A-level
History of Art
HART4 Investigation and Interpretation (2)
Report on the Examination
2250
June 2016
Version: v1.0.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL - HISTORY OF ART – HART4 – JUNE 2016
General Comments
The most successful students’ responses were clearly focused on the specific demands of the
questions rather than essays where students simply repeated all they knew about a work or group
of works. There were several instances of the same few examples being reused within a particular
school or college for several questions (Q5, 6 and 7, or Q9, 10 and 11). These students simply
reproduced their learnt material, with absolutely no concern for the exact demands of the question.
This was also true of introductions with students from an entire school or college commencing
essays with stock paragraphs that were frequently not wholly relevant. However, almost none of
students who used a limited range of examples infringed the rubric that prevents the use of the
same examples across both questions.
Numerous scripts were hampered by practically illegible handwriting. Candidly put, if something
cannot be read, it cannot be credited. All examinations are exercises in communication and
anything that interferes with the communication process between student and examiner is likely to
have an adverse effect on performance.
TOPIC 1 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN THIRTEENTH-CENTURY AND FOURTEENTHCENTURY EUROPE
Question 1
Discuss how religious meaning was communicated in three depictions of Christ in thirteenthand/or fourteenth-century art. You may choose examples of paintings, drawings, illuminated
manuscripts and/or sculptures.
On the whole, students tended to give general discussions of the examples rather than focus on
the religious meanings and associations of how Christ was depicted within them as the question
demanded. Popular examples were Orcagna's Strozzi altarpiece, Cimabue's S. Croce cross,
Giotto's Mocking of Christ and Lamentation from the Arena Chapel, and the Rucellai Madonna by
Duccio.
Question 2
Analyse two painted altarpieces, one from the thirteenth century and one from the fourteenth
century. What differences and similarities are evident?
This was the least popular question of the topic, with only a small number of students choosing to
respond. There were good discussions of Cimabue's Madonna of Santa Trinita and the
Wilton Diptych. Less successful students focused on a discussion of only one panel from Duccio's
Maestà (The Healing of the Blind Man in the National Gallery) rather than the full altarpiece from
which it had become separated. Occasionally, the instruction to discuss differences and similarities
was ignored and students simply provided two general analyses of relevant examples.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL - HISTORY OF ART – HART4 – JUNE 2016
Question 3
Analyse three sculptures from this period, and discuss the subject matter and the use of materials
in each.
This was a relatively popular question. The most common examples cited were the Röttgen Pietà,
the Virgin of Jeanne d'Evreux, and Nicola Pisano's Adoration of the Magi from the Pisa Baptistery.
Some rather unfamiliar and uncommon examples were used, such as an ivory of the Virgin Mary
from the Wallace Collection. While students are wholly at liberty to choose any relevant example,
when choosing relatively obscure art works, they must include museum location or any other
appropriate methods of identification to enable examiners to identify the works.
Question 4
Characterise the Gothic style of architecture through an analysis of three religious buildings.
In general this was a popular question and was done well. Popular examples were the cathedrals
of Amiens, Chartres, Rheims and Bourges and La Sainte Chapelle in France. Lincoln and
Salisbury cathedrals and Westminster Abbey were discussed as English examples. Several
students discussed S. Maria Novella in Florence and Siena Cathedral which made a good contrast
with the French examples and demonstrated that Gothic was not a homogeneous style but
manifested itself in different ways in different regions.
TOPIC 2 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN SIXTEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE
This was the second most popular topic. In general, examples were predominantly drawn from the
High Renaissance in Italy, especially in Rome, with a large number of examples from the National
Gallery in London as well as Giambologna's, Samson slaying the Philistine from the Victoria and
Albert Museum. The advantage of having seen original works of art was noticeable in many essays
where the analysis and attention to detail was highly developed.
Question 5
Analyse three narrative paintings from the sixteenth century, and discuss the compositional
methods used. Select your examples from the work of at least two artists.
