A-LEVEL
HISTORY OF ART
HART3/Investigation and Interpretation (1)
Report on the Examination
2250
June 2015
Version: v1.0.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL HISTORY OF ART – HART3 – JUNE 2015
General Comments
The overall standard of responses seen seemed to have stayed about the same. Great contrasts
still exist between the highest quality responses that are articulate, detailed, well written and well
informed and the very naïve and simplistic answers that are poorly sourced and lack judgement
and the application of art historical skills.
Some students still choose to write three discrete sections, each dealing with a separate example each often introduced with ‘my first example is…’, ‘my second example is…’ etc. While perfectly
permissible, such a strategy without an introduction, conclusion or linking passages, often leads
students to omit any consideration of the demands of question and frequently promotes description
at the expense of analysis and discussion. There were many instances of misunderstandings of
technical processes –including the pervasive use of the tautological ‘gold gilding’.
Incorrect or ambiguous attributions of works were common this year and this led to much
frustration on the part of the examiners. It should be noted that if examples defy identification, they
could often not be credited.
The answer book contains the instruction to ‘leave at least two lines spaces between each answer’.
This was often ignored and therefore does not leave space for examiners to make diagnostic and
evaluative comments.
There were many instances of completely indecipherable hand-writing. If something cannot be
read, it cannot be given credit.
HART 3 and HART 4 questions on portraiture still elicited incorrect examples.
In identifying portraits, one rough rule of thumb is the title of a work- if it describes an action or
event and does not name an individual, then it is not unequivocally a portrait.
Wikipedia entries were often quoted word-for-word. Not only are such entries often lacking art
historical authority, their exclusively factual quality often bore very little relationship to the analytical
or discursive demands of the question. Although the recall of date and information necessarily
plays an important part in the construction of A2 answers, this needs to be combined with the
capacity to use this material with discrimination and thought in order to meet the demands of the
question.
There was also a disturbing trend of students being unfamiliar with the rubric of the paper. A few
students wrote three or even four essays and some answered questions across more than one
topic. It is imperative for students to know exactly what is required of them at the start of an
examination.
TOPIC 1 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN FIFTEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE
Question 1
Analyse and discuss the representation of the Madonna (Virgin Mary) in three fifteenth-century
paintings and/or sculptures.
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Both devotional and narrative images of the Madonna were analysed and discussed. Favoured
examples included Gentile da Fabriano’s Strozzi Altarpiece, Masaccio’s Pisa Altarpiece,
Van der Weyden’s Deposition, Donatello’s Cavalcanti Annunciation and Michelangelo’s Pietà.
Sometimes, works where the Madonna only played a very minor role were selected which gave
limited opportunities to discuss her representation in terms of iconography, virginity, intercession
and motherhood. There were, however, many excellent and well considered responses.
Question 2
Discuss how status and authority are conveyed in three fifteenth-century painted portraits. Select
your examples from the work of at least two painters.
Portraits selected for discussion included Federigo da Montefeltro (in both profile and in the
Brera Altarpiece), Leonardo’s Lady with an Ermine (Cecilia Gallerani) and Ginevra de‘ Benci,
van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait and Madonna of Chancellor Rolin. Dürer’s Self-Portrait holding a
thistle and that of 1498 were also considered. Almost all students were able to discuss how the
status and identity of the sitters was conveyed via pose, body language, clothing, accessories,
composition and viewpoints.
Question 3
Examine how patronage influenced the appearance of three sculptures and/or buildings from this
period.
Medici patronage of their Florentine Palace and of Donatello’s David was very frequently
examined, as was guild patronage of statues at Orsanmicele. However, only the most able
students engaged with the issue of the patron’s influence on the appearance of the sculptures.
Some students turned this into an essay on quattrocento palazzo and discussed the Medici and
Rucellai palaces in Florence and the Ducal Palace in Urbino - but often simply described the
buildings and did not consider how patronage had played a part in shaping their appearance. A
few students wrote vaguely about ‘church patronage’ and provided insufficient details.
Question 4
Analyse three fifteenth-century religious buildings and discuss how each building conveys its
religious purpose.
This was the least popular question in Topic 1. Favoured examples included Brunelleschi’s San
Lorenzo, Santo Spirito and Pazzi Chapel and Alberti’s Santa Maria Novella, San Francesco,
Rimini, and San Andrea, Mantua and Lombardo’s Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Not all students
combined analysis with a discussion of how religious purpose was conveyed and only provided
descriptions of the buildings selected. There were several answers in which the Dome of the
cathedral in Florence was chosen as a building when it is, part of a larger building, and for this
reason was self-limiting.
