Course Description

AP Art History is designed to provide the same benefits to secondary school students as those provided by an introductory college course in art history. In the course, students examine major forms of artistic expression from the ancient world to the present and from a variety of cultures. They learn to look and analyze works of art within their historical context and to articulate what they see or experience in a meaningful way. Students will learn how frame their understanding of a work of art in terms of how the work communicates visual meaning.

The main objectives of AP curriculum in Art History are to develop in students:

1. the ability to apply fundamental art and art historical terminology.

2. an appreciation for the process of making and displaying art.

3. an understanding of purpose and function of art.

4. the ability to analyze works of art in context of historical evidence and interpretation, examining such issues as politics, religion, patronage, gender, and ethnicity.

5. an understanding of cross-cultural and global nature of art.

An introductory college art history course content generally covers the various art forms in the following proportions: 40-50% painting and drawing, 25% architecture, 25% sculpture, and 5-10% other media (printmaking, photography, ceramics, fiber arts, etc.).

The AP Art History course content and AP Examination reflect these distributions. Moreover, students are expected to learn about 3,000 years of art—from the entire globe! See the attached sheet from the College Board which delineates how this knowledge is apportioned on the AP Exam. Our work in class will tend to reflect these demands.

Required Texts:

Glancey, Jonathan. The Story of Architecture, Dorling Kindersley, 2000.

Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History, 2nd ed., Abrams, 2002.