APAH Exam 30-Minute Essay Questions over the past 10 years:

AP Art History ESSAY Questions (2003-2013)

               PILGRIMAGE QUESTION (2013): Across the world, sites and structures have been the destination of people on religious pilgrimages. Select and clearly identify two sites or structures of religious pilgrimages. Your choices must come from two different cultural traditions; at least one of your choices must come from beyond the European tradition. Using specific visual evidence, analyze how features of each site or structure shape the intended experience of the pilgrims. (30 min)

NARRATIVE QUESTION ON ART AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE (2013): Throughout history, narrative has been used in art to communicate social, political, or religious meaning. Select and clearly identify two works of art that use narrative. One of your examples must date before 1800 C.E., and one must date after 1800 C.E. For each work, identify the content of the narrative AND analyze how the work uses narrative to communicate social, political, or religious meaning. (30 min)

                  CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE ART QUESTION (2012): Across the world, particular materials that have cultural significance have been used to shape the meaning of works of art. Select and fully identify two specific works made from materials that have cultural significance. At least one of your choices must come from beyond the European tradition. For each work, analyze how the use of particular materials shapes the meaning (religious, social, and or political) of the work within its cultural context. (30 minutes)

                  ART DEPICTING DOMESTIC SPACE QUESTION (2012): For a variety of reasons, artists throughout history have created works of art that depict domestic (household) space. Select and fully identify two works of art that depict domestic space. One of your choices must date prior to 1700 C.E. and one must date after 1700 C.E. Using specific visual evidence analyze how the depiction of domestic space in each work communicates meaning.  (30 minutes)

                   RELIGIOUS ART QUESTION (2011): The visual representation of deities and holy personages is a feature of religious belief and practices throughout the world. Select and fully identify two examples of representations of deities or holy personages , in any medium, from two different cultures. At least one of your choices must be from beyond the European tradition. Using specific visual evidence, analyze each work in relation to the religious beliefs AND practices within its culture.

ART IN AN OUTDOOR SPACE QUESTION (2011): Throughout history, art in a wide variety of media has been situated in outdoor public spaces to convey meaning to specific audiences. Select and fully identify two such works. One of your examples must date before 1850 C.E., and one must date after 1850 C.E. For each work, analyze how the work AND its placement conveyed meaning to its specific audience within its outdoor space. (30 minutes)

ART DEPICTING FAMILY AND CULTURE QUESTION (2010): Artists within a culture often use depictions of ancestors, siblings, couples, or other types of family groupings to communicate larger social, political, mythical, and historical concerns. Select and fully identify two works in any medium that represent family groupings or relationships. The works should come from two different cultures. At least one of the two examples must be from beyond the European tradition. Discuss the specific cultural concerns the work communicates and analyze the visual means used to communicate hose concerns. (30 minutes)

ART as PROPAGANDA QUESTION (2010): Throughout history, art has been used as propaganda to shape public opinion. Propaganda takes many forms, such as architecture, paintings, and print media, and is used to promote religious, political, and social ideologies. Select and fully identify two works, in any medium, that were used to shape public opinion. One of your examples must date before 1900 C.E., and one must date after 1900 C.E. Citing specific elements in each work, analyze how each work conveyed its propagandistic message to its intended audience. (30 minutes)

ART AND SACRED SPACE QUESTION (2009): Cultures designate sacred space in a variety of ways to accommodate both religious beliefs and practices. Select and fully identify two examples of sacred spaces from different cultures, one of which must be from beyond the European tradition. Discuss how each space accommodates BOTH religious beliefs AND practices within its culture. (30 minutes)

SELF PORTRAIT QUESTION (2009): Self – portraiture provides a wide range of information about the artist in addition to physical appearance. Choose and fully identify two self-portraits, in any medium, each from a different art-historical period. Analyze how each self-portrait conveys information about the artist AND his or her era (30 minutes)

CULTURAL ATTITUDES ABOUT WOMEN PORTRAYED IN ART (2008): Cultural attitudes about women are often revealed in art. Select and fully identify two works of art that depict one or more women. The works must come from two different cultures, one of which must be from beyond the European tradition. Explain how each work reveals its culture’s attitudes about women. (30 min.) 

ART POST 1960’s question  (2008): Art since the 1960’s encompasses a wide variety of approaches. Address this variety of approaches though the careful choice and detailed discussion of two works of art made between 1960 and the present. The two works must be by different artists OR in different media. Be sure to fully identify each work. (30 minutes)

ART REPRESENTING HOSTILITY OR VIOLENCE (2007): Throughout history, art representing hostility or violence has been used for a variety of purposes. Select and fully identify two such works of art from two different cultures, one of which must be from beyond the European tradition. Explain how and why each work of art communicates hostility or violence. (30 min)

ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY (2007): Throughout history, technological developments have enabled artists and architects to express ideas in new ways. Choose and fully identify two works of art and architecture and the specific technological development that made each work possible. One of your choices must date before 1800 CE and one must date after 1800 CE. For each work, analyze how the technological development enabled the artist or architect to express ideas in new ways. (30 min)

ART AND  NATURE MOTIFS QUESTION (2006): Representations of the natural world or motifs from nature are found in the art of all times and places. Choose and fully identify two appropriate works of art from two different cultures. One of your choices must be from beyond the European tradition. Explain why and how each work uses representations of the natural world or motifs from nature. (30 minutes)

SYMBOLISM AND ALLEGORY IN ART (2006): Throughout history, works of art have included symbolic or allegorical images. Select and fully identify two works of art that include symbolic or allegorical images. Your choices must be from different art historical periods. Discuss how each work uses symbols or allegory to convey meaning. (30 min)

ART CONVEYING A NARRATIVE (2005): Most cultures have made use of art’s narrative function. Select and fully identify two works of art that visually convey a narrative. At least one of your choices must be from beyond the European tradition. Identify the subject of each narrative and discuss the means used to convey the narrative. (30 min)

ART WHICH CHALLENGES ESTABLISHED TRADITIONS (2005):  Frequently in the history of art, artists, and architects have challenged established traditions. One example must have been produced before 1800 C.E. Discuss how and why each work constituted a significant challenge to accepted artistic conventions of its time. (30 min)

ART DEPICTING THE HUMAN BODY (2004): How a culture is perceived is often expressed in depictions of the human figure. Choose two specific representations of the human body from different cultures. Only one of your choices may be from a European artistic tradition. Discuss significant aspects of each culture that are revealed by the way in which the human body is depicted. (30 min)

PATRONS OF ARTIST QUESTION (2004): The relationship between an artist or architect and a patron very often shapes the form and content of a work of art of architecture. Identify two works, each from a different art historical period, and name the specific persons who commissioned them. Discuss how the specific interests and intentions of the particular patrons are revealed in each work. (30 min)

HUMAN BODY ABSTRACTED IN ART (2003): The human body is often highly stylized or abstracted in works of art. Fully identify two works from different cultures in which the body has been highly stylized or abstracted. At least one of your choices must be a work from beyond the European tradition. Discuss how the stylization or abstraction or each figure is related to cultural and/ or religious ideas. (30 min)

Art removed from original setting (2003): In order to understand works of art fully, one must understand their original or intended settings. For example, most works of art in museums have been removed from their original settings. Often a work’s original setting has been altered or destroyed or was never completed as planned. Fully identify two works of art that have been removed from their original settings. Each example must come from different original or intended settings. Discuss how knowledge of the original settings contributes to a more complete understanding of each work. (30 min.)