NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 1 of 14
Assessment Schedule – 2011
Art History: Analyse style in art (90490)
Evidence Statement (applies to each area of study)
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
A range of stylistic characteristics
in selected art works is identified
and the styles of selected art
works are distinguished between.
The reasons for differences in
stylistic characteristics in selected
art works are explained.
Stylistic characteristics are
comprehensively related to their
context.
As for Achievement, plus:
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
•
Addresses the requirements of
the two selected questions
•
Correctly identifies the required
stylistic characteristics (at least 3
characteristics altogether,
including at least 1 stylistic
characteristic in each work)
•
•
•
Distinguishes between the
stylistic characteristics of the
given plates in each of the two
selected question.
Demonstrates adequate
understanding of relevant art
historical terminology in relation
to the stylistic characteristics of
the selected art works.
Uses evidence from the given
plates in each question to
answer specific requirements of
questions.
•
•
Moves beyond simple
descriptions of stylistic
characteristics to explain
reasons for the differences
between the given art works.
Clearly explains relevant reasons
for the differences in the stylistic
characteristics in the two given
plates in each of the selected
questions.
Achievement with Excellence
•
Addresses selected questions
directly.
•
Discusses stylistic characteristics
of the given plates and relates
them to relevant aspects of the
specified context.
•
Contextualises the given art
works, accurately focussing on
the specific requirements of both
questions.
•
Uses relevant contextual
evidence to support discussion
points.
•
Supports explanations and
discussion points with relevant
evidence in the form of pertinent
references to other art works,
artists and / or texts.
•
Demonstrates informed and
comprehensive understanding of
the set art works, artists,
movements and relevant
contexts.
•
Demonstrates an understanding
of the relationships between art
works, artists and contexts within
which they worked.
•
Demonstrates comprehensive
knowledge sustained across the
two selected questions.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 2 of 14
Question One: Fourteenth-Century Italian Painting
Achievement
The candidate has compared and
contrasted the treatment of space
and form in:
Duccio, The Last Supper
•
Frontally foreshortened room
with space defined by
architecture and structural
elements – ceiling beams and
walls.
•
Viewer’s gaze drawn in by
foreshortened walls to the central
figure of Jesus.
•
Some shadowing of forms to
create volume but overall
approach is linear.
Objects on table are flat but
detailed – pattern on jug.
Pietro Lorenzetti, The Last Supper
•
•
More complex treatment of
space and form with a small
room on left foreshortened along
diagonals (oblique setting) to
create deep space and large,
hexagonal open space defined
by columns on right.
Shading used to create volume
in figures and variety in
treatment of figures and clothes
create interest although forms on
table lack detail.
The candidate has distinguished
between the styles of the selected
art works, eg:
Duccio’ has created a simple
rectangular space in which forms are
carefully delineated and arranged,
while Pietro’s spaces are complex
and crowded with overlapping forms
and busy action.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
The flat forms of Duccio’s painting
reflect the Italo-Byzantine style which
dominated Sienese art at the end of
the thirteenth century while the
greater space and more volumetric
figures of Pietro’s painting reflect the
move towards naturalism which took
place in Sienese art in this period.
Influence of Giotto on Lorenzetti.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to
developments in Sienese narrative
painting in the fourteenth century,
eg:
There are a number of key
developments in Sienese narrative
painting in the fourteenth century;
these include a strong interest in
naturalism, the increasing use of
gesture and expression to convey
meaning and the increasing use of
vernacular details to increase the
veracity of the depicted narrative.
These aspects are all present in
Duccio’s painting, with the
naturalistic positioning of the figures
within the defined space, the detailed
depiction of familiar objects and
Jesus’ gesture with the bread. In
some works of his Maesta, such as
The Entrance to Jerusalem, Duccio
uses a strong left to right movement
to convey the narrative. This device
had been used in the Life of St
Francis in Assisi, which had a major
impact on the development of
naturalism and narrative painting in
fourteenth-century Siena.
