AP Art History Exam

Okay, time for some reflections. I guess I'll start off with the test, although there's not much to say.

The first part was 60 minutes--115 multiple choice questions. I didn't even know we'd get that much, and we don't even get all of 60 minutes because the first 30 are slides the proctor shows us, so we can't go on to other questions in that section, because we don't know the images, and we can't go on to the other section because that's not allowed. So I worked really fast through that, and I know I missed a lot, but I'm hoping through the laws of probability that I didn't screw up too badly.

Part two was better, in my opinion. We had 9 questions--an hour for 7 short answer, and 30 minutes each for 2 essays. It's kind of weird, but we did one essay first, then one 5 minute short answer, then four 10 minute short answers, then one 5 minute short answer, then one more 10 minute short answer, and ended with the last 30 minute essay. I answered all the questions and I talked about all the images given. I'm unsure of some of the answers I wrote, but I justified everything, so hopefully it can't be too bad. Even if your answer is wrong, but you justify it, you'll still get points. I like this aspect of the AP grading system. ^_^

Essay 1: was about representation of nature, and it demanded for two specific works, and how and why they represent nature. One had to be from outside the European tradition. I used Fa Kaun's Travelers amoung Mountains and Streams and Thomas Cole's The Oxbow. Fa Kaun was an ancient Chinese painter, so I thought it was rather suiting. ^_^ I talked about how Travelers has huge natural monuments, like the mountain, and how Fa Kaun painted it because he was Buddhist. For Cole, I talked about how The Oxbow puts into question the future of America, and how he was part of the Romantic movement, which rebelled again the Industrial Revolution and was centered around nature.

Short Answers: They were all okay, except for the last one. We were given a quote from Baudelarie and we had to identify which era of art history he was refering to. I really wasn't sure, so I chose Impressionism and I justified it with Mary Cassat and Manet's works, and I synthesized them with the quote.

Essay 2: asked for two works that were allegorical or symbolic, and discuss them. My first choice was the Portinari Alatarpiece, by Hugo van der Goes, and I really couldn't think of another one, so I chose the Hunt fresco from the Tomb of Nebuman. I really could've chosed a better piece, but I didn't want to take too much time on it, so I just went with it. The Portinari Altarpiece is chockful of Christian symbols, and I said that the size of the figures in the Hunt represents the figures' status and power. I also talked about Egyptian belief in the afterlife. It's kind of a stretch there, but hopefully the graders'll go with it.

Multiple choice: there were some vocab I had no idea on, and I didn't know any of the dates of the eras. That cost me a couple of points, but I guessed anyway. Otherwise, I dunno. I guess I'll just leave it at that. Nothing much to think about.

Anyway, now that I'm all done (IT FEELS SOOO GOOD!) I've realized how much I like Art history, and how much I'll miss it. Not just the material, but all the senoirs! Oh my god, it took me FOREVER to come out of my shell and start talking to them! Like all first semester, I sat in the back and said nothing. But I've realized how great they are! They study hard, but they also know how to have fun, and they make the class so much funner. Plus, they're all amazing people, and their happy with their lives. I wanna be like them when I'm a senoir. Dedicated, but not stressed, happy, and inspiring.

I guess the most important thing I've learned this year is how to live. How to study, get good grades, but don't freak out. How to find happiness in everyday life. How not to obssess over stuff as unimportant as grades, because grades don't define who a person is.

♥ ♥ ♥ Art History ♥ ♥ ♥