Art History Syllabus

Art History - AP Art History Syllabus

Ms.Marino

Carmel High School

 

Course Overview:

An academic survey of history as reflected in creative works of art.  Students will develop an understanding and knowledge of diverse historical and cultural contexts of architecture, sculpture, painting and other art media. Students will be introduced to artwork outside of the European tradition as well as modern and contemporary art. Students will also learn to understand works of art through visual and contextual analysis.  The AP section (641) reflects the work load equivalent to that of an introductory college art history survey.  Students in this section are required to sit for the AP exam.

 

Course Materials:

• One Sketchbook, no smaller than 8”x10”
• Three ring binders

 

College Course Coverage

The following is a breakdown of material that will be covered during class. This is based off of the division of the content of test.

I. Ancient Through Medieval - 30%

A. Greece and Rome 10-15%

B. Early Christian, Byzantine, Early Medieval 5-10%

C. Romanesque 3-7%

D. Gothic 7-10%

II. Renaissance to Present  - 50%

A. Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Centuries 12–17%

B. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 10–15%

C. Nineteenth Century 10–15%

D. Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries 10–15%

III. Beyond European Artistic Traditions -  20%

• Africa
• the Americas
• Asia
• Near East
• Oceania
• global Islamic traditions

 

The following general distributions will be used to study the various media used in creating art:

• 40-50% Painting and Drawing
• 25% Architecture
• 25% Sculpture
• 5-10% Other Media

 

There are major themes that run throughout this course, whether we are studying art from the European tradition, artwork beyond the European tradition or contemporary artwork. All art objects will be looked at from a historical and contextual perspective. Artworks throughout history will also be studied “thematically” according to some of the main themes used to organize them, such as:

• The human body in art

• Representations of nature
• Representations of everyday life
• Significance of light and dark
• Gender issues in art
• Site art/environmental art
• Race, clan and class in art
• Family portraits
• Art and technology/technological innovations
• Concept of beauty
• Issues of sacrifice in religious contexts
• Patronage-role of patron and artist
• Art as Propaganda
• War and peace
• Sacred spaces
• How art (and architecture) conveys power and authority

 

Course Goals and Objectives:

• Acquire the ability to recognize, understand and compare many types of artwork including works from different periods, styles, artists and media.
• Increase awareness of the relationship of artworks to the culture of a time period, including the significance of the role played by consumers/patrons of the time.
• Examine both the ancient and more recent art of non-western cultures (Art Beyond the European Tradition) in order to broaden the scope of their perceptions of its value, importance and continuous influence on western art.
• Engage in analytical and critical thinking, creating comparisons from one artwork to another, including comparisons between examples of European and non-European art.
• Approach their study in a self-disciplined manner, including preparation for class, reading, visual and written note-taking, essay writing, and class participation.
• Prepare to successfully complete the College Board exam by creating a personal study guide from the chapter assignments and by writing “AP style” essays and tests throughout the year.
• Leave this course with an appreciation and enjoyment of the history of art, and with the motivation to pursue further study formally or informally through college courses and/or museum patronage.

 

Evaluation/Grading:

• Tests -  25%

                (in the form of essays, multiple choice questions and quizzes, unit exams)

• Homework – 25%

                (daily reading of assigned textbook, working with hard copy templates, and required written            responses). 

• Sketchbook/Notebook – 25%

                (effective note-taking in class and for sketchbook assignments, categorization and synthesis of      information)

• Written Essays - 25%

                (practice for the long and short essays featured on the exam)

 

Disclaimer:

We will be looking at, studying, and examining a diverse array of artwork throughout this year. Some artwork may be controversial, include nudity, or come from cultures we may not understand. You must be able to recognize and evaluate these forms of art, even if you do not agree or like them. We may also be viewing movies about artists lives with an -R rating. Remember, artwork is created to challenge our ideas about society. In saying this, we must all keep an open mind while in this classroom.

 

Plagiarism:

Any form of plagiarizing is prohibited. This includes copying from another student, the textbook, or from the internet, or any other source. As per the student handbook, the assignment will result in a zero. You are only cheating yourself. Do NOT do this!