Like other painters who worked in
Assisi, Pietro also used details taken
from contemporary life to make this
stories more convincing as in the
domestic scene on the left of Pietro’s
painting. The similarity between the
church interior in Ambrogio
Lorenzetti’s Presentation in the
Temple and Siena’s cathedral, is
another example of the use of
familiar details to create
contemporary relevance between
Biblical stories and contemporary
Siena.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 3 of 14
Question Two: Fifteenth-Century Italian Painting
Achievement
The candidate has compared and
contrasted the treatment of figure
and space in:
Masaccio, Madonna and Child
Enthroned (San Giovenale
Altarpiece)
•
The Virgin Mary sits elevated in
a formal, upright pose gazing
into the distance, supporting
Christ standing on her knee.
The picture plane appears
flattened with a plain gold
background and round halos, but
overlapping of the angels in the
foreground gives some sense of
space.
Masaccio, Madonna and Child
Enthroned (Pisa Altarpiece)
•
•
The scale of the Virgin Mary is
large and she sits on a receding
throne, embracing the Christ
child who sits on her lap eating
grapes. She looks knowingly into
the distance.
Masaccio has created rounded
figures and together with
overlapping, foreshortening and
one point perspective a sense of
space is created.
The candidate distinguishes
between the styles of the two
plates, eg:
Masaccio’s later Madonna is more
rounded and has more volume than
the Madonna in the San Giovenale
Altar panel.
The 1422 painting has the throne lit
from the front, which has a flattening
effect compared to the consistent
side lighting of the Pisa painting.
•
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
Differences between the works can
be explained by Masaccio’s growing
interest in naturalism.
In Madonna and Child Enthroned,
1422, the gothic style is evident in
the flat gold leaf of the heavenly
setting, the hierarchical arrangement
of figures and the flattened
appearance of Mary.
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to
developments in Masaccio’s
painting style, eg:
Madonna and Child Enthroned,
1422, is part of a triptych and shows
traditional aspects of a religious
scene such as the marble inlaid
throne, a formal Madonna and the
gold background. However, as
Frederick Hartt points out, the 20
year old Masaccio was already going
beyond these gothic elements and
tradition as seen in the hands, limbs
and folds of the angels tunics, which
may have been influenced by
Donatello’s St George and the
Dragon carved five years before.
In Madonna and Child Enthroned,
1427, Masaccio uses light to model
form, creating shadow and solid
figures who sit comfortably on a
throne that recedes. The sense of
naturalistic space is emphasised by
the angels who look out from behind
the throne, the foreshortened angels
playing lutes in the foreground and
Jesus’ foreshortened halo.
Influence of Giotto’s naturalism.
Influence of antiquity – the Pisa
throne is Roman-inspired.
In Madonna and Child Enthroned,
1427, an altarpiece from Santa Maria
del Carmine in Pisa, Masaccio’s
pursuit of naturalism is clearer. This
is achieved through the creation of
realistic space, as influenced by the
Florentine architect Brunelleschi. In
his figures, it is evident too that
Masaccio has been influenced by
Donatello’s sculpture, particularly
seen in the folds of the drapery and
poses of the figures. Gentile Da
Fabriano’s interest in light has also
influenced Masaccio, particularly in
the way he uses light to model form
and define the features of his figures.
Response to patrons who desired
naturalistic works that reflected the
developing interest in humanism.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 4 of 14
Question Three: Italian Renaissance Sculpture
Achievement
The candidate has discussed the
differences in the treatment of
figures and composition in:
Ghiberti, The Baptism of Christ,
1423–27
•
Ghiberti’s composition has Christ
at the centre flanked by angels
on one side and John the Baptist
on the other. John is shown in
the act of baptising Jesus and
this gesture works with the
angels above to form an
enclosed space.
•
The figures stand in
contrapposto with flowing
drapery, graceful, elongated, and
seem to engage with each other.
Sense of anatomy in Christ not
seen in other figures.
