I’ll hold additional office hours next week for those who have questions about the final exam. My office is GLN 119. These are drop-in hours, so stop by any time!
Monday April 6: 12pm – 4:30pm
Tuesday April 7: 3pm – 6pm
March 30, 2009
Final Exam Format
VISA 1Q99: Final Exam Format, 2009
Section I: Short Essays
Time: 40 minutes (2 x 20 minutes)
Value: 40 (2 questions x 20 marks)
Number: 2 questions (from a choice of 3)
* This must be in paragraph form, with full sentences. Class material (lectures) must be used.
These will be questions about the main themes, issues, works of art and ideas presented in lectures. You may have to support your answer with examples, so you should learn 2 examples of works of art (artist, title, date) to go with each theme. Examples MUST be spelled correctly and within 10 years of the correct date. The examples should be images shown in lecture. You will be asked to refer to material presented in lecture.
Section II: Terms
Time: 25 minutes (5 x 5 minutes)
Value: 25 (5 questions x 5 marks)
Number: 5 (from a choice of 7)
* This must be in paragraph form, with full sentences. Class material (lectures) must be used.
The five terms will be chosen from the list below.
primitivism
cloisonné
Rococo
Neoclassicism
Enlightenment
utopia
Impressionism
Realism
vanitas / memento mori
absolutism
Marie Antoinette
genre painting
visual rhetoric
Each answer must include:
a) a good definition of the term (3 points)
b) a specific example (artist, date, title) – MUST be spelled correctly and within 10 years of the correct date (one point)
c) an explanation of the importance of the term for the study of art and art history (1 point)
Example: contrapposto: Around 480 BC in Greece, the Classical period, there was a remarkable shift in art from a stylized form to a naturalistic style that did way with some of the rigidity of the geometric style and attempted to show bodies that were more life like. Contrapposto, a term used to describe the figure’s position in sculpture or painting where the weight is placed on one leg, the knee is bent and the hips tilt, was one of the main elements in this shift. In the anonymous Kroisos Kouros, made of marble in c.480 BC, contrapposto allows the figure to seem to stand in a more natural way. Contrapposto was a significant discovery because it is much more lifelike, giving way to a more naturalistic style that stands in contrast to the stylized forms of earlier Greek sculpture and Egyptian sculpture.
Section III: Longer Essay
Time: 60 minutes
Value: 35
No choice (but there will be choice within the question itself).
This example will address the broad themes of the course and will ask you to address material from before and after the midterm. You will be asked to provide and discuss examples and to compare and contrast themes. Examples MUST be spelled correctly and within 20 years of the correct date. You MUST not focus on the same material that you have used in Section I of this exam.
You will write a full essay with introduction, thesis statement and paragraphs. Your answer must be supported with examples, analysis and argument. Here, you will be able to incorporate material from both readings and the lectures. Focus your studying on the broad topics for each week. This question will ask you to do more than simply repeat course material. You will be asked to think about the material in a new way. When you answer this question, take your time to develop a good essay plan, a point of view and an argument.
If you would like to print a copy of this, click to download a .pdf: final-exam-format-1q99-2009
March 30, 2009
Midterm — Short Answer Questions
Please note that not all these answers are in the proper exam format (i.e. essay). These are merely my notes for grading.
1. How do Gothic cathedrals such as Notre Dame de Chartres express the Christian notion that God is light? (you must discuss five elements of Gothic architecture in relation to light)
FOR FULL MARKS: each of the 5 elements, what they are, how they work, why they are significant, the importance of stained glass with one example from Chartres, Abbot Suger (who and what). This must be clearly expressed.
The Gothic period: mid 12th century through the early 15th century. This is known as the age of cathedrals. Here we see a new kind of architectural unity between form and iconography.
The Gothic style began with Abbot Suger, who deliberately sought an architectural style that would function as a symbolic manifestation of Christian ideology.
To that end, the Gothic style is built on the concepts of symbolic mathematics and the mystical effect of light.
In terms of lightness, there are five significant elements of Gothic architecture:
#1 RIBBED VAULTS: unlike barrel vaults common to Romanesque churches, ribbed vaults bear the weight distribution downwards towards the floor, rather than out towards the wall, which allows for more window space and less buttresses.
Ribbed vaults rely on #2 COMPOUND PIERS: the weight of the roof goes down the ribs to the colonettes where is it fully supported by piers to which the colonettes are attached. This creates strong vertical lines which draws all eyes upwards towards the light of clerestory and allows the nave to be taller and thinner, giving the illusion of light. This also allows for a much larger clerestory with many windows that throw light into the nave
#3 FLYING BUTTRESSES also allow for more and larger windows than in Romanesque churches, because they are thinner and are more efficient, offering support where it is needed most.
