AP Art History : Answering other questions about architecture in global Islamic traditions
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Example Questions
Example Question #203 : Architecture
The spread of Islamic architectural styles that followed the spread of Islam can be seen in ______________.
the use of elaborate designs across Europe
None of the answers are correct
the development of ziggurats in Mesopotamia
the arabesque designs used to decorate the Alhambra in Spain
the use of pointed arches in buildings found in France
the arabesque designs used to decorate the Alhambra in Spain
The influence of Islamic art and architecture can easily be found in Spain, which had Muslim rulers for over 700 years. Thus, the Alhambra and its arabesques is the best choice. Ziggurats predate Islam, pointed arches can't be traced back just to an Islamic influence, and "elaborate designs" is too vague to be correct.
Example Question #3 : Architecture In Global Islamic Traditions
Which of the given movements, with its roots in Egypt, had a strictly decorative aesthetic that provided a pre-cursing framework for the ornamental nature of Islamic Art?
Coptic Christian Art
Abassid brickwork
Gothic Architecture
Byzantine Architecture
Coptic Christian Art
Coptic art emerged out of Egypt as a product of anti-iconic Christian tendencies. During this period, there was much debate in the emerging Christian church as to whether or not iconography would be permissible in Christian art. The Coptic tradition sided against depictions of the divine, laying the framework for the Islamic style which forbids images of the Prophet as blasphemous. This question challenges students to understand how art history, like history itself, is not a simply defined series of movements, but instead the product of cultural assimilation and synthesis, with complicated politics of power and philosophy that evolve styles and root themselves in meaning and belief.
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About Architecture In Global Islamic Traditions
What cultural phenomenon is responsible for the seventh century revolution of art in the region Art Historians refer to as the Near East, creating a unity of theme amongst cultures amidst a diversity of styles, rulers, and peoples?
The Conquest if Islam
The Christianization of Rome
The conquests of Alexander the Great
The division of Alexander the Great's Empire following his death
The Conquest if Islam
The Islamification of nearly the entire region created a common theme and mission, namely the construction of mosques. With this came a movement away from idolatry in lieu of the complex lattice work that ornaments many mosques. Thus, across an entire region, we see commonalities created by the recurring theme of Islam, and the aesthetics that accompany it, juxtaposed with the individual traditions upon which the religion was lain. This question tests a student's ability to frame a movement within the larger picture of history, while recognizing how cultural revolutions create both larger communities and individual differences with and between aesthetic traditions.
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