Humanities Study Guide

What was the musical capital of Europe during the “Classical” music period?

Vienna, Austria

What is the primary musical contribution of the U.S. to the world?

Jazz

What is the main musical characteristic of Jazz?

Improvisation

Who were the two early, major jazz composers/conductors and arrangers who brought Jazz to the classical concert hall?

George Gershwin and Duke Ellington

What is the Avant Garde in music?

Music that is art that deliberately pushes musical boundaries and challenges the listeners’ expectations

What different types of Folk Songs are discussed in TABH?

Ballads, Work Songs, and Spirtiuals

What is syncopation?

Syncopation is the defining rhythmic feature of ragtime, jazz, and African-influenced styles.

What does Aristotle’s term Mimesis mean?

The artistic imitation of life or human action that reveals truths about human nature

What two forms does art take?

Representational and Abstract art

What are the five elements of composition?

Line, Form, Color, Mass and Texture

What are the five principles of design?

Repetition, Balance, Unity, Focus, and Perspective

What is the difference between a horizontal and vertical line in terms of effect on a viewer?

Horizontal lines are calming, while vertical lines imply motion and vitality.

What is the difference between a primary color and a secondary color?

Primary colors are ones that cannot be made by mixing other colors, while secondary colors are made by mixing two other primary colors together.

What is the value scale?

The range of possibilities from black to white; the lighter the color the higher its value etc.

What is the difference between a shade and a tint?

Adding white to a color creates a tint, while adding black to a color creates a shade.

What does the “en plein eir” method mean? Who practiced it?

It means “In the open air” and it is when an artist paints a scene directly in front of them. It was practiced a lot by Claude Monet

What art medium was used in Northern Europe’s Renaissance? Why? What painting medium was used in Southern Europe in the Renaissance?

Oil paint because Northern Europe’s damp climate made fresca impractical. Southern Europe used egg tempera

What is Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural motto?

Form follows function

Why was Frank Gehry anti-wright?

He believed architecture should be centered around art (form) rather than function.

What was Francisco de Goya’s nationality?

Spanish

Why is Francisco de Goya important

He bridged the gap between traditional art and modernism through his “Disasters of War” and “Las Pinturas Negras.”

What fate did Goya and Beethoven share in their later lives?

They both lost their sense of hearing

What technique was Giotto an early adopter of?

Naturalism

What phrase is used to remember Georges Seurat

Seurat the Dot

What is the subject matter of the painting by Ilya Repin that first caught Prof. Silbert’s eye at Princeton University Museum of Art?

They Did Not Expect Him - The presumed dead soldier walking into his family’s home.

Who was Jackson Pollock’s teacher?

Thomas Hart Benton

What art movement was Andy Warhol a master of?

Pop Art

With whom did Martha Grahm collaborate on a now famous ballet with?

Aaron Copeland

What was the name and alternate name for Aaron Copeland’s song for Martha Grahm?

The Appalachian Spring - Ballad for Martha

Aaron Copeland was known for defining the American Sound in his musical compositions, why?

He incorporated themes of classical American music into his work, which spread across the world.

How did Aaron Copeland try to expand the audience for American classical music?

He wrote and preformed American classical music in France.

How did Andrew Wyeth describe himself as an artist

The Ultimate Abstractionist

What painting by Andrew Wyeth received “major acclaim” in 1948

“Christina’s World”

What was the title given to Andrew Wyeth because of his popularity?

A Painter of the People