#4 POINTED ARCHES; similar to Romanesque, but two circles overlapping – because weight is shifted in these kinds of arches, downwards instead of out towards the walls, they can be higher, in fact they can be stretched to any height, unlike round arches.
#5: STAINED GLASS. All of the other elements (ribbed vaults, compound piers, flying buttresses and pointed arches) are designed to more capably support the weight of the structure to allow for larger windows.
Stained glass is the perfect expression of the Christian god as light, for they provided a new kind of coloured radiance, that not only filled the church with light, but also retold stories form the old and new testaments and symbolically represented elements of theology in mathematical symbolism.
———
2. What are the similarities and differences between the Archaic style and the Classical style in ancient Greek sculpture?
FOR FULL MARKS: a clear answer that explains, in full sentences, the important similarities and differences. See the Barnet book for advice on writing comparisons. A few points:
* best to compare statues of men/boys (there was much more information given about this)
* describe similarities FIRST and then differences; make an argument; one good example for each that will help you to make your point (you should refer to the example in your discussion)
* similarities: focus on human form, material (marble — painted and bronze), both are idealized (explain what this means)
* differences: the notion of ideal changes (explain head to body ratio)
Archaic: began around 7th c., stylized (define), rigid, based on Egyptian (explain and cite example of Egyptian influence), geometric, Archaic smile, blank expression
Classical: began around 480BC, naturalistic (define and explain), contrapposto (must be explained), the change should be explained (Peloponnesian War, desire for something uniquely Greek, etc.), artists – new kind of identity, development of individual style
———
3. How have art historians interpreted the Arnolfini portrait? We discussed several interpretations in lecture. Choose one interpretation and describe it, including the evidence used to support it. Please refer to lecture material only.
• Jan van Eyck, 1434, in the merchant city of Bruges
• the painting is both symbolic and realistic and it juxtaposes elements of the secular with the religious.
Four possibilities:
A. “pictorial marriage certificate” that represented the joining of two pious people and viewed marriage as a religious sacrament.
In the 1930s, art historian Erwin Panofsky focused on the mirror and the signature above it. He interpreted it as a legal document, or a “pictorial marriage certificate” that witnessed a secret marriage and focused on the sacrament of marriage – marriage as a sacred undertaking. Now, the notion of a secret marriage in the 15th century was not unusual. Two people only had to pledge marriage to one another to be married. Most people were not married in a church. This, of course, caused all kinds of problems, and legal documents were often also used to prove marriage.
Panofsky cited several reasons for his interpretation:
• The gesture of the groom: he raises his hand in a traditional gesture of oath
• The joining of hands is a way to make a marriage, going back to Jewish, Roman and Greek tradition
• The painting is signed, inscribed and dated: Johannes de Eck fuit hic: “Jan van Eyck was here.” The elaborate script van Eyck used is legal in nature, and the words “Jan van Eyck was here” rather than the usual “Jan van Eyck made this, or made me, as we saw on the Man in a Red Turban, is legal language, Panofsky claims, to mark the painter’s role as witness rather than just an image-maker.
• Panofsky uses earlier images of marriages to solidify his claim that this painting employs the iconography of marriage appropriate to its time.
• Furthermore, Panofsky claimed, the reflection of two figures in the mirror show that two witnesses were present. Others have claimed that since one of the witnesses is wearing a red turban, he might be van Eyck.
• removal of the shoes = sacred space
• Panofsky refined this kind of iconographic interpretation and claimed that all Renaissance and Medieval paintings could be interpreted by decoding their “disguised symbolism”→ symbolic meaning, often religious, disguised in everyday objects.
B: a memento of marriage or betrothal
between the hands
• The space between the couple’s hands contains many objects that signify marriage:
• The chandelier with its one lit candle signifies both the continual presence of God, but could also be a wedding candle—traditionally one candle was lit and placed next to the bed when a couple married. It was to promote fertility.
• The glass prayer beads to the right of the man were a typical wedding gift from groom to bride, intended to symbolize the requirement that women remain pious and quiet
• To the right of the mirror, there is a small broom, again signifying the woman’s role as keeper of the house
• The female figure just above the broom, carved into the headboard, and depicted with a dragon, is likely St Margaret, patron saint of childbirth, but may also be St Martha, who was sometimes shown with a dragon. St Martha is the patron saint of housewives. Either would be appropriate.
the dog: symbolizing fidelity or faithfulness in marriage– remember the common name for dogs – Fido – is derived from the Latin word for fidelity: Fides was the goddess of faith, and fidelitas meant faithfulness.
shoes removed (see above)
C. a portrait of a married couple who sought to indicate their social standing by representing themselves as wealthy in a room that may or may not be a real place.
