Study Guide

For your exam, you will be asked to answer a series of short questions addressing single or paired slides and then write one longer comparison essay. In both sections, you will need to identify the specific works, according to the information provided online (under each image’s “details” page).

Short answer questions:

1. First you will need to identify the image; typically you would need to identify artist (if known), title, culture/nationality, date (anything within the period covered by the class session), and location/site for architecture, murals, and some sculpture. The slidelists have the key info.
2. The questions will be designed to get you to focus on specific aspects (historical/cultural context, formal, ideological, content) of individual works.
3. They may ask you to discuss key terms or concepts from the slide sheets in relationship to specific works of art.
4. One may ask you to make a focused comparison of two works.
5. You are responsible for materials from class lectures, discussion, and readings.

Long Comparison Essay:

As we have discussed in class, comparisons are designed to get you thinking about both commonalities shared among diverse cultures and periods, but also about what makes a given artwork exemplary of a certain time, place and culture. With this in mind, here are some suggestions for studying for the comparison essay:

1. In addition to being able to identify the work of art (see above), you should also be prepared to discuss the monument/ artwork from a wide range of angles, including content, form, color, medium, location (as applicable), and any other distinguishing features we discussed in class.
2. You’ll also need to be able to explain what makes this typical of a given culture and historical period. Make sure that for each class, you review the big ideas we discussed about how power was understood by a given culture, as well as how art was used by that culture. As you consider each object, be sure you understand how it relates to these big ideas.
3. You are responsible for materials from the class lectures, discussions, and readings.

Pointers for test-taking:

1. I need to be able to recognize the title and artist, but am forgiving when it comes to spelling.
2. Don’t leave any blanks – make up a logical title if necessary.
3. Incomplete sentences in the short answer section are fine.
4. I will expect you to write about how the forms used contribute to the ideas you discuss—so take time to look and describe what is in front of you.
5. Compare the two artworks and the big ideas at stake. Don’t just information dump.
6. Even if you remember nothing about an artwork, describe what you see and then at least compare the works visually.
7. If you are running out of time, outline the rest of your essay, being as clear as possible.
8. The identifications are a relatively small part of the overall grade (12/100 points). Don't neglect the big picture as you study.