AP Art History : Answering other questions about African sculpture
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History
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Example Questions
Example Question #2 : Sculpture Beyond European Artistic Traditions
In Yoruba art, the most important body part portrayed in statuary is the __________.
head
heart
arm
hand
head
The Yoruba culture of Southern Africa is one of the key artistic hubs of the region, and produces remarkable works in sculpture, jewelry, and masks. One chief feature is the usual focus on the head, which the Yoruba traditionally believe is the home of the entirety of the person. This belief is best reflected in Yoruba busts, which do not even feature necks or shoulders, only the head itself.
Example Question #3 : Sculpture Beyond European Artistic Traditions
Traditional African masks typically portray all of the following EXCEPT __________.
local animals
the actors under the masks
ancestors
spirits of the earth
the actors under the masks
African masks are one of the chief examples of sub-Saharan artwork and are traditionally used in various African religious ceremonies. These ceremonies reflect traditional religious beliefs, which are usually based on spirit animism and ancestor worship; therefore, it is thought that the masks often allow the actors to take on something more powerful than themselves, including animals, ancestors, and various kinds of spirits.
Example Question #1 : Sculpture Beyond European Artistic Traditions
All of the following statements are true, in general, of the masquerade arts in Africa except _____________.
a mask, combined with held objects, music, and dance gestures, invokes a specific named spirit character who is enacted a part of strongly ritualized dramas
most African masks serve, among many other purposes, to crystallize varieties of human behavior-- caricatured, ordinary, amusing, bizarre, serious, etc
for many groups in West and Central Africa, masking plays an active role in the socialization process, especially for men, who control most masking on the continent
African masks rarely had any governmental purpose and served only as decorative objects, interesting as visual art pieces
especially before the advent of colonial rule, African masking societies boasted extensive regulatory and judicial powers
African masks rarely had any governmental purpose and served only as decorative objects, interesting as visual art pieces
African masquerade arts have been crucially important, particularly before the advent of colonialism. They function to serve many of the societies' governmental methods, and they serve to express cultural, dramatic, and artistic purposes.
Example Question #5 : Sculpture Beyond European Artistic Traditions
Polytheism is a basic consistency in Egyptian art and architecture. What Egyptian pharaoh changed the official state religion to a monotheistic one, spawning a 17 year anomaly of art dedicated to Aten, the sole deity in ancient Egypt?
Memisabu
Tutankhamun
Amenhotep/Akhenaton
Khnumnakht
Amenhotep/Akhenaton
During his 17 year reign, Amenhotep IV forbade the worship of any god with the exception of Aten, the power light embodied by the sun disk. This brief period represents a radical departure from what typically comprised Egyptian religion, which was a consistent cornerstone of ancient Egyptian art. An example of this is "Akhenaton Presenting a Duck to Aten."
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