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TOPIC 2 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE
Question 5
Analyse three seventeenth-century paintings and/or sculptures concerned with the lives of the
saints and discuss how religious purpose is conveyed in each.
Caravaggio’s St Matthew series in the Contarelli Chapel as well as his pair of paintings in the
Cersasi Chapel were often discussed as painted examples. In sculpture, Bernini’s Ecstasy of
St Teresa was a frequent choice, although not all students discussed the work in terms of Counter
Reformation demands of religious art, her recent canonization and the involvement of the Cornaro
family. Many students mentioned ‘theatre boxes’ – which had not yet been invented and the
architectural settings of the family are more like coretti or oratories from which royalty and elevated
personages would have observed religious services. Bernini’s St Longinus at the crossing of
St Peter’s was also frequently chosen, although the link with the relic of the Holy Lance was not
always pursued.
Question 6
Analyse and interpret three seventeenth-century paintings of still-life and/or subjects from
everyday life.
Vermeer’s genre scenes were favourite choices, as were still lifes by Zurbarán and Dutch works.
Religious meaning, allegory and moral lessons, notably memento mori were often discussed.
Velázquez’s Bodegones were also written about. Some students concentrated on minute
description and did not develop analysis and interpretation. Labelling of still-life examples was
often inaccurate, giving incorrect titles and/or misattributing the painting. When there are so many
similar paintings under the same title by painters like Bosschaert, it was very challenging for the
examiner to find the correct example. Subjects taken from everyday life were often equally difficult
to identify as they were frequently incorrectly titled and attributed and lacked dates. As some
artists painted more than one painting of popular subjects under the same title, it is important that
students identify their chosen example correctly. Some popular examples of genre low-life tavern
scenes by Jan Steen and his contemporaries giving out moral messages concerning overindulgence and immorality were well discussed. There appeared to be a view that all seventeenthcentury paintings come under the label of ‘Baroque’ and genre scenes of the most humble subjects
were often referred to as being ‘Baroque’.
Question 7
Discuss the relationship between form and meaning in three seventeenth-century sculptures of the
human figure.
Bernini’s Ecstasy of St Teresa was overwhelmingly popular, and his David and Apollo and Daphne
were also frequent choices, although meaning in the latter was not consistently discussed. The
intensely realistic Dead Christ by Gregorio Fernández was popular and this was linked to the
fervour and mysticism of Spanish Catholicism and to Jesuit spiritual intensity. However, some
responses were wholly descriptive and did not address the relationship between form and
meaning.
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Question 8
Analyse three domestic buildings built in the seventeenth century and discuss how each
communicates the status of the owner.
Although not quite as popular as the other questions in Topic 2, there were some good answers
where examples were chosen from a variety of countries. Among the most popular were The
Queens House, Greenwich, the châteaux of Vaux-le-Vicomte and Maisons, the palace of
Versailles and Longhena’s Palazzo Bon in Venice. While châteaux were often discussed, in their
analyses very few students considered both the entrance and garden façades. Discussions of the
communication of status tended to focus on scale, location, style, materials and on the
incorporation of personal or family emblems. Unfortunately, some students did not seem to be
familiar with the word ‘domestic’ and chose irrelevant examples such as churches, the Banqueting
House and the Town Hall, Amsterdam.
TOPIC 3 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE
Question 9
Analyse three paintings of work and/or poverty produced in the nineteenth century. What
attitudes to labour and/or the poor are conveyed?
This was a very popular question which the majority of students selected. Realist paintings were
very often chosen - notably Courbet’s Stonebreakers and Millet’s Gleaners – though many
students did not know exactly what gleaning was and were unaware of its associations with charity
and poor relief. Work by Ford Maddox Brown was also a common choice. There were many
excellent responses where students demonstrated a clear contextual grasp of the political/social
circumstances and linked these effectively to the works. Many students, however, simply analysed
examples without considering ‘attitudes’. Paintings such as Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières and
Manet’s Bar at Folies-Bergères were formally analysed in great detail and at some length, but then
attitudes to labour were neglected. Some injudicious selection was evident with students choosing
scenes giving them little opportunity to discuss the themes of the question e.g. Millais’ Christ in the
House of his Parents.
Question 10
Discuss how status and identity are conveyed in three nineteenth-century painted and/or sculpted
portraits. Select your examples from the work of at least two artists.
