AP® Art History—Semester A

Fauves out of Fauves artists recommend this course.

  • Course Length: 18 weeks
  • Course Type: AP
  • Category:
    • Humanities
    • High School
    • College Prep

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This course has been approved by the College Board, which indicates that the syllabus "has demonstrated that it meets or exceeds the curricular expectations colleges and universities have for your subject." Please contact sales@shmoop.com if you would like to add this course to your official record of AP course offerings.

It has also been granted a-g certification, which means it has met the rigorous iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Courses and will now be honored as part of the requirements for admission into the University of California system.


People have been making art for about as long as they've been people. Before there was civilization, before there was written language, agriculture, scientific knowledge, and law, there were a bunch of Paleolithic men and women sitting around in caves and painting the likeness of that one bison that got away. Or maybe it was a bison that they made a meal out of. We don't know. The nuances of artistic intention get kinda blurry when you hit the sextuple digits of prehistory.

But our point remains—the impulse to create art began with the very first humans, and it hasn't let up since. So it shouldn't be surprising that the study of art history ends up being a study of humanity—of societal beliefs, spiritual beliefs, historical events, political events, and psychological hopes and fears are all reflected in art.

We know what you're thinking. No way you can extract that much interpretive insight from a single painting of a woman swinging in what looks to be a Little Bo Peep get-up.

And yet, that's just what we'll do, for all 250 of the required AP Art History artworks, and then some. There will be a lot of names you'll likely recognize (da Vinci; Picasso; The Starry Night), some you might not know, (Gentileschi; the Golden Haggadah; Allegory of Law and Grace), and some you're just going to have to be okay with not knowing (we don't know who "unidentified Egyptian artist" is, but boy, were they prolific).

But by the end of it all, you'll be prepped to both pwn the AP Art History exam and every highbrow cocktail party you ever find yourself in. In this first semester of Shmoop's crash course in AP Art History, you'll

  • learn how to read and analyze any work of art, focusing on such elements as the visual elements of form, function, content, and context. Then you can tell us what's going on here.
  • examine the evolution of art through major periods of history—from the prehistoric, to the medieval, to the modern.
  • get the lowdown on the major movements and trends in (mostly Western) art up to WWI. (Don't worry: we'll hit up Asian, African, and Indigenous American art more in Semester B).

The prospect of covering thousands of years and hundreds of artworks in just a few months may make you want to scream a little. But fret not. Shmoop's got the answers to the big questions. And puns to boot.


Unit Breakdown

1 AP® Art History—Semester A - Thinking Like an Art Historian

Before we throw you into the vast, hulking sea of art and art history, with nothing but a bristle brush and a chisel to defend yourself against such heavy questions as Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, we're going to help you stock up on some basic tools of formal analysis. After discussion of form versus function, content versus context, art labels and art categories, and what makes art historians tick, we'll apply it all to a quick rundown of prehistoric art.

2 AP® Art History—Semester A - Pimping the Crib—the Cradle of Civilization

The rise of civilization meant more crops, which meant more leisure, which meant more time for making a) babies and b) art. We're going to focus on the art part. With the same luxury of free time that we so often squander on watching cat videos, the ancient peoples of Sumer, Babylon, and Egypt made cool art…only some of which involved cats. In this unit, we'll take a look at the rise of written language, law, and religion, and their impact on art in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

3 AP® Art History—Semester A - Drapery and Togas: Classic Art of Ancient Greece and Rome

We'd be remiss if we didn't spend a chunk of this course waxing poetic about the Colosseum (it's seen better days, okay?), the Alexander mosaic, or the Doryphoros's bowl cut. That's this unit here.

4 AP® Art History—Semester A - Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation Europe

We'll be covering a lot of scope in this unit, from Islamic art and architecture in Spain, to examples of early Christian art (Byzantine, medieval), to Renaissance and Reformation art. We'll meet Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael before they were ninja turtles, and talk about the rise of artistic techniques such a linear perspective. Best of all, we'll meet Hieronymous Bosch, who was kicking it surrealist-style before surrealism was cool.

