Art History Final Exam

Islamic works of architecture are often the products of multiple different cultural elements coming together in a single structure. Using the Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain (786-787) as an example, describe five instances of cultural borrowing in the structure, design, and decoration.

1. Hypostyle hall from the Greeks. 2. Horseshoe arches from the Romans. 3. The alteration of white stone and red brick voussoirs in the arches from Roman buildings. 4. Patterned mosaics from the Byzantines. 5. Columns from Romans.

Using the Cathedral at Amiens, France (1211-1290) and Salisbury Cathedral in England (begun 1220), compare and contrast the French Gothic and English Gothic styles. Use 5 details from each to support your answer.

Amiens Cathedral: Shorter transept. Narrower. Urban setting. Colonnettes running up the side of the church. Rose window. Salisbury Cathedral: Park-like setting. Tall spire (400 feet). Lancet window. Unbroken horizontal arcades. Use of darker stone on the supporting shafts of the rib vaults to contrast with the lighter stone.

Analyze Giotto's Last Judgement. Arena Chapel What is the focus of the composition? How does he draw attention to the focus? Be specific, using the elements of design and principles of art in your response.

Christ is the focus of the composition. He is directly in the center. Also, everything seems to be gravitating towards him. For example, the feet of the elect are levitating, and they look as if they are about to begin floating toward him. There is also a focus on humanity, with emotions like hope and terror. Giotto reinforces this by painting people with emotions that are easy to read.

Compare and contrast the styles of the Madonna Enthroned by Cimabue and Giotto. What does each illustrate about the artists and their times? How do the two examples illustrate the influence of the Classical revival on the arts in Italy during the 14th century? Use 4 details from each to support your answer.

Cimabue: 1. Mary is elongated. 2. Multiple viewpoints. 3. Paints angels that are stacked upon one another. 4. Paints prophets under the throne. Giotto: 1. Single viewpoint. 2. Paints angels kneeling at the throne. 3. Mary is bulkier. 4. Uses light, shadow, and more modeling. Compare: 1. Both have a gold background, which symbolizes the light of heaven.

Discuss Hagia Sophia, including its location, architectural innovations, and interior decoration.

Location: Built in Constantinople, Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) in 537. Architecture: 1. Uses conches (semi domes) 2. The dome rests on four pendentives 3. Base of the dome is made of clerestory windows 4. Exterior buttresses to support the dome's clerestory base Interior: The reason that the interior is covered with Islamic symbols, even though the Hagia Sophia was originally a Greek Orthodox church, is that when Constantinople was invaded by Ottoman Turks in 1453, they converted the church to Islam.

The cathedral complex at Pisa is an amalgam of several stylistic influences. Discuss the reasons why it was built and the stylistic influences that are present in the exterior and interior of the structure.

Reason: It was built in celebration of an important military victory over the Muslims. Influences: Architects looked to Roman and Early Christian architecture for inspiration. - Long nave with double side aisles (possible homage to Old St. Peter's Basilica) is crossed by projecting transepts. - A dome covers their intersection at the crossing.

Discuss the mosaics of Justinian and Theodora in San Vitale in Ravenna, 540-547. How do they convey the relationship between the rulers and the divine? What message do the mosaics send to the congregation gathered in the church? Support your answer with 4 specific details from the mosaics.

Relationship: They are walking towards Christ; their authority is coming from the divine. 1. Justinian is wearing purple, the color associated with the throne. 2. Justinian has a halo around his head, indicating that he is divine. 3. Justinian is holding a Eucharist bowl and is handing it in the direction of Christ. 4. Maximian wears the same purple as Justinian and holds a beautiful jeweled cross. Message: Justinian and Theodora reassert their control over the city.

Using the Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy at Conques (c.1050-1120), discuss the pilgrimage roads and their social and economic effects on cathedral building in the Romanesque period. What was the significance of the exterior decoration, especially of the tympanum, as well as the interior contents of the pilgrimage churches? Support your answer with four details from the example pictured.

The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy at Conques was on the Way of St. James. Pilgrimage to see relics was very popular at this time for those who could not travel to Jerusalem or Rome. They believed that these pilgrimages would make them a better person. A church building boom came as a result, bringing money into these areas. The tympanum is an arched half-circle above the doors in a portal. The tympanum tells a religious story. The exterior decoration of the tympanum was significant because literacy was low, so these depictions were seen as the truth. The significance of the churches' interiors was that it contained relics, which were the main attraction for pilgrims. 1. In the tympanum, Christ points with one hand to the saved and gestures with the other hand to the damned. 2. The images of hell are very graphic and explicit. 3. The images of heaven are glorified. 4. The reliquary statue of St. Foy is revered.

Using the Tunc Crucifixerant XPI from the Book of Kells (late 8th-early 9th century), discuss how the various population shifts at the time of its creation affected artistic styles in different parts of Europe during the Early Middle Ages. Specifically, how are Hiberno-Saxon, Viking, and Christian meanings presented in the example?

The different population shifts allowed for works like the Book of Kells to be created because artists were able to use different materials and ideas from different parts of the world. Viking: Animal style. Christian: Chi Rho Iota on the cover are the first words of the Gospel of Matthew. Afghanistan: Ink. Barbarian: Ornamental details. Islamic: Filigree. Celtics: Geometric patterning.

8. Discuss the invention of the Gothic in its first incarnation at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. In your response, address the following: Who was Abbot Suger? What was Abbot Suger's philosophy of light? What are the four main elements of the Gothic style present at Saint-Denis? Why did the Gothic come about?

Who: Abbot Sugar was an abbot who wanted to rebuild the church to make it fit for the crowds of pilgrims that would come and also make it worthy of St. Denis, whose body was there. Light: He believed that light was a physical manifestation of God. 1. A semicircular apse surrounded by an ambulatory. 2. Radiating chapels. 3. Pointed arches. 5. External buttressing. Why: Gothic came about because new building technology allowed for larger windows and loftier vaults.

Why is the Dome of the Rock important to Jews, Christians and Muslims? In your response, describe 4 examples of cultural borrowing in the structure and design to support your answer.

Why: 1. It is associated with the creation of Adam. 2. The place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son at the command of God. 3. The site of the temple of Solomon. Cultural Borrowing: 1. Octagonal plan from Early Christians. 2. Golden dome from Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (Early Christian). 3. Mosaics from the Byzantines. 4. Alternating black and white voussoirs from the Romans.