The AP Art History course will be one of the most enriching and enlightening courses you've taken, provided you take advantage of the resources and assignments which are designed to direct you toward a deeper and greater appreciation of the role of art in our history. As one of the major indicators of how past civilizations and cultures once thought, and what they believed, understanding art in its context opens our eyes to a wide and varied world. Understanding the history of art also provides us with the tools to help us analyze and evaluate our own culture's voice in contemporary art - whether its through looking at the painted portraits by Chuck Close, or viewing the videos of Matthew Barney.
To prepare you for the upcoming school year, I've assigned you the following reading and provided you with a small slide show of images that you should be familiar with when we begin. You should be able to identify the images and the information that accompanies them.
Our textbook, Art History, by Mary Stokstad, is an excellent source for a course that covers the entire history of art in a survey. Over the summer you should become familiar with the book and understand its layout and organization. You are expected to read the following:
Starter Kit and Introduction: pp. xxvi - xlvii, Be familiar with the concepts and ideas covered in this introduction as they will reemerge consistently throughout all time periods we cover.
Chapter Two - Art of the Ancient Near East: pp. 25 - 46, After reading this chapter, answer the following questions and bring them with you on the first day of class. This will be the point at which we begin.
1. In the ancient Near east, why was there a need to control the water supply of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?
2. What major cultural shift took place between 4000 BCE and 3000 BCE?
3. How was the ancient Near Eastern city-state created?
4. Why was Mesopotamia vulnerable to political upheaval?
5. How did agriculture change the face of culture in the Fertile Crescent?
6. What types of arts flourished in early cities?
7. How was the Ziggurat constructed and what purpose did it serve?
8. What types of stories do the registers found near the temple complex of Inanna at Uruk tell?
9. What is the traditional convention of the Sumerian votive figure?
10. How is trade exemplified in The Great Lyre with Bull’s Head?
11. What story does the Stele of naram-Sin tell?
12. How is Gudea generally portrayed and why is his face so familiar?
13. How did Assurnasirpal II improve his empire?
14. What makes the palace complex of Sargon so extensive?
15. How does the imperial complex at Persepolis use the rectangular grid system?
16. What types of Persian art shows their high level of technical and artistic sophistication?
On a final note, you'll notice that this blog contains a number of slide shows pertaining to a long list of styles and time periods we will be studying and working with throughout the year. Feel free to browse through the images and enjoy them.