Almost all students could successfully identify a narrative subject. Some students struggled with
discussing how composition aided narrative, discussing the meaning of the work and the
composition entirely separately. However, there were also some very good answers. Common
examples included Raphael’s Expulsion of Heliodorus, Mass at Bolsena and Deliverance of St
Peter, Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece and Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin, and Bacchus and
Ariadne.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL - HISTORY OF ART – HART4 – JUNE 2016
Question 6
Analyse and interpret three sixteenth-century works of art that depict mythological subjects. You
may choose your examples from painting and/or sculpture.
Another popular question and almost all students attempting it knew what mythology was.
Cranach's Cupid complaining to Venus and Breughel's Fall of Icarus were used as Northern
Renaissance examples of mythological paintings, with other common examples coming from the
Italian High Renaissance such as Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne and Venus of Urbino, Cellini’s
Perseus and Medusa, Raphael’s Galatea and Bronzino’s Allegory with Venus and Cupid.
Question 7
Analyse three sixteenth-century sculptures of the human figure and discuss the relationship
between form and meaning in each.
Michelangelo’s David was by far the most popular example for this question, with answers ranging
from sophisticated discussions of form and meaning to rudimentary lists of facts and terminology
(i.e. height, material, and contrapposto). Michelangelo’s Duomo Pieta, Cellini’s Perseus and
Medusa, Bartolomeo’s Leda and the Swan and Riemenscheider’s Holy Blood Altarpiece were also
popular examples.
Question 8
Analyse three sixteenth-century palaces and/or grand houses, and discuss how their architectural
characteristics convey power and status.
This was the least popular question of Topic 2, but it was answered well on the whole.
Popular examples were Hardwick Hall in England, and the Villa Farnesina, Villa Rotunda,
Villa Barbaro and Palazzo del Tè in Italy. Examiners noted that within scripts from a particular
school or college exactly the same wording was used when discussing the same example.
Although many students provided an effective analysis, discussing how the architectural
characteristics conveyed power and status was often far more challenging.
TOPIC 3 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE
Question 9
Analyse and interpret either three Rococo works of art or three Neo-Classical works of art. You
may choose your examples from paintings and/or sculpture.
This was the most popular question of this topic. There were only a few instances of students
confusing the characteristics of the Rococo and Neo-Classical styles, or of mixing and matching
both styles in their examples, which was a rubric infringement as the question required either three
Rococo or three Neo-Classical works, not a mixture of both.
Popular choices for the Rococo were Watteau’s Pilgrimage to Cythera, Boucher’s Hercules and
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL - HISTORY OF ART – HART4 – JUNE 2016
Omphale and Fragonard’s The Swing. Neo-Classical examples almost always included David’s
Oath of the Horatii and other frequent choices were David’s Brutus, Reynolds’ Three Ladies
adorning a term of Hymen and Canova’s Cupid and Psyche and Monument to Admiral Emo. The
most successful students linked analysis of form and subject to context and interpretation of the
chosen style.
Question 10
Discuss the political content and/or meaning of three eighteenth-century works of art. Select your
examples from the work of at least two artists.
This was also a relatively popular question, with common examples coming from a small pool of
works. These were mostly paintings, including David’s Marat at his last breath, Brutus,
Oath of the Horatii, and Oath of the Tennis Court, Copley’s Death of Major Peirson, West’s Death
of General Wolfe and various scenes from Hogarth’s Election Series. Less successful students
simply described the events which surrounded the scene being depicted, while failing to discuss
the composition and how political content was conveyed or suggested.
Question 11
Discuss how character and identity are conveyed in three eighteenth-century painted portraits of
two or more figures.
By far the most commonly seen example were Gainsborough’s Mr and Mrs Andrews, which was
used in almost all answers to this question. Again, swathes of material for this particular choice
seemed to be repeated by students within certain centres. Other popular examples included
Reynolds’ Three Ladies adorning a term of Hymen, Madame Vigée Le Brun’s Marie Antoinette and
her Children, Goya’s The Family of the Infante Don Luis and David’s Monsieur and Madame
Lavoisier. Some rejected choices included examples where the sitters were fictional, such as
Hogarth’s Marriage à la Mode.