Contemporary art historians have interpreted the painting by examining it within its social and cultural context. To this end, many of the objects in the painting speak to the sitter’s wealth, and this painting is a representation intended to express the wealth and the identity of the sitters. Thinking of the portrait as an expression of status and wealth, however, reminds us that this is not necessarily an accurate depiction of a specific room. Elements could have been borrowed for the portrait, or van Eyck could have added elements from a variety of sources. Certainly few people – even wealthy merchants — could have afforded all of the items in the painting, especially the carpet.
Examples of wealth.
1) Chandelier
an expensive object: a finely-crafted object that tells us something of the couple’s status and taste.
2) Oranges
oranges in 15th century Bruges were exceptionally expensive as they were imported from the south. To have them sitting on your windowsill ripening meant that you were a person of great wealth.
3) Other Signs of wealth – wealth as gendered
Other signs of wealth include the clothes of the two sitters. He wears a full-length fur cloak.
a) Her Cloak
She wears a voluminous, intricately designed cloak that appears to be lined with ermine, an expensive fur worn by royalty. The pile of fabric is clearly exaggerated. If she were to let go of it and let it fall, she would find it very difficult to walk without tripping over her garment.
4) the dog
a very expensive, rare breed of dog.
D: Marriage – but with a joke about sexuality/lust
cite all the examples from B, above, plus: mention for Craig Harbison, there is a sexual element to the picture, and it does more than reflect the sacramental aspect of marriage
– the dog represents lust, for dogs were thought to be sinful by 15th century clergy.
– removal of shoes suggests sexuality, for a woman with her feet upon the earth suggests fertility, and, Harbison claims that the removal of slippers in later Dutch painting is commonly accepted as a sign of sexual passion. He uses other images of sexuality and of marriage as sources for his explanation.
March 23, 2009
Vocabulary for Monday March 23, 2009
Realism – Gustave Courbet, Jean-François Millet
Impressionism – Claude Monet, Jean Renoir
utopia / dystopia
Paul Gauguin
Pont-Aven
ukiyo-e
primitive, primitivism
cloisonné
Syncretism
Pablo Picasso
cubism
Henri Matisse
Arcadia
March 23, 2009
Final Exam
The final exam will take place on Wednesday April 8 from 7-10 pm in the Bob Davis Gymnasium – Walker Complex (formerly Gym 1). You must bring your student ID to write the exam. If you do not have your ID, you will be unable to write the exam. Also, if you are not registered in this course and are not on the Registrar’s list, you will not be allowed to write the exam. Please ensure you are registered in the course.
From the Brock website:
| VISA 1Q99 | 01 | Wed. Apr. 8 | 19:00 | 22:00 | WCDVIS |
March 16, 2009
Midterm Answers Continued
DEFINE FOUR TERMS FROM THE LIST FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
Each answer must include:
a) a good, thorough definition of the term (3 marks)
b) a specific example (artist, date, title) (1 mark)
c) an explanation of the importance of the term for the study of art and art history (1 mark)
Salomon Reinach
definition (for 3 points, must have): a French archaeologist who, around 1900, developed the hunting-magic theory to explain the meaning of cave paintings. His theory claims that shamans would paint images of animals on the walls of caves to influence reality and therefore bring success in the hunt.
example: any of the cave paintings we looked at in class, citing info on slides
significance: helps us to understand the meaning of the images at Lascaux, this was one of the first interpretations of the meaning of the oldest existent paintings, etc
Khufu
definition – for 3 points: ancient Egyptian Pharoah who had the Great Pyramid built at Giza to house his body after death. This was the first of three large pyramids built in the Old Kingdom; they should also have some description of the pyramid (symbolic elements, what it may have contained, etc)
example: great pyramid (see slides for dates)
importance: his tomb gives us important information about Egyptian burial customs (from a time/place where death and burial were a main part of the culture) which allows us to understand symbolic elements in ancient Egyptian art, etc.
Master builders
definition : must have: Cathedrals were planned and executed under the guidance of a master builder, who was like an architect and construction project manager all rolled into one. (1 point)
must have two of: (1 point each)
1)The master builders were well-educated and able to understand the complex iconography;
2)they had great skill in mathematics, particularly geometry;
3)they were well-respected and could talk to royal and noble patrons.
