Art History Study Guide

Questions:

Order the following pyramids and identify what unique architectural aspects determine this order: Snefru’s 3 pyramids, the pyramids at Giza, Djoser’s step pyramid, Senusret III’s pyramid.
Identify the changes and the traditional aspects of Hatshepsut and Ahkenaten.
Identify Senusret III and Amenemhat II based on their portraiture and describe the features of each.
List the 5 conventions of Near-Eastern art. Pick an example and explain how the conventions are used in the chosen example.
Explain the Akkadian and Sumerian aspects of Sargon’s head and be able to identify the damage done.
Be able identify and describe the features of the three Venus figures: Catal Huyuk, Willendorf, and Lausell. Know the purpose of the Venus figures.
Know the definition of iconography and be able to provide at least 5 examples of iconography in Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Marriage.
Compare the art of the Minoans and the Myceneans. What does their art tell us about their culture (nature vs. aggressive) – what do they choose to show – what does this tell us?
Order and identify changes in the following Kouros statues: Calf-bearer, New York, and Anavysos.
Know all 5 parts – and their functions – of Greek temples. Identify and describe the 3 main differences between Doric and Ionic styles.

Order the following pyramids and identify what unique architectural aspects determine this order: Snefru’s 3 pyramids, the pyramids at Giza, Djoser’s step pyramid, Senusret III’s pyramid.

Order and explanation:

Djoser’s step pyramid: Mastaba plus 3 extensions was the first step towards a pyramid.
Snefru’s Meidum pyramid: Flat sided with 3 vertical extensions.
Snefru’s Bent pyramid: Began at a 54֯ angle and halfway, changed to a 43֯ angle. (The wooden beams inside couldn’t bear the weight).
Snefru’s Red pyramid: First true pyramid and constructed at a 43֯ angle.
The pyramids at Giza: Expensive limestone pyramids and Menkaure’s made of red limestone and gold to show wealth. Had temples, causeways, and tunnels to be considered pyramids.
Senusret III’s pyramid: Cheaply built of mudbrick on a limestone base – the mudbrick fell apart over time.

Identify the changes and the traditional aspects of Hatshepsut and Ahkenaten.

Hatshepsut changes: (original – change)

Beard – no beard
Flat chest – female breasts
Kilt – dress
Male face – female face
Male hips – female hips

Hatshepsut traditional aspects:

Male titles
Headdress kept the same

Hatshepsut explanation: A male appearance was the expectation of her people because she was their ruler and traditionally, a female is not the ruler – a male is. During her rule, because society and the economy were benevolent, her statues began showing a more feminine appearance to resemble her rather than resemble a traditional masculine ruler. Because times were good – it was passed.

Ahkenaten changes:

Elongated body and features (severe style – grid went from 18 to 20)
Female breasts
Wider hips
Slimmer arms
Pudgy and appears pregnant

Ahkenaten traditional:

Holding crook and flail
Headdress of upper and lower Egypt
Male titles
Kilt
Hieroglyphs
Almond eyes

Ahkenaten explanation: The severe style caused the grid to go from 18 to 20 which explains his elongated body/features. Ahkenaten was attempting to appear androgynous because he was embodying the Aten which has no gender. Also, as “all life goes through the Aten”, he appeared pregnant. This is an example of religious propaganda – to make people worship him as the Aten.

Identify Senusret III and Amenemhat II based on their portraiture and describe the features of each.

Senusret III: He attempted to appeal to the common people through: big ears (to hear the people), a furrow above his eyebrows, downturned eyes, eye bags, and a frown. He had a pessimistic depiction.

Amenemhat II: He showed his power and his strength through his: thick neck, strong jaw, high cheek bones, tight lips, and eyes looking downwards (because he was so tall). This was propaganda.

List the 5 conventions of Near-Eastern art. Pick an example and explain how the conventions are used in the chosen example.

The 5 conventions are:

Labeling
Gender inequality
Hierarchical scale
Registers
Conceptual depiction of the human body

Example and explanation:

The standard of Ur
- There are 3 registers: bottom (chariots), middle (stripped, defeated people), and top (king killing defeated people).
- Hierarchical scale is shown by the king being larger than others within the depiction.
- Gender inequality is shown by the non-existence of women within the depiction.
- The soldiers and the king are shown from the front/facing sideways which demonstrates a conceptual depiction of the human body.
- There is no labeling present.