5 AP® Art History—Semester A - Mend Europe’s Baroque-n Heart

Gone are the days of unknown Egyptian artist this and anonymous Sumerian votive statue-maker. This unit is full of the big names that made some of the biggest movements in 16th- and 17th-century European art possible. We'll look at the stars of the Baroque, the stars of the Dutch Golden Age, and the stars of Colonial American art.

6 AP® Art History—Semester A - Revolutionary Art to 1839

What do you do when you think the art world is Baroque and you want to fix it? Why, you turn back to the good ol' days of Greek and Roman aesthetics, of course. And so Neoclassicism came to the fore. But we won't stop with the Neoclassical in this unit—we'll also look at the Rococo movement, the Romantic movement, and everything in between.

7 AP® Art History—Semester A - So Black to You, Perhaps. So Red to Me

Cameras are no big deal to us today, but the advent of photography and Impressionism (which took its cue from the photographic process) took the 19th-century art world by storm. Sure, the Impressionists received scathing reviews, but hey, we said storm.

In this unit, we'll look at several new movements in art, from Impressionism to Post-Impressionism to Expressionism to Post-Expressionism? Cubism, and lots, lots more. What can we say? It was a brave Nouveau world out there.


Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 3.05: Greek Vases, the Comic Books of Antiquity

An ancient Greek ceramic pan depicting a ship
Ah, this is the life. Sailing with some grapes and chillin' with some dolphins. Black-figure kylix. c. 530 BCE. Exekias. Athens, Greece. Black-figure ceramic.
(Source)

In the last lesson, we looked at Greek sculptures, which have managed to survive—in one form or another—for thousands of years. Lucky for us, we can visit a museum and see an original Greek bronze, or its ancient Roman marble copy. They may a bit banged up or may be missing large chunks. After all, bronze and stone aren't totally indestructible. Unless they're literally blown to pieces, though, they tend to stick around.

Painting is obviously more delicate than sculpture and architecture. It's just a thin layer of substance on a surface, so it can pretty easily be covered over, washed away, or simply faded with time. Still, as we saw in the Egyptian tombs, paintings can survive for a long time, in the right conditions.

Unfortunately, the Greeks didn't make their major public paintings on long-lasting materials. During the Classical era, the greatest painters painted on wooden panels, which as we can imagine weren't the most durable of canvases. In fact, wooden panels were so prone to decay that literally not one of them survived. Drats.

But fortunately, the ancient Greeks also painted other kinds of surfaces, like walls and pottery. Because of its durability, pottery makes up a huge chunk of the artifacts we have today from the Classical world. It has provided us with a wealth of archaeological evidence, including insight into everything from the ancient Greeks' religion to their mythology to the chronology of events in their world.

From the Archaic age onwards, wine jugs, storage jars, mixing vessels, and drinking glasses were decorated with elaborate scenes from mythology and daily life. These scenes were depicted by amazingly innovative artists, who competed with each other to paint everything from the sickest wrestling matches to the most muscular warriors to the gnarliest scenes of carnage. Because these scenes often tell a story, the clear, dramatic compositions might remind you of superhero comic books, manga, or even graphic novels.

In this lesson, we'll take a look at Greek ceramics and figure painting. As with Greek sculpture, we'll see a progression from awkward, primitive representations to scenes that look surprisingly natural and real. And we'll also see a move away from stereotyped conventions to a wider variety of images and techniques.

We'll use Greek figure painting as a springboard to start thinking about the painter as an individual. What kinds of decisions does the artist need to make when he or she sits down to paint? How should figures be arranged and positioned? Where on the vessel should they be placed? What details should be included? This lesson will introduce a crucial skill for the AP test: learning to "read" a work of art.


Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 3.3.05: What's Red, (Sometimes) White, and Black All Over?

Have you ever seen Les Misérables? If so, maybe you remember the song, "The Red and the Black." The chorus goes like this:

Red: the blood of angry men!
Black: the dark of ages past!
Red: a world about to dawn!
Black: the night that ends at last!

