LACEY VAN REETH: Hello, and welcome back
to AP Daily practice sessions.
I'm Lacey Van Reeth, and in this video,
we're going to learn how to best tackle
FRQ number 5 of your AP Art History exam, attribution
of an unknown work.
If you would like to work through this FRQ with me,
click on the link that's over the video
and you'll be able to download the PDF
and work through it with me on your own
as we go through this video together.
Question number 5 on your AP Art History exam
is going to be attribution of an unknown work.
Things that you need to know and things that you need to do.
First of all, suggest the time is 15 minutes
like all the short FRQs.
Five task points is what you have to answer.
You will be given an image for this question
but it will not be one of the 250 curriculum images,
but it's going to strongly resemble
one of the works that is on the curriculum.
And that's pretty much the point of this question.
You're going to make sure, as with all of your FRQs,
that you write in complete sentences.
And you're going to want to make sure that you use keywords
from the question in your response, which
I'm going to show you some examples of today.
So this is the example we're going to be looking at.
There's our pictures, we're given an interior and exterior
view of a building, and I don't know about you,
but that building immediately reminds me
of a building we did learn.
Not exactly the same but it's really similar.
And that's the point of this question.
We're going to break down that question together
in just a second.
That's the question we're going to be practicing with.
So for the attribution question for FRQ number
5, tidbit number 1, this FRQ is assessing
your visual recognition skills.
You're looking at the picture, you're
connecting it to something that you did learn.
It's going to look familiar, that's the point.
This question is not, it is not trying to trick you.
That's a big thing to remember.
If you're thinking this building looks a lot like the Colosseum,
you're right because this building was also
an amphitheater built during the Roman Empire
by the imperial Romans.
They used the same materials and techniques
to build this amphitheater that they
did to build the Flavian Amphitheater, the Colosseum
in Rome.
And it was used for the same purposes.
So all that information that you learned about the Colosseum
can be applied to this building.
They're not asking you to know this building
but you know the culture that made it.
Tidbit number 2, everything, as I said before,
that you learned about the work that this one is most
similar to which is the Colosseum, the Flavian
Amphitheater, you can apply to this question.
Tidbit number 3, this question is about similarities.
I cannot stress this enough.
Do not, do not waste your time on differences.
Focus on what they have in common.
What does this building have in common with the building
you did learn that it looks the most similar to?
So let's break down this FRQ together.
The images show two views of the same architectural structure.
The work shown is not included in the required course content.
Correctly attribute the work shown
to the culture that created it.
So they want us to give them the culture, that's important,
that's task one.
Using two examples, so this is going to be tasks 2 and test 3,
of specific visual evidence, we got
to give them specific visual stuff, justify
the attribution, that's one of our task verbs,
correctly attribute and now we're
justifying our attribution, we're defending our choice,
by describing relevant similarities between this work,
the work shown, and other works created by the same culture.
So we're allowed to connect it to any work made
by this-- any other works made by this same culture.
Not necessarily just the one on our curriculum but chances
are we're going to be connecting it to the one
that we did learn which is the Colosseum.
And that's tasks 2 and 3.
Tasks 4 and 5, using two examples
of specific visual or contextual evidence, they give us
options there, explain, that is our highest level taxonomy task
verb, explaining.
We got to give them depth with that explanation.
Explain how the design and/or construction of the work shown
were related to its function.
So we have to have visual or contextual evidence,
we have to use that to explain how the design related
to its function or how the construction of the building
related to its function.
So they give us a little bit of flexibility there.
So that's T4 and T5.
So let's check out some responses.
For task 1, correctly attribute the work shown
to the culture that created it.
This would be an example of a weak response.
The building shown was made by the Romanesque culture
because that culture used arches a lot.
Well, yeah, the Romanesque culture did use arches a lot
because they were copying the Romans but Romanesque is
incorrect.
That was a medieval era of architecture
that came way later.
They copied the imperial Romans.
So unfortunately, while this response is in the ballpark
and they're recognizing features, it's incorrect.
So that's why that is a weak response.
This would be a great response.
The structure shown can be attributed,
I'm using that magic, this answer is
using that magic word from the question, correctly attribute.
So the structure shown can be attributed
to the imperial Roman culture being specific, not just
saying Rome but specifically what era of Roman history
was it made, as it looks incredibly
similar to the Colosseum.
So already making that connection to the building
that it's most similar to.
Also known as the Flavian Amphitheater
which was also made during the imperial Roman era.
That is an awesome response for T1.
Way to go.
Sample question.
All right, looking at T2 and T3.
Using two examples of specific visual evidence,
justify the attribution by describing
relevant similarities between the work shown
and other works created by the same culture.
This is an example of a weak response.
This building and others made during the Romanesque Era
were made of this same colored stone.
Well, again, the wrong culture is
mentioned, which is a problem.
And what color stone?
If you're going to be specific about a color,
you need to be specific about the color.
Describe the color or identify the type of stone.
So that's not very good.
Incorrect.
