Answering other questions about nineteenth-century 2D art - AP Art History
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The above photo is taken from what conflict?
The above photo is taken from what conflict?
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During the American Civil War, the medium of photography was still relatively new, having only been invented a few decades before the outbreak of war in 1861. The photographer Matthew Brady was the pioneering figure in developing photography throughout the war. By capturing war in the realistic medium of photography, Brady both helped people see war in a different manner and appreciate the possibilities of photography.
During the American Civil War, the medium of photography was still relatively new, having only been invented a few decades before the outbreak of war in 1861. The photographer Matthew Brady was the pioneering figure in developing photography throughout the war. By capturing war in the realistic medium of photography, Brady both helped people see war in a different manner and appreciate the possibilities of photography.
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Paul Gauguin's later work depicts the culture, people, and environment of .
Paul Gauguin's later work depicts the culture, people, and environment of .
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Paul Gauguin was an important French post-impressionist who had considerable success and personal conflicts in late nineteenth century Paris. Gauguin took his first trip to Polynesia in the 1880s, and began living there nearly full time by 1890. Gauguin's work featured the women of Polynesia in his work in bright colors and interesting poses, and with odd symbolism.
Paul Gauguin was an important French post-impressionist who had considerable success and personal conflicts in late nineteenth century Paris. Gauguin took his first trip to Polynesia in the 1880s, and began living there nearly full time by 1890. Gauguin's work featured the women of Polynesia in his work in bright colors and interesting poses, and with odd symbolism.
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The artistic movement known as Impressionism was reacting against what establishment that set standards in French culture?
The artistic movement known as Impressionism was reacting against what establishment that set standards in French culture?
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The Salon was the absolute pinnacle of the French art world from 1725 to 1890. In the late nineteenth century, the committee in charge of what art work was shown at the Salon valued grand historical and dramatic landscape paintings done in a clean realist style. The Impressionists desired to make paintings of vivid emotion with visible brushstrokes about scenes of everyday life.
The Salon was the absolute pinnacle of the French art world from 1725 to 1890. In the late nineteenth century, the committee in charge of what art work was shown at the Salon valued grand historical and dramatic landscape paintings done in a clean realist style. The Impressionists desired to make paintings of vivid emotion with visible brushstrokes about scenes of everyday life.
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Figure 1 Figure 2
The painting shown in Figure 2 uses artwork and style from .
Figure 1 Figure 2
The painting shown in Figure 2 uses artwork and style from .
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The Japanese government underwent a major shift in 1868 with the "Meiji Restoration," which saw it open up to outside powers for the first time in centuries. In Europe, this sparked an intense interest in Japanese art traditions, particularly among impressionists and post-impressionists. Vincent van Gogh was one of many artists to place Japanese artwork into his own work, as in his Portrait of P_ère Tanguy from 1887-8.
Figure 1: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)
Figure 2: Portrait of Père Tanguy by Vincent van Gogh (1887-8)
The Japanese government underwent a major shift in 1868 with the "Meiji Restoration," which saw it open up to outside powers for the first time in centuries. In Europe, this sparked an intense interest in Japanese art traditions, particularly among impressionists and post-impressionists. Vincent van Gogh was one of many artists to place Japanese artwork into his own work, as in his Portrait of P_ère Tanguy from 1887-8.
Figure 1: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)
Figure 2: Portrait of Père Tanguy by Vincent van Gogh (1887-8)
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Figure 1 Figure 2
The figure in the painting shown in Figure 2 is presented in a pose that makes him appear .
Figure 1 Figure 2
The figure in the painting shown in Figure 2 is presented in a pose that makes him appear .
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The use of the many Japanese images behind the central figure suggest a sense of chaos, but the individual's pose suggests serenity and calm. This is an intentional choice by the artist, Vincent van Gogh, so that his subject, Père Tanguy, can have his serene nature enhanced. The comfortable setting and the relaxed position of the arms also strongly contribute to this sense.
Figure 1: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)
Figure 2: Portrait of Père Tanguy by Vincent van Gogh (1887-8)
The use of the many Japanese images behind the central figure suggest a sense of chaos, but the individual's pose suggests serenity and calm. This is an intentional choice by the artist, Vincent van Gogh, so that his subject, Père Tanguy, can have his serene nature enhanced. The comfortable setting and the relaxed position of the arms also strongly contribute to this sense.
Figure 1: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)
Figure 2: Portrait of Père Tanguy by Vincent van Gogh (1887-8)
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Figure 3 Figure 4
The above paintings portray the chief generals of .
Figure 3 Figure 4
The above paintings portray the chief generals of .