Explain the Akkadian and Sumerian aspects of Sargon’s head and be able to identify the damage done.

Sargon’s head was the first attempt at portraiture by the Akkadians. His head’s destruction demonstrated a change in kingship.

The Sumerian influences on the head were (and made him seem more powerful):

Large eyes
Tight lips

Be able identify and describe the features of the three Venus figures: Catal Huyuk, Willendorf, and Lausell. Know the purpose of the Venus figures.

The purpose of the Venus figures was to act as intermediaries.

Catal Huyuk (mother goddess): She was the most powerful because she has a face and face=personality. Intermediary for fertility and animals.

Willendorf: Intermediary for fertility.

Lausell: Intermediary for fertility and animals (animals=the horn that she is holding).

Know the definition of iconography and be able to provide at least 5 examples of iconography in Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Marriage.

Iconography: A system of symbols used by a culture that changes over time.

Examples form Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Marriage:

No shoes on feet: on holy ground (biblical reference)
One lit candle: God is there to witness
Oranges: Showcase wealth because they are imported
Open window: Showcase wealth, they have an underground sewage system in wealthier districts, otherwise window wouldn’t have been open
Green dress: fertility

Compare the art of the Minoans and the Myceneans. What does their art tell us about their culture (nature vs. aggressive) – what do they choose to show – what does this tell us?

The Minoans cared about outward appearance as demonstrated in the palace at Knossos they had luxurious architecture with no outer defensive wall and they had roughly cut stones covered with plaster and white paint on top. We get an example of the ideal female Minoan beauty from the La Parisienne fresco: bold red lipstick, curly black hair, and white skin. The Minoans give an impression of the love for nature by incorporating a dolphin room in the palace at Knossos simply for decoration (not religious), by depicting a nautical scene (waves and fish) on the Kamares pottery, by depicting an octopus on coral on the Octopus Jar, and by accentuating the veins and bones on their human depictions.
The Myceneans had a more aggressive nature as they had 20-foot-thick walls surrounding Tyrans and because they were groups of city states that fought a lot between themselves. Their care for functionality over aesthetics is demonstrated in the large gallery at Tyrans, where there is no mortar between the stones and no plaster to cover the stones. They have an appreciation for nature, but more brutal as depicted in the Bear Hunt fresco where the boar has been shot with 2 arrows and is about to be bitten and killed by 3 dogs.

Order and identify changes in the following Kouros statues: Calf-bearer, New York, and Anavysos.

The order of the Kouros statues is as follows:

New York Kouros: (600 BC) had Egyptian influence (left foot forward, arms by side, straight body, looking forward) and Greek style (nude, negative space, no back pillar, inguinal ligament – V at bottom of torso, muscular knees and arms, rib cage line, pectoral muscles, clavicle).
Calf-bearer: (name is Rhon Bos) (560 BC) wearing a loose tunic, but still has a nude appearance, beard (represented mature adult 18+), still some geometric shapes (abs=squares, calf head=triangular, arms make X=4 triangles and one square). Egyptian influence (left foot forward). First depiction of the archaic smile which is an original Greek idea.
Anavysos: (name is Kroisos) (530 BC) Egyptian influence (left foot forward, arms by side, looking forward, generic face). Greek changes (more natural eye shape, natural depiction of human body, Inguinal ligament more realistic, hair=geometric shapes, abs=squares)

Know all 5 parts – and their functions – of Greek temples. Identify and describe the 3 main differences between Doric and Ionic styles.

The 5 parts of Greek temples and their corresponding functions are as follows:

Cella: The inner room where the statue of god/goddess sits/stands
In Antis: (in front) like the “front porch” – connected to the cella
Opisthodomos: (behind) like the “back porch” – not connected to the cella – sometimes used as a storage area in the temple
Stylobate: The foundation of the temple upon which everything is built
Collonade: The columns all the way around the temple

The 3 main differences between Doric and Ionic styles are as follows:

Doric (plain capitals) vs. Ionic (valutes)
Doric (no base on columns) vs. Ionic (base on columns)
Doric has triglyphs and metopes vs. Ionic has a continuous freeze

	Created by casey soles about 7 years ago

Art Note on Art History Midterm Study Guide, created by casey soles on 17/10/2017.