SYLVIE SAN JUAN: Hi.
My name is Sylvia San Juan and I'm
a teacher at Belen Jesuit Preparatory school
in Miami, Florida where I teach AP or history
among some other things.
And I want to welcome you to today's AP practice session.
If you want to follow along with me today,
please click on the link over the video
now so you can download a PDF of the question
that we're going to be working on today and you
can follow along.
All right.
Let's get started.
Today, we're going to be working on FRQ 1, the comparison
long essay.
The suggested time for this one is 35 minutes.
Although, you're going to be given
the essay packet, and you'll work your way through it.
Make sure you pace yourself.
Listen to your proctors timing prompts and really
give yourself the appropriate time for each question.
Today's art historical thinking skill
is going to be comparison.
So one image will be provided for you and then
the second image, you will choose
and the image will not be provided.
So you're going to take that one from your mental database
of images.
And as always, make sure that your chosen work is
appropriate to the time period specified,
and we'll look at that coming up.
All right.
When you see this prompt, it looks huge,
but we're really going to break it
down today so you'll be able to tackle this no matter what.
All right.
The first thing we have to do, once we read through
and we learn about what artwork is provided to us,
is to select and completely identify
another work that references or depicts
a specific religious narrative in a way designed to elicit
an emotional response.
So obviously the work that's being shown to us,
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, does this
very well because that's why it was chosen for us.
And then the works that you see below on the list,
those are also very appropriate choices.
That's why I always tell my students stick to the list
if you can.
If you decide to go off the list,
make sure that you read the prompt really carefully
because oftentimes there's going to be a particular period that
is specified for you.
In this case, it says Early Europe and the Colonial America
so you need to make sure that your sample, your example
artwork, is from this time period.
Next, we need to describe the content
of the religious narrative that is referenced
in both of the works.
The one that is given to us and the one that we choose.
Then next, using specific visual evidence from both works,
we need to explain at least one similarity and/or one
difference and how the two works represent
the religious narrative.
So here we are using supporting evidence from each work
to earn our task points, OK.
Now this next one that's in purple.
This is a task point that I want you to be really, really
aware of and look for this one, so that you can definitely
earn it.
Now, this is a claim or a thesis statement and I know
it's a little bit of a strange place to find it in the middle
of the essay but we need to make that claim here for task six
and then support it with contextual evidence
as we're required to do here or visual evidence--
this one gives us a choice--
from both the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
and our selected work in the explanation.
So we can pick whether it's visual or contextual,
but we need to provide supporting evidence
from each work to earn tasks seven, and eight.
And here are our choices.
Try and pick one of those if you can.
All right.
So again, here are images of our three options.
They will not be provided to us, but we
can think about these images.
And if not, we want to pick something else from Early
Europe and the Colonial Americas but definitely
Rottgen Pietá, Isenheim Altarpiece and the Lamentation.
All great choices for this one.
OK.
Here we see them a little bit larger.
Maybe it helps you inspire you which one you would pick
if presented with this prompt.
And we need to make sure it has a specific religious narrative
and elicits an emotional response.
OK.
So for task one, remember that you
need to provide identifying information.
And this is two identifiers beyond the prompt.
So any of the pieces of information
that are listed below these artworks,
could earn you that point.
Now, to know what would earn you a point
or not earn you a point, what I would advise,
is to look at the course and exam description.
Each artwork has a little caption.
If it's mentioned in that caption,
it's a really, really good chance
that you would earn points for that identifier.
If you don't see it in that caption
like it's some other, sort of, detail,
you may or may not earn points for that.
So I would suggest really use that course in exam description
as a reference as to what would count as an identifier.
OK.
And remember, you need two identifiers beyond the title
because that was provided to us.
So for tasks two, and three, remember we're providing--
describing the content.
Let's start off with task two.
Now look at these two choices below.
We're going to find the best answer.
One of them, for describing content,
the sculpture depicts a lady between several columns
or Saint Teresa is shown in a reclined position swooning
as an angel is about to pierce her heart with an arrow.
Now put yourself in the reader's shoes, which of these
is the best option?
Which one would your teacher say is the best option?
Let's see.
That one, right?
It's a lot more specific than the other one.
So be specific.
This is what will really ensure that you earn those task points
and it's communicating to the reader
that you're familiar with this work,
you can describe the religious narrative
and really try and guarantee yourself
earning that task point.
All right.
Be specific.
So let's take a look at task three.
Describe the content of the religious narrative
that is referenced or depicted in your selected work.
So let's think about some things that we could say
if we chose the Rottgem Pietá.
So we could say Mary holds the body of her dead son Jesus
after the events of the crucifixion.
Her face shows emotion and pain.
So see here we're being very specific.
So this is a good choice.
All right.
So let's pretend that we've chosen
the is Isenheim Altarpiece.
So what are some things that we could
say for task three and that description
of the religious narrative?
For the Isenheim Altarpiece, for example,
we could say the crucifixion is depicted in a night scene.
Christ is shown with his hands twisted
in an unnatural position.
His expression position and emotions
of the mourners around him emphasize his suffering.
This is also a very valid description of content.
All right.
And there we see that main scene that's being described.
OK.
Now task three of the Lamentation from the Scrovegni
Chapel or the Arena Chapel.