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These two paintings portray the most famous generals of early nineteenth century Europe. The painting in Figure 3 portrays Napoleon Bonaparte, as painted by Jacques-Louis David, and the painting in Figure 4 portrays Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, as painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence. These two men met in battle numerous times, most famously at Waterloo in 1815, in Southern Belgium. There, Wellington's allied forces soundly defeated Napoleon's Grand Army of France, forcing him into a second and more permanent exile.
Figure 3: Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jaques-Louis David (1801)
Figure 4: Portrait of Sir Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1814)
These two paintings portray the most famous generals of early nineteenth century Europe. The painting in Figure 3 portrays Napoleon Bonaparte, as painted by Jacques-Louis David, and the painting in Figure 4 portrays Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, as painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence. These two men met in battle numerous times, most famously at Waterloo in 1815, in Southern Belgium. There, Wellington's allied forces soundly defeated Napoleon's Grand Army of France, forcing him into a second and more permanent exile.
Figure 3: Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jaques-Louis David (1801)
Figure 4: Portrait of Sir Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1814)
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Figure 1
Figure 2
The movement represented by these two paintings were a reaction to
Figure 1
Figure 2
The movement represented by these two paintings were a reaction to
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Realism, developed and argued for by Gustave Courbet, reacted harshly against Romanticism by attempting to find authenticity and commonality in stark depictions of everyday scenes. In each of these paintings, Courbet portrays himself largely as what he was, a working painter struggling to make a living. In The Desperate Man, Courbet's self-portrait still exhibits some Romantic-era traits, such as energetic strokes and movement. The Meeting, however, is a fully mature Realism, with extremely clean lines depicting a scene of common people rather than monarchs or heroes.
Realism, developed and argued for by Gustave Courbet, reacted harshly against Romanticism by attempting to find authenticity and commonality in stark depictions of everyday scenes. In each of these paintings, Courbet portrays himself largely as what he was, a working painter struggling to make a living. In The Desperate Man, Courbet's self-portrait still exhibits some Romantic-era traits, such as energetic strokes and movement. The Meeting, however, is a fully mature Realism, with extremely clean lines depicting a scene of common people rather than monarchs or heroes.
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Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 3 is a painting of
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 3 is a painting of
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This painting is one of a series of paintings by Claude Monet that is a study of the front of Rouen Cathedral in different light, with this one taking place in direct sunlight. All of the Impressionists were highly interested in the different effects of light, but Monet went farther than his fellow Impressionists. The avant-garde artistic approach, including incomplete and highly visible paint lines, is contrasted with the subject of the painting, a Gothic cathedral in Rouen, Normandy.
This painting is one of a series of paintings by Claude Monet that is a study of the front of Rouen Cathedral in different light, with this one taking place in direct sunlight. All of the Impressionists were highly interested in the different effects of light, but Monet went farther than his fellow Impressionists. The avant-garde artistic approach, including incomplete and highly visible paint lines, is contrasted with the subject of the painting, a Gothic cathedral in Rouen, Normandy.
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Figure 3
Figure 4
To capture the light on the edifice, the painter of Figure 3
Figure 3
Figure 4
To capture the light on the edifice, the painter of Figure 3
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Monet's goal in painting Rouen Cathedral was to capture the ever-changing aspect of light off the stone of the building. Due to constantly-shifting nature of the light, however, Monet had to use a unique approach, wherein he layered small amounts of different but related colors to create a naturalistic effect of shimmering light. This technique and effect would be used later by Monet in his famous series of Water Lillies from his own garden.
Monet's goal in painting Rouen Cathedral was to capture the ever-changing aspect of light off the stone of the building. Due to constantly-shifting nature of the light, however, Monet had to use a unique approach, wherein he layered small amounts of different but related colors to create a naturalistic effect of shimmering light. This technique and effect would be used later by Monet in his famous series of Water Lillies from his own garden.
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The type of photographic process which placed the image on a silver plate was the .
The type of photographic process which placed the image on a silver plate was the .
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A daguerreotype was a laborious process, which captured an image on a piece of silver, which then had to be rubbed with various chemicals to make the image appear; nonetheless, the daguerreotype, named after its inventor Louis Daguerre, was the first easily reproduceable photographic process on its creation in 1837. The daguerreotype was supplanted by the 1860s with a variety of quicker methods.
A daguerreotype was a laborious process, which captured an image on a piece of silver, which then had to be rubbed with various chemicals to make the image appear; nonetheless, the daguerreotype, named after its inventor Louis Daguerre, was the first easily reproduceable photographic process on its creation in 1837. The daguerreotype was supplanted by the 1860s with a variety of quicker methods.
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In the "hierarchy of genres," which of the following genres was accorded the highest place by artistic authorities in the early eighteenth century?