Donatello, The Head of John (The
Feast of Herod), 1423–17
•
•
•
Donatello’s composition is
divided down the centre, leaving
the centre bare, with John’s head
being presented to Herod on one
side, and, on the other side,
figures look on in horror. Other
figures are seen in the two
rooms receding into the
background.
Donatello uses single-point
perspective.
The figures express a variety of
emotions in their expressions
and gestures, from dismay to
horror and disbelief, particularly
seen in the figure covering his
eyes. More rounded.
The candidate has distinguished
between the styles of the two
plates, eg:
Donatello has used architecture to
create a more complex space and
show different incidents in the story
but Ghiberti’s composition is much
more simple and unified.
•
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two relief sculptures,
eg:
The differences between the two
relief sculptures can be explained by
the narrative each artist portrays
about the life of John the Baptist.
Ghiberti’s sculpture treats the event
as a sacred event centred on the
baptism of Christ. Donatello’s more
dramatic narrative focuses on the
emotional event of the beheading of
John the Baptist.
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to each
sculptor’s treatment of the
narrative, eg:
Both relief sculptures were
completed for the baptismal font of
San Giovanni in Siena. Because of
competition between Siena and
Florence and between the artists,
both Ghiberti and Donatello explored
new ways of portraying the narrative.
Ghiberti may have been influenced
by Donatello’s schiacciato carving as
seen in his St George relief, for
although Christ is carved in high
relief; the angels dissolve into the sky
above Christ. The contrapposto
poses and the flowing drapery show
classical influences that unify the
circular composition.
Donatello has used layers of
architecture to separate different
incidents in the story about the
beheading of John the Baptist,
however Ghiberti has isolated his
figures in a more iconic fashion.
Ghiberti’s writings revealed a desire
to be true to Christian beliefs, hence
the focus on the central event,
relevant to its positioning on the
baptismal font.
Donatello explores single-point
perspective in his relief, influenced
by Brunelleschi and later codified by
Alberti, to portray aspects of the
narrative in separate scenes, framed
by architecture in the foreground,
mid-ground and background.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 5 of 14
Question Four: High Renaissance and the Development of Mannerism
Achievement
The candidate has discussed the
different stylistic characteristics
in:
Raphael, La Bella Giardiniera
•
The Madonna is seated in the
immediate foreground, holding
Jesus with St John the Baptist
kneeling at her side so that the 3
figures create a pyramidal form,
isolated from the surrounding
landscape.
•
Soft tonal shading and
chiaroscuro mould the figures
and soften outlines so that the
forms melt into surroundings.
•
Space recedes to a deep distant,
curved horizon, emphasised by
aerial perspective and shrouded
in atmospheric perspective.
Carefully observed plants and
sky, etc create a naturalistic
effect.
Raphael, Sistine Madonna
•
•
A full-length standing Madonna,
holding the baby Jesus confronts
the viewer from a central position
in the upper zone of the painting.
These figures are framed by
symmetrical green drapes and
set against a background of
softly painted, barely discernible
cloud-like faces.
•
There is a contrast between the
strongly coloured forms and the
soft, intangible background.
Shading and chiaroscuro give
the figures volume.
The candidate has distinguished
between the styles of the selected
art works, eg:
La Bella Giardiniera has been
painted with a naturalistic style and is
positioned in a recognisable setting
while the Sistine Madonna is more
formal and the lack of naturalistic
setting and the baby’s enigmatic face
give it a more spiritual air.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
La Bella Giardiniera is one of the
pastoral Madonnas, which Raphael
painted when he lived in Florence
and was influenced by Leonardo’s
use of sfumato and psychological
realism.
The Sistine Madonna was painted
after he moved to Rome and came
under the patronage of the Pope who
demanded a more formal style. This
was appropriate as the painting was
intended to decorate Julius II’s tomb.