In the musical, the song has nothing to do with ancient Greek pottery, but it totally could have been written just for it. Why? Because black-figure pottery, which enjoyed its run for over a century, was gradually replaced by red-figure pottery, which became embraced as the way to do pottery. It was a new world, in terms of pottery styles.

The major shift in the history of Greek pottery happened when painters transitioned from black-on-red figures to red-on-black figures. That doesn't sound like a huge jump, but trust us, it was. The change didn't only affect the coloring, but also affected the way that the subject matter was detailed, and hence, the entire manner in which figures were represented.

Greek Pottery 101

Although a bunch of dishes, vases, and fragments may not seem to be the most enthralling or glamorous objects in the world to look at, the pottery of ancient Greece is arguably one of the most important group of artworks. This is not only because there are tons of these items to study, but also because they reveal so much about the life and times of ancient Greek civilization.

Before we launch into a discussion about the black and red of it all, let's get the basics of Greek pottery down, including the techniques used and the decorating trends prior to when red- and black-figure painting took the stage.

Read this helpful overview of ancient Greek pottery to learn more about all the nitty-gritty details. As you read, think on the following questions:

  • Why's pottery such an important archaeological artifact?
  • How was Greek pottery created and then decorated? What materials were used?
  • How did potters and painters work and interact?
  • What are some common forms of pottery?
  • What is the Geometric style?
  • What is the Orientalizing style?

Now take a quick peek through this visual guide to Greek pottery. Scroll down and make note of some of its more common forms, like:

  • Amphora
  • Jug
  • Krater
  • Kylix

Mark this page as a favorite and keep it handy to help you get straight on the vocabulary of pottery.

Black and Red Make…Pottery

Black-figure painting was likely first developed in 700 BCE in Corinth during the Archaic period. The Athenians picked up the idea and it soon took off there around the sixth century BCE, where it was used to decorate the finer pottery that wasn't devoted to everyday household use. It featured dark figures against the light background of the reddish clay used for pottery. Details were often added by incising, or engraving, the soft clay, or sometimes by adding color with paint. So the black-figure vases were pretty cool, but often lacked in detail and naturalism.

Red-figure painting, introduced around 530 BCE in Athens, featured red figures against a black background. The figures were made directly on the reddish clay with the background painted in black, without the need for incising the clay. The red-figure vases could be way more realistic and intricate.

A few very special vases feature both kinds of figures. These black-figure/red-figure hybrids are called bilingual vases (because they speak two different artistic "languages").

Now open up your Gardner's Art Through the Ages and read pages 108, 118 – 121, 139 – 141. Pay special attention to how this shift from black- to red-figure pottery affected Greek painting. You should also take notes on the decisions Greek painters made, with regard to style, subject matter, and perspective. As you read, consider the following questions:

  • What kind of scenes did Greek artists choose to paint, in order to show off their technical chops?
  • Who was Exekias and what was unique about his work?
  • How does the scene on his amphora of Achilles killing Penthisilea demonstrate the Classical shift from the Archaic convention of portraying dramatic action on pottery?
  • Who was the Andokides Painter and what was his claim to fame?
  • What were the limitations of black-figure painting, and in what ways did red-figure address these limitations?
  • Explain the concept of the bilingual vases. How do they exemplify both black-figure and red-figure techniques?
  • How did red-figure painting encourage the use of foreshortening?
  • Why did Onesimos paint a naked servant girl on the inside of a drinking cup?
  • How did white-ground painting differ from red-figure painting?
  • What is the Niobid Krater (a.k.a. Niobides Krater)?
  • What details did the Niobid Painter choose to include, to suggest a landscape?

While you're at it, take a look at The Louvre Museum's page on the Niobid Krater. It features photographs from multiple angles and a detailed analysis of the piece. As you read the analysis, consider what makes this krater so unique from others like it. What is happening in the scene that's portrayed?


Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 3.05a: Storage Wars

Different types of artwork present different challenges in terms of how we view and understand them. Some are more challenging than others. By this point, we know what to do if presented with the task of analyzing a sculpture. We'd talk about its shape and material, and the way it presents the human form.

