and Chopping
1969
Movement:______________
Artist:___________________

20. Cutting and Chopping
1969
Pop Art 1960-70-present
Richard Hamilton
Artwork Description & Analysis:
– One of the founding masters of Pop Art movement in
England- His use of satire and popular culture icons
inspired many future artists in New York City.
– Pop Artists used popular culture as inspiration for content.
Hamilton used expectations of the roles of women in
popular culture (housewives, models, etc.) You can see this
segmented image of a woman was created using magazine
cutouts.

21. Big Self Portrait
1968
Acrylic on Canvas
Movement: ______________
Artist: ___________________

22. Big Self Portrait 1968
Acrylic on Canvas
Photorealism 1970-present
Chuck Close
• Artwork Description & Analysis:
– Inspired by the traditional subject of portraiture and
realism however with a modern spin, LARGE and hyper
realistic. Used photographs as visual sources instead of
working from real life like past masters.
– Breaking away from the abstract movement of the middle
20th century. Brought it back to tradition of technique and
realism.

23. Using painting as an example, how has fine art changed
or evolved throughout history?
– Consider the subject matter (Who/What is the
art about?), techniques/technology (What are
they using to create the work of art? Remember a
pencil is technology- it doesn’t need to be digital to
be technology), historical events/popular culture
(What is going on before, during and after the works
of art?), or purpose/function (why are the artists
creating art?)

24. What artistic advancements where
discovered during the renaissance?
• Re-birth of classical ideas (Greek and Roman
realism/perfectionism and naturalism)
• Linear Perspective was invented to aid in
depicting space and distance in works of art.
• Oil Paint stayed wet longer- more vibrant colors.
• First time in history artists were thought as genius
instead of just craftsmen.
• Building of knowledge + Sharing of new
knowledge (printing press, merging of science,
technology and the arts, “Renaissance man”)
• Cannon of Proportion (Vitruvian Man by
Leonardo da vinci- realistic proportions
of the body and face.)

25. How has the artist Sandy Skoglund, implemented
directional lines in her art installation?

26. How has the artist Sandy Skoglund, implemented
implied directional lines in her art installation?

27. • How has the artist
implemented
implied directional
lines in this
portrait?

28. • How has the artist
implemented
implied directional
lines in this
portrait?

29. • Identify the Horizon Line, Converging Lines, and
vanishing point the artist Raphael has
implemented in his work, The School of Athens.

30. • Identify the Horizon Line, Converging Lines, and
vanishing point the artist Raphael has
implemented in his work, The School of Athens.

31. What is the subject matter in this work
of art by Richard Estes?

32. What is the subject matter in this work
of art by Richard Estes? Condiments.
(Still Life)

33. What is the
subject matter
in this
sculpture by
Michalangelo?

34. What is the
subject matter
in this
sculpture by
Michalangelo?
Two figures
(portraiture)

35. What is the subject matter in this work of art by
Vincent van Gogh? Sky (landscape)

36. What is Andy Goldsworthy trying to
emphasize?

37. What Color Scheme is the artist
using in this work of art?

38. Complementary colors- Color on the opposite side of the
color wheel.

39. What Color Scheme is the artist
using in this work of art?

40. Monochromatic- Different values of one color- Brown,
Light brown, dark brown. Can be Any color or any mixture
of colors.

41. What Color Scheme is the artist
using in this work of art?

42. Analogous Colors- color neighbors- colors
located near each other on the color wheel.

43. Relax, you are going to do great!!