Question 12
Analyse three eighteenth-century palaces and/or grand houses, and discuss how their
architectural characteristics convey power and status.
Very few students chose this question. Examples mostly came from Britain, including Blenheim
Palace, Chiswick House and Strawberry Hill. Other European examples included the Petit Trianon
and Villa Albani. Unfortunately, a few students selected examples of public architecture. Scale,
taste, scholarship and references to antiquity were the most commonly discussed points
concerning power and status.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL - HISTORY OF ART – HART4 – JUNE 2016
TOPIC 4 ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BETWEEN 1900 AND 1945
Question 13
Analyse three works of art, and demonstrate how they are associated with either Cubism or
Futurism.
The most popular question choice by far. There was an equal spread of choice across the two
movements. Many essays on Cubism included a combination of proto-, Analytical and Synthetic
examples. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was a popular choice but was often not discussed in relation
to Cubism with some students writing at length about the less relevant narrative content. Some
students also considered it to be a fully evolved example of Analytical Cubism. Ma Jolie and
Still-life with Chair-Caning were also frequently referenced.
There were some excellent answers using Braque’s Houses at L’Estaque to demonstrate clear
understanding of how the features of Cubism evolved in the early stages.
Less able students tended to repeat a few key features such as multiple viewpoints for all three
examples. Less well sourced examples included Picasso’s Guernica and Weeping Woman and
Delaunay’s Homage à Bleriot, where opportunities to respond to the demands of this question
were limited.
Boccioni examples featured heavily in Futurist essays, in particular The City Rises and
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, as well as Balla’s Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash and
Russolo’s Dynamism of a Cyclist. Some of the most successful students demonstrated a thorough
grasp of contextual influences and were able to explicitly link these to the work e.g.
Chronophotography, the philosophical theories of Bergson and the formal influences of the PostImpressionists.
The majority of Futurist examples selected were valid although, a number of Brancusi sculptures
were not and Epstein’s Rock Drill was a limited choice, although credit was given for Vorticist
associations, if explained.
Question 14
Analyse and interpret three works of art that are concerned with modern urban life. Select your
examples from the work of at least two artists.
This was the second most popular question choice. The most popular examples cited were
Kirchner’s Berlin street scenes, Hopper’s Nighthawks, Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie and
various Futurist paintings.
Some very strong responses considered contextual/philosophical influences, for example,
photography/cinematography, skyscrapers, transport, Einstein, Bergson and explored how formal
features expressed the psychological and experiential impact of the urban environment. However,
many of the more basic responses resorted to simple description. A number of students selected
examples that were not ‘urban’ e.g. Kandinsky abstracts or chose examples where only a tenuous
link could be made - such as Guernica or Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL - HISTORY OF ART – HART4 – JUNE 2016
Question 15
Analyse and interpret three sculptural representations of the human form produced during this
period. Select your examples from the work of at least two sculptors.
This was the least frequently attempted question. Most responses focused on a standard
combination of Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, Giacometti’s Woman with her Throat Cut,
Brancusi’s The Kiss or one of Henry Moore’s reclining figures. Occasionally, there were difficulties
identifying which specific Moore sculpture was selected as the dates, materials etc were wrongly
ascribed and titles were vague or incorrect. There was also some misapprehension that Boccioni
cast his own piece in bronze.
Question 16
Discuss the design and construction of three private houses built during this period.
The most commonly used examples were the Rietveld-Schröder House, the Villa Savoye and
Fallingwater. Generally, the design element of the question was covered more effectively than the
construction aspect, with the most successful students having a full understanding of how the
buildings were put together. The Barcelona Pavilion was disallowed, since, as the German Pavilion
for the 1929 International Exposition, it was a ceremonial public reception space and had no
domestic function. The Farnsworth House was not accepted as the first design was completed in
1947. In the AQA specimen material it appears in HART 3, 1946-2000. Additionally the 2013 HART
4 report on the examination stated that ‘the Farnsworth House, which in 1945 did not exist as a
building…’ So it did not meet the demands of either ‘design’ or ‘construction’.
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REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – A-LEVEL - HISTORY OF ART – HART4 – JUNE 2016
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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