This building and others made during the same culture
were always round because circles
were their favorite shape and they symbolized heaven.
That's not the case.
That's incorrect.
Not all the buildings were round and they weren't round
because they symbolize heaven.
They were round for another reason
because people needed to see what
was going button in the center.
So that's incorrect as well.
Let's check out two really strong examples
for T2 and for T3.
This structure can be attributed to the imperial Roman era
because it heavily features, heavily features, and notice
again, we're using those keywords.
This structure can be attributed to,
so using those keywords from the question,
to the imperial Roman era because it heavily
features the use of repeated arches, which can also
be seen on the imperial Roman Colosseum,
also known as the Flavian Amphitheater.
So connecting it to the building that it's most similar
to very specifically.
That's an awesome T2.
Here's another example.
T2 and T3 are the same task but they
have to be different examples that you give.
So another visual similarity that
attributes, there again, using keywords from the question
in my response.
Another visual similarity that attributes this building
to the imperial Roman era is the ovular shape
that is surrounded by seating for spectators
to be able to see the action, the action in the center area.
This is nearly identical to the Colosseum in Rome.
That is another awesome example, connecting it very specifically
to the shape, that is ovular, of the Colosseum in Rome.
This one has the same shape.
So that's an awesome T3.
Let's look at some weak examples of T4 and T5.
Using two examples of specific visual or contextual evidence,
explain how the design and/or construction of the work shown
are related to its function.
So let's check these out.
The arches of this structure shown
were used to create large churches
for large Christian gatherings.
Without arches like this, churches
would not have been able to have been built that large.
Again, this response seems to be talking
about Romanesque architecture of the medieval era,
and that's going to be incorrect.
During this Romanesque culture, the goal of the architects
was to build structures that could hold more worshippers
at one time and an increase in pilgrims
traveling to see holy relics.
Again, this student seems to be talking about Romanesque,
and they're correct for Romanesque,
but they're not correct for imperial Roman
and how a building like this would have been used.
So this student has definitely studied art history
and they probably really liked Romanesque architecture
of the medieval world but they're
connecting it incorrectly here.
So that's not a good response.
Here's a strong response for T4.
The arches and barrel vaults--
ooh, nice art history terms--
terms for architecture, used in the construction
of this building, so using one of those keywords
from the question, I had to talk about specific
visual or contextual evidence that
explains how the design or construction of the work
are related to its function.
So arches and barrel vaults used in the construction
of this building, just like in the Colosseum,
yes, connecting it to the building you learned about,
allowed the structure to support and distribute
massive amounts of weight.
So talking about what the structure needed to do.
It had to support a lot of people.
These types of amphitheaters would
need to hold the weight and movement of tens of thousands
of spectators who would attend to watch
various types of violent entertainment.
That response is excellent.
It talks about visual features of the building
and how it accommodated the function of the space
as a place where people watch violent entertainment
and had to hold tens of thousands of bodies.
So that is an awesome response for T4.
T5, the imperial Romans utilized concrete,
talking about a very specific type of material,
as their primary material in structures
like these because it could easily
be poured into the shapes of arches and barrel vaults,
and was efficient and inexpensive to construct
buildings of massive size.
So this response kind of combines
visual and contextual evidence.
Yeah, the building kind of looks like it's made out of concrete
but this response is really digging into why
the Romans used concrete.
The material was also strong and durable,
withstanding the massive weight of the crowds
inside over many centuries.
The fact that these structures still
stand after all of these centuries
is a testament to the strength and longevity of the concrete
used by the imperial Romans.
This building still stands and so does the Roman Colosseum,
the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, the one that's
on our curriculum.
So that's an awesome example of a T5.
Some reminders for FRQ number 5, the attribution question
on your exam.
You can be asked on this question
to attribute a work of art that you've never
seen before to a specific culture
or to a specific artist.
So that question that we just reviewed together
asks you to attribute it to a specific culture,
the imperial Roman culture.
But an attribution question could ask you
to attribute it to an artist.
We learn about the Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
and our curriculum.
They could give you another Vincent van Gogh
and ask you to attribute it to the artist who painted it.
Or they could give you another Basquiat painting, not
the horn players that we have on our curriculum.
And they can ask you to attribute it
to the contemporary artist who created it.
So attributions can be cultural or they
can be a specific artist's name or architect's name.
So that's an important thing to know.
And remember what I told you from the
get go of our little review session here.
Focus on the similarities between the work you're
being shown in the FRQ and the work
that you learn on the curriculum that it's most similar to.
There's lots of things you could talk about with differences.
It's just the nature of the beast.
But don't do it.
Focus on the things that they have in common.
Otherwise, you're wasting your time and you have lots of FRQs
to answer and you don't want to waste your precious time.
So focus only on the similarities.
I know you guys are going to do great
on the attribution question.
It'll be fun to see which artist or culture we
get as our attribution question this year and in the years
to come.
I hope you guys learned a lot about the attribution skill
today and how to approach the question, and best of luck
on your exam.