All AP Art History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : 2 D Art
The technique of mixing pigment and egg yolk before applying it to a moistened plaster surface is called what?
Chiaroscuro
Tempera
Fresco-secco
Buon Fresco
Encaustic painting
Fresco-secco
Fresco-secco, or dry fresco painting, uses water-based pigment mixed with egg to paint a dry plaster surface that has only been moistened. This is not true fresco, or buon fresco, because in a true fresco the plaster would still be wet. Fresco painting was popular in Classical Greece.
Example Question #1 : Ancient Through Medieval 2 D Art
Encaustic painting, a popular technique for Greek painters, can most basically be broken down into which of the following three steps?
Mix oils and pigments, apply to wood, heat to dry.
Add pigment to water, mix egg yolk, apply to dry plaster.
Mix pigment and water, add beeswax, cool and let dry.
Add pigment to water, mix egg yolk, apply to wet plaster.
Heat beeswax, add colored pigment, apply to wood surface.
Heat beeswax, add colored pigment, apply to wood surface.
The main ingredient of encaustic painting is beeswax, and the mixture is most often applied to wood, though it has other uses. Egg-yolk pigments are a characteristic of fresco, not encaustic painting.
Example Question #2 : Ancient Through Medieval 2 D Art
A "tessera" is the main element in creating a __________.
mosaic
fresco
mural
stained glass window
mosaic
Mosaics were one of the more common artistic forms of Ancient Greek and Roman art, being featured as key decorative elements in buildings on walls and floors. The key element of a mosaic is a "tessera" (plural "tesserae"), a Latin term for the small piece of stone or glass which is put together with others to make the much larger image of a full mosaic.
Example Question #1 : Ancient Through Medieval 2 D Art
The kind of artwork that features many pieces of glass or tile arranged into a portrait or other image is called a __________.
devotional
fresco
mural
mosaic
diptych
mosaic
While "mosaic" is a very broad term, it refers to any artwork made by assembling together small pieces of glass and tile. Roman artists and architects frequently used mosaics to create artwork in homes and buildings, and these were frequently realistic depictions of people or landscapes. Mosaics are still used by artists today, but can often take on abstract forms.
Example Question #1 : Ap Art History
In general, what is the art style of the Romans and Greeks referred to as?
Ancient art
Realism
Classical art
Art nouveau
Classical art
Roman and Greek styles of art are referred to as Classical Art. Classical art is known for its simplicity, humanism and naturally beautiful style.
Example Question #1 : 2 D Art
_______________ refers to the representation of sequential moments in a story in a single image.
Continuous narrative
Collapsed narrative
Directional narrative
Abbreviated narrative
Continuous narrative
In a continuous narrative, sequential moments of a narrative or story are depicted in a single scene. This type of image is used to tell a whole story within a single image instead of through separate images. A continuous narrative often is distinguished by the reappearance of a single character or characters multiple times within the image.
Example Question #1 : 2 D Art
The ________ of proportions allowed the Greeks to create idealized depictions of the human form.
body
ratio
scale
table
canon
canon
The term to remember is "canon," as it directly refers to the proportion principles employed by both the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Egyptians.
"Scale" was given as an option to throw off the test-taker; though scale of proportions fits into the sentence quite well, "canon" is the art history term used (for example, we say that paintings are of nude figures, not naked figures).
"Ratio" cannot be the answer since that is a synonym for "proportion." Body does not fit the sentence at all. Table would work, but it is not the answer for the same reason that scale is not.
Example Question #1 : 2 D Art
The most complete trove of provincial Roman panel paintings, often made by Greek painters and found in Egypt, are known as __________.
the Aldobrandini Wedding
the Pitsa panels
the Fayum mummy portraits
the Severan Tondo
the Fayum mummy portraits
Most paintings from the classical world are lost, due to withering away and fading over time, unless they were in conditions that preserved them. The Fayum mummy portraits are the best collection of ancient portraits because they laid for centuries underground in the dry deserts of Egypt. While the creation of mummy portraits is descended from ancient Egyptian mummy practices, the Fayum portraits were typically painted by Greek artists for Roman patrons in Egypt, after Rome had accessioned Ptolemaic Egypt, following the Battle of Actium.
Example Question #2 : 2 D Art
Of what material is classical Greek sculpture most likely made?
Granite
Cement
Limestone
Marble
None of the other answers is correct.
Marble
The answer is marble; you must first identify that the Greek tradition is where marble is a prominent material for sculpture and architecture. You must also recognize that limestone, the other major building material of the Greek architectural tradition, would not have been used for sculpture as much as for large-scale architectural ventures.
Example Question #1 : Ancient Through Medieval 2 D Art
Clothing portrayed in Greek sculpture that shows off the female figure without the woman in question appearing nude is a form of what kind of drapery?
Classical
Near Eastern
Athenian
Lysippian
Phidian
Phidian
Phidian, a term which refers to work in the style of the sculptor Phidias, is known for his use of drapery to highlight the female form, which was not allowed to be shown in the nude.
All AP Art History Resources
![Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors](https://vt-vtwa-app-assets.varsitytutors.com/assets/problems/og_image_practice_problems-9cd7cd1b01009043c4576617bc620d0d5f9d58294f59b6d6556fd8365f7440cf.jpg)