Exam Study Guide

Aside from having completed your slide lists (and from having studied them so that you are familiar with their contents), you should be able to accomplish the following:

Midterm

Be able to describe the characteristics of Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism, and provide examples that illustrate these characteristics. For example, if the Neoclassical movement includes a return to themes of classical art and literature (which it does), be able to list at least three paintings (and their artists) that illustrate this trait.

Be able to provide examples of Neoclassical and Romantic architecture and architects. In addition, know why these styles arose, and what they meant to the people who built or designed the buildings. Know where Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts architecture fit into the picture, and be able to provide examples of each.

Be able to describe the relationship between John Ruskin and the Preraphaelite Brotherhood, and the relationship between the PRB and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Know why Ruskin was such an important figure in the development of modern art, and be able to describe his relationship to J. M. W. Turner.

Be able to draw a rough diagram of the impact of the Arts and Crafts movement on the development of modern design (such as a rough timeline from Arts and Crafts to the Vienna Secession and various Art Nouveau movements–showing sequence rather than dates). Be able to identify American examples of Arts and Crafts influence (and the influence of Ruskin in particular).

Know the various groups that exhibit the characteristics of Art Nouveau in different countries: France, Italy, England, Scotland, Austria, Germany. Be able to provide examples of American artists whose works reflect Art Nouveau Influence.

Be able to indicate the impact of the Industrial Revolution on art in the nineteenth century, and provide examples of how artists reacted to it, especially in Britain. In general, be able to relate political revolutions and movements to corresponding artistic movements.

Be able to describe the importance of printmaking to the democratization of art, and be able to provide examples of artists who were also printmakers, as well as printmakers who specialized in political satire (workshops 1 and 2).

In addition to being able to describe the various movements we studied, know the following terms: daguerreotype, en plein air, Fin de Siècle, Art Nouveau, Stile Liberté, lithography, camera obscura, Secession, Gesamtkunstwerk, pointed architecture, various print media (lithograph, chromolithograph, engraving, drypoint, aquatint, woodblock, etc.)

Final

All of the above, plus:

Terminology: synthetic and analytical Cubism, collage, papier colle, readymade, frottage, grattage, fumage, entartete Kunst, Works Progress Administration, Regionalism, Social Realism, mobile, stabile--and the movements we study in addition to Cubism.

Be familiar with artists mentioned in the films we have watched since midterm: Picasso and Braque: A New Way of Seeing, Bauhaus: Face of the 20th Century, and Entartete Kunst.

Make sure you can identify figures discussed in the Bauhaus and Degenerate Art films. Know the principles behind the founding of the Bauhaus (as outlined in the Manifesto), be familiar with its major figures and its history (for example, know the various locations where the school was housed, why they had to leave the first two, and why the school was closed; it wouldn't hurt to look at the cities on a map to get a physical sense of what was going on). Be able to name several artists whose work was singled out by the Nazis for contempt, and why. Be able to describe the National Socialist attitude toward art and aesthetics.

Be able to describe major art movements of the early twentieth century, and be able to identify/name works by member artists: Fauvism, Cubism (both Analytical and Synthetic), Expressionism, Der Blaue Reiter, Die Brucke, Constructivism, Suprematism, Futurism, De Stijl (Neoplasticism), Dada, Surrealism. Remember that many artists belonged to more than one movement.

Be able to describe what each of the movements that follow Cubism owes to Cubism itself. Be able to describe several factors that led to the development of Cubism in the first place. It would help to be able to chart Cubism's impact on all the movements that follow it--and to know how it is related to movements (like Arts and Crafts and Impressionism) that came before.

Be able to describe how the idea of the "conversation" between Picasso and Braque led not only to the growth and development of Cubism, but to further developments in art throughout Europe and the United States. Be able to describe at least one similar "conversation" among other artists in another movement.

Be able to describe the evolution from representation to abstraction, name artists who exemplify the shift, and list works that illustrate the transition. Be able to supply at least one additional artist and his or her works (that is, other than the three I talked about in class).

It would really help if you knew something about the origins of the two world wars. These events provide the context for much of early twentieth-century art, and its further development after the end of the second war. Be able to describe the impact of WWI on the development of art in America--and to name specific artists and movements whose influence helped shape modern art in the United States.

Be able to describe the impact of modern technologies on art and architecture in the twentieth century.

Finally, be able to recite all of Uhlmeyer’s Rules of Technological Development (from 1 to 312) while standing on one foot.

The exam will consist of image ID (know name of work, artist, movement), terminology, and short answer. For each movement or period, be able to list representative artists and works, and be able to describe the characteristics that define it. You will have up to three hours for the exam, but there won't be enough time to catch up on reading and learning stuff you should already know.

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07.06.10