AP Art History : Asian 2D Art

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : 2 D Art Beyond European Artistic Traditions

Which of the following is NOT a key symbol in Buddhist iconography?

Possible Answers:

Trees

The Wheel

The Lion

Lotus

Correct answer:

Trees

Explanation:

The Lion symbolizes Buddha's royal status. The Wheel denotes Buddha's law. The Lotus is a symbol of Buddha's natural origins. Trees are not a key symbol in the iconographic scheme of Buddhist art.

Example Question #1 : Asian 2 D Art

Fan Kuan's Travellers Among Mountains and Streams exemplifies Northern Song painting in its use of which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Hanging scroll format

Composite or multiple perspectives

Shading

Ink and color on silk

Varied brushstrokes

Correct answer:

Composite or multiple perspectives

Explanation:

Monumental landscapes during the Northern Song dynasty are characterized by their use of three distinct perspectives in the composition: high distance, level distance, and deep distance.

Example Question #1 : Asian 2 D Art

Ogata korin   red and white plum blossoms  national treasure    google art project

White and Red Plum Blossoms, by Ogata Kōrin, is notable among Japanese art for its use of _________________.

Possible Answers:

watercolor

gold leaf

gemstones

oil paint

Correct answer:

gold leaf

Explanation:

Instead of painting in golden hued paint on the screen in his White and Red Plum Blossoms, Ogata Kōrin inlays actual gold leaf onto his work of art, having the gold dominate the work of art. This use of non-paint or ink materials in creating screens was a signature element of the Rinpa school, who also utilized items such as mother of pearl, although gold leaf was by far the most frequent material included in Rinpa school work.

Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogata_Korin_-_RED_AND_WHITE_PLUM_BLOSSOMS_(National_Treasure)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Example Question #2 : Asian 2 D Art

Ogata korin   red and white plum blossoms  national treasure    google art project

The work shown here is an example of a Japanese _____________.

Possible Answers:

handscroll

woodblock print

hanging scroll

folding screen

Correct answer:

folding screen

Explanation:

Folding screens are a central part of Japanese art due to their use in Japanese domestic architecture as dividers between different spaces. This meant that screens such as White and Red Plum Blossoms by Ogata Kōrin were central decorative objects in houses during the Edo Period of Japanese history. Ogata Kōrin's work was one of the key developments of folding screens as an art form.

Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogata_Korin_-_RED_AND_WHITE_PLUM_BLOSSOMS_(National_Treasure)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Asian 2 D Art

"Ukiyo-e" is a Japanese term for a piece of art produced through the use of __________.

Possible Answers:

calligraphy pens

embroidery

screen printing

woodblock prints

Correct answer:

woodblock prints

Explanation:

Ukiyo-e was the dominant form of Japanese art in the Edo period (1603-1867), and was aimed largely at the newly dominant upper middle classes by featuring images of geishas, sumo wrestlers, and kabuki actors. Ukiyo-e works were made from woodblock prints that allowed the artist to imprint a similar image on many different pieces of paper after creating just one block. Its handmade nature, however, allowed the pieces to be hand colored and shifted each time a new one was made.

Example Question #4 : Asian 2 D Art

Chinese paintings made before 1900 were usually displayed on __________

Possible Answers:

wooden panels

bare walls

wood-framed canvas

hanging scrolls

Correct answer:

hanging scrolls

Explanation:

Chinese paintings, whether fashionable court paintings or more individualistic works from the literati, were traditionally presented on hanging silk scrolls. These scrolls were both easily portable and impressive in their scope, as they could be quite large. The manufacture of the scrolls themselves was considered an art form.

Example Question #2 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Asian 2 D Art

800px-great_wave_off_kanagawa2

The above image is a woodblock print, meaning it __________.

Possible Answers:

can be easily replicated in the same form

can be enlarged and miniaturized easily

cannot be moved from the place it was first drawn

can only be shown in a large format

can have its colors easily changed

Correct answer:

can be easily replicated in the same form

Explanation:

The woodblock format, popular throughout Asia, is an artistic format that is produced by having a large piece of wood cut into and dyed by the artist. Thereafter, this woodblock can be printed onto canvas or paper, making it extremely easy to duplicate the work of art again and again.

Example Question #22 : 2 D Art Beyond European Artistic Traditions

__________ is a quintessential characteristic of the Japanese Ukiyo-e style.

Possible Answers:

Handscrolls

Ink on parchment

Woodblock prints

Highly textured and detailed floral motifs

Accompanying literary text

Correct answer:

Woodblock prints

Explanation:

Woodblock was characteristic of the Ukiyo-e style, particularly the lack of depth and shadow. Literary text was not characteristic of this period, as it was common in the Heian period (i.e. Tale of Genji).

Ink on parchment could be considered an answer, since many artists did render drafts and sketches on paper with ink; however, the period is known for the woodblock.

Example Question #2 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Asian 2 D Art

Great wave off kanagawa2

The work shown here is executed in the medium of _______________.

Possible Answers:

etching

a woodblock print

stone carving

watercolor painting

Correct answer:

a woodblock print

Explanation:

Under the Wave off Kanagawa is perhaps the most well-known Japanese woodblock print, from one of the form’s masters, Katsushika Hokusai. Japanese woodblock printing was produced by carefully carving an image onto a fine grained piece of wood, then applying ink to the block of wood and stamping the block onto a piece of paper. This allowed for works of art to be copied onto multiple pieces of paper and distributed quite widely.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Katsushika_Hokusai,_published_by_Nishimuraya_Yohachi_(Eijudō)_-_Under_the_Wave_off_Kanagawa_(Kanagawa-oki_nami-ura),_also_known_as_the_Great_Wave,_from_the_series_T..._-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Example Question #1 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Asian 2 D Art

The Burning of the Sanjo Palace is a thirteenth-century handscroll from __________.

Possible Answers:

Korea

Japan

Vietnam

China

Correct answer:

Japan

Explanation:

The Burning of the Sanjo Palace is one of the more famous and most representative works of classical Japanese art. This handscroll painting, done about one hundred years after the event it depicts, features swift brushstrokes to emphasize movement, has a strong use of diagonals, and presents largely undifferentiated figures. All of these are classic hallmarks of Japanese handscroll painting from the Kamakura period.

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