Michelangelo’s influence is evident in
treatment of form – Raphael would
have seen his Sistine chapel ceiling.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to the
impact of different influences on
Raphael’s style of painting, eg:
Raphael’s career can be broken into
different periods, each of which
reflects the influence of other
painters, starting with his early
Crucifixion, which clearly reflects the
influence of his master, Perugino,
with its contrived poses and floating
ribbons.
After he moved to Florence, he
encountered the work of many
popular artists including Leonardo da
Vinci who had already established a
reputation for his inventive use of
chiaroscuro and atmospheric
perspective, as well as his careful
observation of nature. Raphael
immediately absorbed Leonardo
innovations in works like his portrait
of Maddalena Doni, which reflects
the overall composition and figurative
pose of the Mona Lisa, while
retaining the traditional conventions
of high society portraiture in its
blatant display of fabric and
jewellery. Raphael adopted
Leonardo’s pyramidal figurative
composition and atmospheric
sfumato in his Florentine Madonnas,
like La Bella Giardiniera.
The popularity of these Madonnas
established Raphael’s reputation and
led to his move to Rome where he
encountered the new, dramatic style
of Michelangelo’s Vatican frescoes.
Michelangelo’s overwrought drama is
immediately apparent in Raphael’s
frescoes in the Stanza d’Eliodoro
while Michelangelo’s sculptural
treatment of form can be seen as an
influence in Raphael’s monumental
Roman Madonnas like the Sistine
Madonna.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 6 of 14
Question Five: Venetian Painting
Achievement
The candidate has compared and
contrasted the treatment of
composition and space in:
Giovanni Bellini, The Crucifixion
•
This is a symmetrical balanced
composition centred on the
figure of Jesus who is shown on
a large Cross, which divides the
painting into two halves.
The cross is in the immediate
foreground and a landscape
draws your eye behind the cross
into the distance where the
horizon is marked by some aerial
perspective and clouds.
Tintoretto, Crucifixion
•
•
Also set against a distant
receding landscape, but this
space is less detailed and more
atmospheric.
•
Tintoretto’s Crucifixion is in the
middle distance behind a mass
of figures lying on the ground.
This Crucifixion also divides the
composition into two symmetrical
parts.
The candidate distinguishes
between the styles of the two
paintings, eg:
Although both painters have used the
cross to divide their paintings into
two parts, Tintoretto’s painting is
much more busy and atmospheric
with clouds filling the sky and people
around the lower part of the cross.
Bellini’s is much more simple with the
cross being surrounded by still space
and clear light defining forms.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
There had been many developments
in Venetian art in the sixty years that
separate these two paintings.
Bellini’s painting has the clear,
golden light, which was typical of
fifteenth-century Venetian art while
Tintoretto’s characteristic use of light
and dark reflects the influences of
sixteenth-century mannerism.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to
changes in narrative painting in
Venetian art, eg:
Fifteenth-century Venetian painting
reflected the influences of Northern
European painting as well as other
Italian regions. Bellini’s Crucifixion
has the still, detailed quality found in
Northern religious paintings such as
those of Van Eyck or Van der
Weyden. Although this painting is
accurate in its depiction of the
Crucifixion, it is more of an iconic,
devotional work than a narrative
painting. Jesus is isolated in the
centre of the painting and the
inclusion of symbolic skulls at the
foot of the cross emphasises the
symbolic nature of this image. Similar
effects are apparent in Bellini’s St
Francis in the Desert, which provides
a graphic image of the saint’s
stigmatization which is also more
iconic than narrative.
Tintoretto’s more dramatic and
emotive depiction of the Crucifixion
has clearly been influenced by the
narratives of his predecessor, Titian,
who had painted dramatic narratives
such as the Flaying of Marsyas, in
which a large number of characters
convey the narrative with gestures
and expression. “Tintoretto shared
Titians’ enthusiasm for complex
human drama and used painting to
convey strong emotions.” (Paoletti
and Radke, Art in Renaissance Italy,
p 486) These characteristics are all
part of Tintoretto’s commissions for
the Scuole Grande such as the
Miracle of St Mark and The
Crucifixion.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 7 of 14
Question Six: Northern Renaissance Art
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
The candidate has compared and
contrasted the treatment of the
figure and setting in:
Jan Van Eyck, Timotheos
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two portraits, eg:
This is a small painting which
shows the figure of Timotheus in
three-quarter profile, set behind
a stone parapet, against a dark
background.
