Midterm Exam Study Guide


ART 214 – HISTORY OF THE VISUAL ARTS II
Midterm Exam
October 10, 2018

The midterm exam will cover Chapters 14, 20-25 of and this is how it will be constructed:
·         20 vocabulary terms (match the term to its definition) worth 2 points each.
·         40 multiple choice questions worth 1 points each
·         1 essay question focusing on conversations and/or lectures we've had in class worth 20 points.  You will be given TWO topics.  Choose ONE

The 20 vocabulary terms will be pulled directly from the "Terms of the Day" lists I have given you at the beginning of each class period. Study these lists well enough to be able to match each term on the left side of the page with its particular definition on the right side of the page.

The 40 multiple choice questions come from both the class lectures and from the book. There will be questions on the test that we never addressed in class; they come directly from the book.  The questions in this section will range from those that test how well you understand the definitions of terms to questions about specific artworks that you have seen, to questions about the cultural, religious, and political environments that contributed to the work.

Let me give you three example questions (yes, these will be on the test just as you see them here):

During the Italian Renaissance, many women artists such as Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana were only able to receive quality training in art because ____________________.
a.  Their fathers were noblemen or artists who insisted their daughters receive training.
b.  The salonnières gave them informal education at private salons.
c.  Art was considered a “craft” which women could learn.
d.  None of the above

One of Sandro Botticelli’s most famous paintings is                                          , which reflects many of the ideas of the Neo-Platonists.
a.  The Descent from the cross
b.  Isenheim Altarpiece
c.  Venus of Urbino
d.  The Birth of Venus

David with the Head of Goliath was painted circa 1609-1610 by Caravaggio who painted _____________ in the place of Goliath’s head.
a.  The pope
b.  A self-portrait
c.  His teacher
d.  None of the above

The best advice I can give you on how to study for this portion of the exam is to comb through all your notes you've taken in class, remind yourself of all the main concepts you've learned, familiarize yourself with all the "Terms of the Day," and to make sure you have read the material in the book. Pay special attention to how each artwork serves as an example to illustrate a concept. Don't just depend on what I have told you in class.  About 75% of these questions will come directly from lecture, but you don't want to be thrown off by the questions that are based on the book alone.



The essay topics (from which you will choose ONE) focusing on a combination of the book, lectures, and conversations we had in class will require you to write two or more paragraphs in response. 

I can tell you this much:
·         One option will be a compare & contrast essay
o   Write about the similarities and differences between 2 or more works of art that you will be shown.
o   Discuss what the differences tell us about the concerns of each artist.
·         The second option will present you with a work of art that you have not seen in class.
o   Discuss that work using the concepts and historical context you have gained in the first half of the semester.

Each of them will be based on lectures and/or a group discussion from class, but they are phrased to make you think critically about certain concepts. This is meant to test how well you have been paying attention to the concepts you've been learning in this class. If you understand the topics and concepts we've been going over in class well enough to apply them to questions that were never directly asked in class, then you have made good use of the first half of your semester.


Study hard, and good luck to everyone. If you have taken good notes, if you have read the chapters, and if you have spent some time really trying to understand the "Terms of the Day" then this exam shouldn't be difficult for you.

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