But what about a piece of pottery? How do we respond to a picture of an amphora? What intelligent insight would we have to offer if we were at a museum, standing in front of a kylix?

In this activity, you'll try your hand at "interpreting" a pottery work—whether it's a Greek vase, or jar, or bowl, or drinking cup, or recyclable plastic bottle (well, maybe not so much that last one).

The trick to "reading" such an artwork is to make connections among

  • the type of vessel. What kind of object is it? How do you know? (Hint: Now's the perfect time for you to refer back to that visual guide to Greek pottery you saved as a favorite earlier.)
  • the style of painting. This one's easy: is it black-figure or red-figure? Are any other colors used?
  • the formal composition of the painting. How are the figures distributed over the surface of the container? How does the painter use color? How is space represented?
  • the subject matter. What has the painter chosen to represent? Is there a relationship between the imagery and the type of container?

Let's practice laying out these four aspects. As an example, we'll take a look at Euthymides' Three Revelers Vase, as seen here, and on page 137 of the Gardner textbook.

In your head, take a minute to describe the elements we've outlined above.

Now that you've studied the vase yourself, take a look at our model responses below:

  • Type of vessel: This vase is a typical amphora, with a round base, swelling middle section, two handles, and a protruding lip.
  • Style of painting: The style is red-figure, with linear details in black.
  • Formal composition: Although the figures don't overlap, parts of their bodies are turned in naturalistic postures to show that they occupy three-dimensional space. For example, the right buttock and leg of the central figure are clearly closer to us than his other leg, and partially covers over his upper left leg. We see his back as well as the right side of his torso, as we would if we were standing behind him. The rest of his pose is dynamic, with his right arm playfully raising a cane or a flute, and his head turned around to look at the man behind him. Each of the flanking figures has one foot raised, perhaps to indicate that they're dancing—or at least having a fun time. Drapery adds to the sense of liveliness, without obscuring the men's muscular bodies. The entire composition is framed by palmette and hanging lotus bud motifs, which add to the vibrancy.
  • Subject matter: The men in the picture are clearly enjoying themselves, perhaps at a symposium, or drinking party. This is appropriate, since amphorae were often used to store wine. Interestingly, the figure on the right appears to be holding a kantharos, or stylized drinking cup. Perhaps this was Euthymides' way of "signing" the amphora—or at least of reminding us how important these vessels are, for our own revels.

We've brought in some outside terminology here to describe the motifs and the kantharos. You'll find these defined on the visual guide to Greek pottery, but you don't need to be quite so specific. You could just say "a floral motif" and "a drinking cup."

Now it's your turn to give it a try.

Below, you'll see two more vessels. Your task is to describe them, with respect to the four aspects we introduced above. It's okay to refer back to the readings as you write. However, your responses shouldn't need to bring in outside information. The point is to really look at the vases and notice as much as you can, on a purely visual level. Spend about 15 – 20 minutes on each piece.

  1. Artifact One

    1. Type of vessel (20 – 30 words):

    2. Style of painting (10 – 20 words):

    3. Formal composition (150 – 175 words):

    4. Subject matter (150 – 175 words):

  2. Artifact Two

    1. Type of vessel (20 – 30 words):

    2. Style of painting (10 – 20 words):

    3. Formal composition (150 – 175 words):

    4. Subject matter (150 – 175 words):

  3. Artifact Three

    1. Type of vessel (20 – 30 words):

    2. Style of painting (10 – 20 words):

    3. Formal composition (150 – 175 words):

    4. Subject matter (150 – 175 words):



Sample Lesson - Activity

  1. Archaic Greek statues differed from their Egyptian predecessors by frequently incorporating

  2. Refer to this image.
    Which type of vessel is depicted in the image?

  3. Refer to this image.
    The scene painted on the vessel shows

  4. The Polykletian Canon upheld which of the following as an aesthetic principle?

  5. Which one of the following represents an advantage that red-figure painting had over black-figure painting?