Dürer, Oswolt Krel
There had been many changes in
Northern art in the 60 years, which
separate these two paintings. Van
Eyck’s earlier portrait retains many of
the conventions of earlier Gothic art,
particularly in its use of the parapet
and dark background.
•
The subject has been depicted in
half-length, set slightly to the
side of the painting against a
plain red backdrop. A naturalistic
landscape is depicted in the
background of the left hand side
of the painting.
The candidate has distinguished
between the styles of the two
paintings, eg:
The dark background in Timotheus
gives the painting a severe
atmosphere and forces the viewer to
concentrate on the features of the
subject. The painting of Oswolt Krel
is more diverse, with the landscape
background and detailed dress
attracting the viewer’s attention.
•
Dürer’s later painting reflects some of
the Italian influences he had
absorbed during his first journey to
Italy, particularly the background to
this portrait with its contrasting red
background and naturalistic
landscape.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to the
characteristics of Northern
Renaissance portraiture, eg:
Although the earlier portrait retains a
strong Netherlandish character, while
the later portrait is more international
in its treatment of paint, composition
and use of colour, both paintings
demonstrate the importance of this
genre in Northern art.
A feature of Northern Renaissance
portraiture was the characterisation
of the subject. This characteristic is
visible in both of these paintings in
spite of the different artists and
periods they represent. The fixed
gaze of Timotheus, his ascetic
features and sober features produce
a strong sense of a hard-working
artisan while Oswolt Krel’s crimped
hair, expensive furs and furtive look
are equally convincing.
Van Eyck’s setting – a chipped stone
parapet chiselled like the memorials
of Romans – links to classical
antiquity.
Dürer’s depiction of the young
aristocrat, Krel, is a little unsettling
because Durer has used Krel’s gaze
and the bright red colour to introduce
tension and suggest some underlying
psychological issue in his subject.
This demonstrates a shift in Northern
portraiture, away from the “veritable
resemblance [which was} an
essential criterion of portrait-painting
in the late Middle Ages and
Renaissance” towards “philosophical
and scientific interest in
psychological questions … especially
in Italy, during the second half of the
quattrocento.” ((Norbert Schneider,
The Portrait, pp 15, 19)
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 8 of 14
Question Seven: Cubism and Abstraction
Achievement
The candidate has discussed the
use of composition and colour in:
Boccioni, Street Noises Invade
the House, 1911
•
The composition has figures
placed all round the picture
plane with one dominant figure,
with his / her back to the viewer
in the foreground.
•
This figure is positioned at the
meeting of diagonals.
•
Houses are positioned round a
plaza, leaning inwards to give a
crowded effect.
•
The colour palette is mainly
primary with blue used to unite
the foreground, mid-ground and
background.
• Colour is descriptive of objects.
Mondrian, Broadway Boogie
Woogie, 1942–43
•
The composition is grid-like with
rectangles placed in a random
but balanced way throughout
the composition.
The colours are bold, flat and
limited to a palette of primary
colours on a white ground.
The candidate has distinguished
between the styles of the two
plates, eg:
Although both paintings are
abstracted, Boccioni retains details
taken from reality, such as buildings
and figures. Mondrian has reduced
the elements of his painting to a
flattened grid made up of vertical
and horizontal lines.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
Boccioni aimed to create dynamic
movement and he did this through
composition and use of vibrant
colour. Together these create a
busy city street scene with an
exciting atmosphere which the
viewer feels part of.