Many students focused on portraits of Napoleon by David and Ingres. While often very good,
some of these answers were hampered by not having a sound understanding of changes in
Napoleon’s political status. Rodin’s Balzac and Ingres’ Monsieur Bertin were also frequent
choices. There were also some very strong discussions of Courbet’s Bonjour M.Courbet,
particularly with reference to status. Foley’s seated Prince Albert for the Albert Memorial was
sometimes chosen - but was occasionally attributed to Scott. Disappointingly, some students
chose works that were not portraits - Manet’s Olympia, Cassatt’s Woman in Black at the Opera and
Five O’clock Tea, Renoir’s La Loge and Degas’ Little Dancer. Some credit was given if the model
was identified e.g. Victorine Meurent or Marie van Goethem or named family members, but these
could only be very limited responses to this question particularly when considering status and
authority. Claudel’s Age of Maturity sculpture was also problematic.
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Question 11
Discuss the relationship between nudity and meaning in three nineteenth-century sculptures of the
nude.
This was the least popular question in Topic 3. Favoured examples were Canova’s Pauline
Borghese as Venus Victorious, The Three Graces and Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker.
Clésinger’s Woman bitten by a snake and Hiram Powers’ Greek Slave were also frequent choices,
the latter acceptable as it was produced in Italy. References to ancient history and mythology to
impart authority and licence to nudity were often made. Some students misread the question and
wrote about paintings.
Question 12
Analyse three nineteenth-century buildings that use past architectural styles and give reasons why
these styles were revived.
The Altes Museum, the Houses of Parliament, Natural History Museum and the Paris Opéra were
and many the most popular examples students could both identify the stylistic inspiration and give
reasons for its employment- such as cultural authority, national identity and the grandeur provided
by stylistic eclecticism. There were a number of muddled responses where St Pancras Station
was named but the analysis was so thin that it was unclear if the Scott’s hotel or Barlow’s train
shed were under discussion.
TOPIC 4 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BETWEEN 1946 AND 2000
Question 13
Examine and discuss three works of art, each by a different artist, that use ready-made and/or
found objects.
While many students had a sound understanding of what constituted a ready-made or found
object, some students clearly struggled with the definition. At A2, students are expected to have
specialist knowledge of the terminology of their chosen topic. Many students described a work that
included ready-made or found objects without specifically identifying them and did not consider
their significance or choice within their examinations and discussions. Works by Hirst and Emin
were very frequently discussed. Some students interpreted this as an ‘installation’ question and
wrote irrelevant essays on the subject.
Question 14
Discuss how stylistic change and/or development is/are demonstrated in three paintings by one
artist working during this period.
Stylistic change and development within the careers of such artists as Bacon, Pollock, Rothko,
Warhol and Hockney were often considered. Some students completely ignored the instructions of
the question and simply wrote about three unrelated works by a single artist. In discussing works
by artists such as Pollock and Rothko, students often gave insufficient detail as to exactly which
example they were referring to and simply called the work ‘Untitled’. Many artists in this period did
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not give titles to their works and in such cases students should give further information (date and/or
location) so that examiners can quickly identify exactly which work is being considered.
Question 15
Discuss the characteristics of either Minimalist Art or Conceptual Art through an analysis of three
examples.
Approximately equal numbers of students answered on Minimalism and Conceptual Art. The very
best answers combined a sound definition with a detailed analysis that identified the characteristics
of the chosen movement as part of the discussion of the individual examples. However, some
responses on Minimalism merely wrote that it was concerned with simplicity and a lack of content
and that Conceptual Art was all about ideas. Answers to both movements often highlighted a lack
of technical skill which often led to discussions of installations or performance art which did not
precisely focus on the demands of the question.
Question 16
Analyse three examples of domestic architecture built between 1946 and 2000 and consider the
relationship between form and function in each.
There were a number of thoughtful and detailed responses to this question that combined a full
architectural analysis of the examples with considerations of form and function. Both mass
housing and private housing were covered in the examples, which included the Trellick Tower,
North Kensington, Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, Unité d’Habitation, Marseilles, Nemausus I,
Nîmes, Lake Shore Drive Apartments, Chicago, the Glass House, Connecticut, Casa Rotonda,
Stabio and the Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia. Some students had evidently expected an
opportunity to write about ‘Brutalism’ and wrote essays that took little account of the requirements
of the question. A few students were unfamiliar with the meaning of ‘domestic’.
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Mark Ranges and Award of Grades
Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics
page of the AQA Website.
Converting Marks into UMS marks
Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below.
UMS conversion calculator
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