In the "hierarchy of genres," which of the following genres was accorded the highest place by artistic authorities in the early eighteenth century?
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The "hierarchy of genres" was the dominant view of the different forms of painting by the academies that controlled art in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, especially in France. Different types of painting were seen as requiring more mastery than others. History painting (which included religious and mythological themes) was above all other genres, as it was believed to require more control over its scope and perspective.
The "hierarchy of genres" was the dominant view of the different forms of painting by the academies that controlled art in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, especially in France. Different types of painting were seen as requiring more mastery than others. History painting (which included religious and mythological themes) was above all other genres, as it was believed to require more control over its scope and perspective.
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The setting of this painting is significant for which of the following reasons?
The setting of this painting is significant for which of the following reasons?
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The Saint-Lazare Station, Claude Monet's painting depicted here, shows trains pulling into a major train station in Paris. Fitting with his prominent role in the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet often chose to paint every day scenes like agricultural fields and cityscapes. This stood in stark contrast to previous generations of artists who preferred historical, mythical, or religious subjects when including human figures and large-scale landscapes when painting outdoor scenes.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claude\_Monet\_004.jpg
The Saint-Lazare Station, Claude Monet's painting depicted here, shows trains pulling into a major train station in Paris. Fitting with his prominent role in the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet often chose to paint every day scenes like agricultural fields and cityscapes. This stood in stark contrast to previous generations of artists who preferred historical, mythical, or religious subjects when including human figures and large-scale landscapes when painting outdoor scenes.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claude\_Monet\_004.jpg
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JMW Turner's The Slave Ship was created to advance the causes of what political movement?
JMW Turner's The Slave Ship was created to advance the causes of what political movement?
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Although romantic in sweep and not fully representational in form, JMW Turner's painting portrays a ship throwing over a number of dead bodies to lose weight during a storm. Titled The Slave Ship, the painting was a deliberate political statement by Turner, who was an ardent abolitionist, an opponent of slavery. Although painted after the British Empire had banned slave trading, Turner hoped that displaying the work in front of Prince Albert, Consort to Queen Victoria, would make the Royal Couple promote abolitionism worldwide when it was first exhibited in 1840.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slave-ship.jpg
Although romantic in sweep and not fully representational in form, JMW Turner's painting portrays a ship throwing over a number of dead bodies to lose weight during a storm. Titled The Slave Ship, the painting was a deliberate political statement by Turner, who was an ardent abolitionist, an opponent of slavery. Although painted after the British Empire had banned slave trading, Turner hoped that displaying the work in front of Prince Albert, Consort to Queen Victoria, would make the Royal Couple promote abolitionism worldwide when it was first exhibited in 1840.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slave-ship.jpg
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The work shown here is most influenced by the traditions of .
The work shown here is most influenced by the traditions of .
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The Coiffure by Mary Cassatt shows a woman fixing her hair in front of a mirror, an everyday scene which is captured by the artist in a candid moment. This subject is highly similar to the conventions of "genre painting," which is a European tradition of depicting small moments from everyday life that originated in the sixteenth century. "Genre painting" was seen as the lowest subject matter for art until the Impressionists upended the hierarchy of subjects in the late nineteenth century, a fact hugely influential on Mary Cassatt.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary\_Cassatt\_-\_The\_Coiffure\_-\_NGC\_29882.jpg
The Coiffure by Mary Cassatt shows a woman fixing her hair in front of a mirror, an everyday scene which is captured by the artist in a candid moment. This subject is highly similar to the conventions of "genre painting," which is a European tradition of depicting small moments from everyday life that originated in the sixteenth century. "Genre painting" was seen as the lowest subject matter for art until the Impressionists upended the hierarchy of subjects in the late nineteenth century, a fact hugely influential on Mary Cassatt.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary\_Cassatt\_-\_The\_Coiffure\_-\_NGC\_29882.jpg
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The work shown here was closely related in ideals and philosophical backing to the intellectual movement known as .
The work shown here was closely related in ideals and philosophical backing to the intellectual movement known as .
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Thomas Cole and other Hudson River School artists desired to show the way that God's creation of nature was a sublime gift that should be held in awe, a sense shared by transcendentalist authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. In The Oxbow (View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm), Cole presents a thunderstorm coming over a picturesque scene of a New England town, enhancing nature's awesome power over humanity.
Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cole\_Thomas\_The\_Oxbow\_(The\_Connecticut\_River\_near\_Northampton\_1836).jpg
Thomas Cole and other Hudson River School artists desired to show the way that God's creation of nature was a sublime gift that should be held in awe, a sense shared by transcendentalist authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. In The Oxbow (View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm), Cole presents a thunderstorm coming over a picturesque scene of a New England town, enhancing nature's awesome power over humanity.
Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cole\_Thomas\_The\_Oxbow\_(The\_Connecticut\_River\_near\_Northampton\_1836).jpg
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The Oxbow (View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm), by Thomas Cole, was most significantly influenced by .
The Oxbow (View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm), by Thomas Cole, was most significantly influenced by .
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Thomas Cole and his followers in the Hudson River School were keen adherents to the ideals of Romanticism, which valued individual liberty, nature, and emotionalism. In The Oxbow (View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm), a wild landscape is presented with an oncoming storm hitting the small glimpse of civilization shown in the painting, echoing key themes of Romanticism.
Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cole\_Thomas\_The\_Oxbow\_(The\_Connecticut\_River\_near\_Northampton\_1836).jpg
Thomas Cole and his followers in the Hudson River School were keen adherents to the ideals of Romanticism, which valued individual liberty, nature, and emotionalism. In The Oxbow (View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm), a wild landscape is presented with an oncoming storm hitting the small glimpse of civilization shown in the painting, echoing key themes of Romanticism.
Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cole\_Thomas\_The\_Oxbow\_(The\_Connecticut\_River\_near\_Northampton\_1836).jpg
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What artist's Jug in the Form of a Head sculpture, which is missing an ear, is believed to be inspired by his traumatic relationship with Van Gogh?
What artist's Jug in the Form of a Head sculpture, which is missing an ear, is believed to be inspired by his traumatic relationship with Van Gogh?
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The sculpture is a reflection of Gaugin's uneasy relationship with Van Gogh. The two became friends when Van Gogh and his brother purchased several of Gaugin's paintings. They went on to work together for nine weeks at Vincent's Yellow House, during which time their friendship cooled. The night Van Gogh cut his ear off, the artist had earlier confronted Gaugin with a razor blade. The sculpture shows Gaugin's ear cut off as a reference to his former friend.
The sculpture is a reflection of Gaugin's uneasy relationship with Van Gogh. The two became friends when Van Gogh and his brother purchased several of Gaugin's paintings. They went on to work together for nine weeks at Vincent's Yellow House, during which time their friendship cooled. The night Van Gogh cut his ear off, the artist had earlier confronted Gaugin with a razor blade. The sculpture shows Gaugin's ear cut off as a reference to his former friend.
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The painting depicts members of the family and court of what ruler?
The painting depicts members of the family and court of what ruler?
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The painting is Las Meninas by Velasquez, and was painted in 1656 during the Spanish Golden Age during King Philip's reign. It depicts his the young Infanta Margaret Theresa, several ladies in waiting, dwarfs, and Velasquez himself.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through WikiArt: http://www.wikiart.org/en/diego-velazquez/las-meninas-detail-of-the-lower-half-depicting-the-family-of-philip-iv-of-spain-1656
The painting is Las Meninas by Velasquez, and was painted in 1656 during the Spanish Golden Age during King Philip's reign. It depicts his the young Infanta Margaret Theresa, several ladies in waiting, dwarfs, and Velasquez himself.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through WikiArt: http://www.wikiart.org/en/diego-velazquez/las-meninas-detail-of-the-lower-half-depicting-the-family-of-philip-iv-of-spain-1656
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Whose view do we take on when looking at this painting?
Whose view do we take on when looking at this painting?
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We are looking at the scene from the perspective of an outsider, and a famous detail of the painting is the reflection of the King and Queen in the mirror at the back of the room. Thus, our view is actually that of the King's, taking in the way Velasquez is painting his family.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through WikiArt: http://www.wikiart.org/en/diego-velazquez/las-meninas-detail-of-the-lower-half-depicting-the-family-of-philip-iv-of-spain-1656
We are looking at the scene from the perspective of an outsider, and a famous detail of the painting is the reflection of the King and Queen in the mirror at the back of the room. Thus, our view is actually that of the King's, taking in the way Velasquez is painting his family.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through WikiArt: http://www.wikiart.org/en/diego-velazquez/las-meninas-detail-of-the-lower-half-depicting-the-family-of-philip-iv-of-spain-1656
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What 19th century painter created 29 known portraits of Hortense Fiquet (his wife) over a period of over two decades?
What 19th century painter created 29 known portraits of Hortense Fiquet (his wife) over a period of over two decades?
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Cezanne's series of portraits of his wife, brought together in a recent Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit called "Madame Cezanne," ranged in medium from watercolor to graphite to oil. Several of the portraits feature Madame Cezanne in red or blue dresses, sitting in an armchair.
Cezanne's series of portraits of his wife, brought together in a recent Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit called "Madame Cezanne," ranged in medium from watercolor to graphite to oil. Several of the portraits feature Madame Cezanne in red or blue dresses, sitting in an armchair.
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