HistoryofArtI(Arts105)Instructor:JessicaWalton

DayOneDiscussionQuestions:
1) Whatisyourdefinitionofart?Pleasegiveatleast5differentexamplesofart.
2) WhatisArtHistory?Howdoesarthistoryrelatetootherfieldsofstudy?What
doesitmeantolookataworkofartthroughitshistorical/political/religious/
socialcontext?
3) Whatisanarthistorian?Whatisanarchaeologist?Whatisananthropologist?
4) Whatisaesthetics?
5) Whatdoesitmeantogiveaformalanalysisofaworkofart?
6) Whatdoesitmeantodiscussthecompositionofaworkofart?
7) Whatdoesitmeantodiscussthecontentofaworkofart?
8) WhatisthedifferencebetweenthetermsRepresentation,abstract,andnon
representational?
9) What does naturalism and realism mean in art? What is idealism?
10) Whatisanartisticmedium/media?Pleaselist5differentexamplesofartistic
media.
11) Whatisanartisticstyle?Pleaselist5examplesofartisticstyles?
12) Whatdatesareincludedintheperiodof3rdCenturyCE?Whatdatesareincluded
intheperiod3rdCenturyBCE?Whatisthedifferencebetween5,000yearsago
and5,000BCE?
StudyGuideIntroduction
1) How does your book attempt to define art? What is your
definition of art?
2) How does your book attempt to define art history?
3) What is a formal analysis of a work of art? What are the visual
elements?
4) What is the composition of a work of art?
5) What is the difference between subject matter and content?
6) What is a symbol? What is iconography? Can you think of a
contemporary iconography?
7) What is meant by historical and cultural context? How is the
study of these essential to understanding a work of art? What
other considerations should be taken into account when
analyzing a work of art?
StudyGuideChapter1PrehistoricArt
1) Whatisprehistory?

2) Where and when did modern humans originate? Describe how they eventually
spread to other continents. (Either write or make a drawing) Do archaeologists
consider this a fact or a theory?
3) Why did archeologists call this period the Stone Age? How are dates described in
this period?
4) When and where did humans most likely begin making art? What other
advancements occurred at this stage of human evolution?
5) The Lion-Human is a mysterious sculpture. What are some possible and likely
explanations for its creation? What human ability is evidenced in this sculpture?
6) Please describe two female figurines discussed in this chapter (Be sure to notice
their date, medium, and dimensions). What do archeologists believe their function
to be? What evidence do archaeologists have to help determine meaning/function
during prehistory?
7) PleaselistseveralmajorUpperPaleolithiccavesitesdescribedinyourbook?
Whenandwhereweretheycreated?Whatkindsofimageryarefoundatthese
sites?Please describe some academic explanations for cave paintings discussed
in your text. What do you think the function of Upper Paleolithic cave paintings
were to the cultures who made them?
8) Did the Neolithic period occur simultaneously worldwide? What changes mark
the Neolithic period? How did these changes affect the art being made? What
technologicaladvancementsinmediaoccurredduringtheNeolithicperiod?
9) Whataresomeoftheearliestformsofarchitecturedescribedinyourtext?
PleasedescribethesettlementandhousesinCatalhoyuk.Whyisthissiteso
important?
10) Whataresomeexamplesofceremonialandtombarchitecturedescribedinthis
chapter?Whatismegalithicarchitecture?Whatisthemostcurrentarchaeological
theoryofthefunctionofStonehengedescribedbyyourtext?
StudyGuideChapter2ArtoftheAncientNearEast

1) WhatgeographicalareaispartoftheancientNearEast?Whatismeantbythe
FertileCrescent,Mesopotamia,andAsiaMinor?
2) Howdidthefirstcitystatesevolveinthisarea?
3) DescribetheoriginsofwritinginSumer.Whatistheworldsfirstliteraryepic?
4) WhatisaZiggurat?
5) HowdoesourunderstandingoftheGreatLyrewithBullsHeadchangebecause
ofthewrittenhistoryleftbytheSumerians?Whatnarrativesdothedifferent
registersinthisworkcommunicate?Whatfunctiondidthisobjectserve?
6) DescribetheAkkadianHeadofaMan.Howisthissculpturethoughtto
representanideal?Whatdoesyourbooksuggestasthereasoningforthedamage
totheface?
7) DescribetheSteleofNaramSin.Whatisbeingdepictedhere?Howdoesthis
workemphasizethepoweroftheking?

8) DescribetheSteleofHammurabi.Whatisbeingdepictedhere?Whatisthe
importanceoftheCodeofHammurabi?
9) ComparethetwoAssyrianstonereliefcarvingsonpages4041withtheearlier
exampleofreliefcarvingweveseen.Whatnewstylisticdevicesand
characteristicsarebeingusedhere?
10) HowispowerconveyedintheAssyriancitadelandPalaceComplexofSargonII,
theNeoBabylonianpalaceofNebuchadnezzarII,andthePersianceremonial
complexinPersepolisofDariusandXerxes?
StudyGuideChapter3ArtoftheAncientEgypt

1)HowdidEgyptdevelopfromaPaleolithictoaNeolithicculturetoadynastic
civilization?WhatcommonalitiesdoesthisdevelopmenthavewithMesopotamian
development?
2)Createatimelineforyourselfthatmarksthemajorperiodsanddevelopmentsofthe
AncientEgyptianculture.TryandmarkthemajorMesopotamianandotherNearEastern
culturaldevelopmentsascomparisoninyourtimeline.Forinstance,whentheEgyptians
werebuildingthepyramids,whatwasgoingoninMesopotamia,etc?
3)WhatistheEgyptiancreationmyth?Howdoesthiscomparewithanyothercreation
mythsyoumayknow?
4)Whataresymbols?Whatisiconography?DescribesomeEgyptiansymbols.
5)CompareandcontrasttheNarmerPalettewithaMesopotamianexampleofthepower
ofaruler.Compareandcontrastthetwoworks.HowdoEgyptiankingscompareto
Mesopotamiankings?
6)WhatweretheEgyptianartisticconventionsandtheacceptedcanonsofproportion?
WhatkindofperspectivesystemdotheEgyptiansuse?Wherehaveweseenthis
perspectivesystembefore?
7)DescribetheimportanceoftheafterlifetotheEgyptians.Howisthisshownintheir
architectureandotherartisticworks?
8)HowdoesMesopotamiansculpturedifferfromEgyptiansculpture?
9)HowdoMiddleKingdomroyalportraitsshowanawarenessofthehumancondition?
Haveweseenthisinanyotherexamplesofartsofarthissemester?
10)HowmightaMiddleKingdomtownhavebeenplanned?
11)WhatbuildingprojectsinitiatedbyRamesesIIrivaledthoseoftheOldKingdom?
Howweretheydifferent?
12)WhataretheEgyptianBooksoftheDead?Whataredescribedinthem?What
mighttheyrevealabouttheEgyptianculture?

13)TheEgyptiansandMesopotamianshadsimilar,butdifferentbuildingstylesas
exemplifiedbythepyramidandziggurat.HowdothezigguratsofMesopotamiadiffer
fromEgyptianpyramids?
14)StokstadpresentsmanyartisticexamplescorrespondingtoEgyptiandynastic
periods.Discussthedifferentpiecesofartwithrespecttothecharacteristicsofeach
dynasty.