4) The master builder of a cathedral made a template on which he numbered every single stone that as to be placed in the church.
example: master builder of Chartres Cathedral, 1194-1260
importance: something about the importance of Gothic cathedrals in art history – can mention Suger and the development of a new style or the economic importance of magnificent cathedrals to house relics
Relic
definition: relic is a ‘holy remain’: a piece of a saint, often a literal piece, such as a bone fragment, or an object that was close to the saint (an article of clothing); people believed that relics had supernatural powers to heal or to help people; they were kept in churches in special cases called reliquaries
example: the cloth the Virgin Mary wore while giving birth to Jesus, Chartres Cathedral, France (no date or artist); relic of St Foy, in Reliquary statue of Sainte Foy, 983 to 1013 (no artist)
importance: people made pilgrimages to see them, therefore great cathedrals were built – we would have no great cathedrals without relics
Disguised symbolism:
definition: a kind of iconographic interpretation developed by art historian Erwin Panofsky in the 1930s, where one can find symbolic meaning, often religious, disguised in everyday objects in a painting. Begun with his analysis of the Arnolfini Portrait, and refined to claim that all Renaissance and Medieval paintings could be interpreted by decoding their disguised symbolism.
example: any of the disguised symbols I mentioned from the Arnolfini painting (must cite date, artist and title of painting, i.e.: oranges on the windowsill were interpreted by Panofsky as religious symbolism, referencing fruit from the Garden of Eden in Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, 1434).
importance: was an entirely method of interpreting Medieval and Renaissance paintings that allows us to find a deeper meaning that had not been previously apparent, therefore a greater understanding of those cultures
Cabinet of Curiosity:
A) Definition:
- aka Wunderkammer
- 16th – 18th c
- could be a literal cabinet (piece of furniture), a room, or a suite of rooms
- eccentric organization/categorization of objects
- wonders included animal, vegetable, mineral – of particular interest were objects that transcended categories (e.g. Coral)
- objects such as ostrich eggs or coral were enhanced by being crafted into objects by artisans (eg statue of Daphne with arms made of coral)
- collections demonstrated man’s mastery of world, personal wealth, taste and knowledge
- goal of cabinets – to elicit the emotion of wonder
- example: Muscei Wormiani Historia of Olaus Worm
B) Artist examples
- Mark Dion, Cabinet of Curiosities, 1997
- Rosamund Purcell, Bringing Nature Inside, 2003
- Catherine Heard, Theatrum Mundi, 2008/9
C) Explanation of importance of term to study of art and art history
- potentially a forerunner to today’s museums (debatable – different theorists hold different views on this)
- demonstrate that collecting impulse is not unique to our time
- In the 1980s and 1990s postmodern critique of the museum renewed interest in the cabinet of curiosity, and a number of high profile exhibitions were mounted, some which recreated historical cabinets, others which consciously played with the form and its boundaries.
March 15, 2009
Neoclassicism — notes
Enlightenment: a new philosophical and intellectual movement that believed logic and reason would improve people’s lives. Read about it in your textbook. One of the main thinkers who influenced the Enlightenment was Descartes, 1596-1650, who said ‘cogito ergo sum’ – I think, therefore I am (existence was predicated on logical thought). In the 18th century Denis Diderot composed the first encyclopedia and Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote the Social Contract, 1762, which was a about self-sacrifice for the good of all and a new kind of citizenship based on morality.
There was an emphasis on liberty and equality.
March 15, 2009
Midterm Answers, Part I
Please choose the best answer for each question.
1. Northern Renaissance portraits are characterized by two important developments. As discussed in lecture these are:
a. an interest in accurate depictions of nature and an interest in individuality and personality
2. Students should use RACER to:
d. find sources held in other Ontario libraries
3. The salvator mundi is:
b. a pose
4. Holbein’s painting The Ambassadors contains many items. The items on the top shelf reference ____________ and the items on the bottom shelf reference ________________.
a. the celestial realm; the earthly world
5. The Latin inscription on Jan Van Eyk’s Man in a Red Turban is translated into English as:
d. Jan van Eyck made me on 21 October 1433
6. To use RACER you must:
b. create a RACER account
7. In her article “The Audiences for the Medieval Cult of Saints” Barbara Abou-El-Hai discusses four examples of medieval audiences. They were located at:
b. Limoges, Durham, Vézelay and Santiago
8. In comparing a Northern Renaissance portrait with an Italian Renaissance portrait on the smarthistory.org reading, the author notes these differences:
d. Northern paintings focus on the details whereas Italian paintings focus on the general
9. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre stood:
d. all of the above
10. According to what you heard in lecture, the number of pilgrimages rose around 1000 CE due to:
a. a rise in the belief of the power of saints