Let's try this again.
Now try finding the best answer here.
Let's see.
Definitely the second one.
Look how much more specific that is.
The first one says a group of people in front of a mountain.
That doesn't tell us that we know
about the religious narrative.
But instead, if we say a group of mourners including Mary,
John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene,
they express emotions around the body of Christ.
The scene takes place after Jesus
has been lowered from the cross following the crucifixion.
This is way more specific and it lets
us know that we know about the religious narrative that's
being shown.
All right.
So be specific.
Now, let's move on to tasks four, and five.
So using specific visual evidence from both works,
explain at least one similarity and/or difference
in how the two works represent the religious narrative.
So first, remember, you look there for the and/or
and then we use the evidence from each work
as that will earn our task points.
So we need to state the similarity and/or difference.
We can either do that separately or within our details.
And I'll show you how to do that within the details.
So we need to provide visual evidence about the given work,
and then provide visual evidence about our chosen work
in order to earn these task points.
Let's take a look at an example.
So a sample similarity with supporting evidence.
In this case, the writer has started off
by stating the similarity.
Although it's not required to do so here.
But you could state it.
Both sculptures include reclining figures
with expressions of pain.
Now, this is where we get the points.
In Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, the saint has her head thrown back,
the upright angel's looking directly at Saint Teresa
as she displays emotion.
Similarly, in the Rottgen Pietá, Christ
has his head leaning back with a look of agony
as he sits on Mary's lap.
Mary looks directly at him like the angel gazes
at Saint Teresa.
So we're really emphasizing that similarity,
what they have in common.
But we've used visual evidence about each work
and that's where we're earning the point of visual evidence
about the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, the visual evidence
about the Rottgen Pietá.
OK.
This case was a similarity.
Now, let's take a look at a sample difference
with some supporting evidence using the Isenheim Altarpiece.
In the Isenheim Altarpiece, Christ's skin has numerous cuts
and his body appears to be an unnatural greenish gray hue.
His body demonstrates evidence of physical torment
he endured through the bleeding wounds and the crown of thorns.
Saint Teresa is experiencing psychological pain.
So her body is intact.
Rays of light are visible in the background in the sculpture
rather than the instruments of suffering like the cross
and the crown of thorns which can be seen
is Isenheim Altarpiece.
So we don't need a separate sentence
for tasks four or five.
Providing the visual evidence of each
has established that difference.
OK.
One is focusing on the physical torment, and the other one
on the psychological pain.
So we really hit both of them here
and established a difference.
OK.
And here's a difference for the Lamentation.
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa depicts an intimate scene
of the angel and the Saint with an otherworldly setting
bordered by columns.
Spectators including members of the Coronado family,
the patrons of the work, observe the religious scene
from seats on either side of the sculpture.
So see, we're specific.
It's a visual.
It could definitely earn us the point.
In the Lamentation, a large group of figures
surround Christ in an outdoor setting.
A rocky hill and a tree suggest elements of nature
behind the main group of mourners.
Again, we're specific and really describing.
We could even go further and describe the mourners again--
John the Evangelist.
It depends on what you've already
described in the previous--
for the previous point.
You want to make sure you're not double dipping the points,
but you could mention the individual mourners, if you
didn't mention that previously.
All right.
Then we get to tasks six, seven, and eight.
So remember, we need to explain at least one difference in how
both works elicit an emotional response from the viewer.
This is that claim that I mentioned for task six.
And here are some tasks six examples
that we're going to take a look at.
Make sure to be specific.
OK.
You must write a specific claim.
So here are examples for each one.
For the Rottgen Pietá, you could say the Rottgen Pietá depicts
suffering and the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
portrays religious ecstasy to elicit an emotional response.
We've made a claim.
We can earn the task.
For seven, and eight, we would have
to use significant evidence to back up this claim.
And here, you can see the other examples as well.
OK.
So let's focus on the Lamentation
to look at how we can provide evidence
for tasks seven and eight.
All right.
So there we have our task fix for this artwork
and for explanation, again, we want to be really specific.
We could say Saint Teresa was a Carmelite nun who
lived during the Catholic Counter-Reformation.
During that time, works of art encouraged active participation
from the viewers, which is why Bernini chose
a theatrical setting to portray an intense religious
experience.
Then for our other task we want to talk about the other work.
Late medieval audiences showed a new interest
in works expressing emotion to stimulate devotion.
Worshippers were encouraged to develop an emotional connection
to holy figures, and works like lamentation
by identifying with the grief displayed by the figures.
All right.
Now you can practice providing specific visual or contextual
evidence about how the works elicit
an emotional response for the other possible artworks.
Keep practicing, and you can find additional information
on FRQ 1 on 2022 AP Exam On-Demand Review Video 2.
OK.
You've got this.
I think go for all eight points.
Leave no point unturned.
Select an appropriate artwork.
Provide two identifiers beyond the title.
Make sure you read all parts of the prompt
carefully and determine if you need
to provide visual or contextual evidence,
or if you have a choice.
And for task six, make sure to provide a claim
that references both artworks.
And finally, provide specific supporting evidence
for that claim to bring it home and earn tasks seven and eight.
All right.
And you've got this.
Thank you so much for watching.
I'll see you in the next video.