Mondrian’s New York streets are
treated in a geometric and abstract
way in order to create the idea of
patterns and rhythm from a bird’s
eye view.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to each
artist’s response to modern city life,
eg:
Boccioni was a leading artist in the
Italian Futurist movement. Street
Noises Invade the House, shows the
Futurists’ interest in all things new:
dynamism, speed, technology and city
life. In this work there is a sense of
noise and movement created by the
crowded composition and the action of
the figures in the street. Boccioni
wanted to have the viewer put himself
in the place of the main figure: ‘living in
the centre of the picture’. The
imploding composition echoes the
Futurist desire to destroy old
institutions as recommended in
Marinetti’s manifesto.
Mondrian moved first to London in
1938, then to New York in 1940 where
he felt safe from the threat of war. His
love of dance and jazz in New York is
seen in the rhythm created through the
bold colours, interrupted lines and
patterns in Broadway Boogie Woogie.
“Escaping in 1940 from a Europe at
war, Mondrian spends the last four
years of his life in New York City,
where he is fascinated by the
exuberance of its city life. His paintings
of that time express that exuberance.
In his final painting, Broadway Boogie
Woogie (1942–1943), below, the
checkerboard lines, previously black,
are now painted blue, gray, red and
yellow. (The yellow was apparently
inspired by New York’s Yellow cabs).”
(Colour Vision and Art website)
Broadway Boogie Woogie is inspired
by reality – links to his earlier use of
real motifs, eg Tree series.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 9 of 14
Question Eight: Fauvism and Expressionism
Achievement
The candidate has discussed the
the treatment of the figures in:
Nolde, The Dance Round the
Golden Calf
•
The painting is dominated by
three swirling, crudely painted
figures near the foreground.
•
Four brightly painted, heavily
textured figures are dancing in a
circle with their hair waving
wildly and their arms and legs
all over the place.
•
The figures don’t have many
clothes and you can see that
two of them are female because
they have breasts.
•
Other bright and indistinct
figures in the background may
be people watching the dance.
The figure of a golden calf is at
the top middle of the painting.
Kirchner, Striding into the Sea
•
•
Three human figures can be
seen, two are standing and
stepping into the waves and the
other is lying on its front.
•
The figures are simplified and
not very detailed but you can
see one is a man very clearly.
•
Line is used to draw figures and
there is some shading and
hatching to give form.
•
A lighthouse can be seen in the
middle at the top on what looks
like a cliff with grass on top.
The figures are in-step and have
a rhythm that takes your eye to
the left side of the picture.
And the candidate has
distinguished between the two art
works, eg:
Nolde has used a much brighter
palette, which has high-key
contrasting colours while Kirchner’s
range of colours is more limited, less
bright and more restrained.
Nolde’s figures are executed in
broad sweeps of paint compared to
the more stylised, linear figures of
Kirchner.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
The colours are brighter in Nolde’s
painting because he was interested
in the colourful art produced by
foreign cultures and he is trying to
create an exotic world of pagan
tribal dances and tropical colours.
The lighthouse in Kirchner’s painting
makes the scene look more
European and this explains why he
has used duller colours because
summer in Europe is not as hot as in
Africa or the tropics and there aren’t
the same bright colours.
The influence of the primitive is seen
in the style / depiction of figures like
angular woodblock prints recalling
African masks.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to
primitive influences in German
Expressionist Art, eg:
The popularity of nudity and subjects
derived from the natural world in
German expressionism reflected both
their desire to challenge traditional
social mores and the strong influence
of so-called primitive cultures and
social practices, which were becoming
known to Europeans.
As Kirchner’s Die Brücke Manifesto
stated, “as youth we carry the future
and we want to create for ourselves
freedom of life and movement against
the long-entrenched forces of
seniority.” Kirchner’s depiction of a
nude couple striding into the sea is an
expression of the new philosophical
belief in living in harmony with nature –
creating a Utopia – which inspired
many German expressionists,
including Paula Modersohn-Becker
and Schmidt-Rottluff. The crude,
primitive nature of these nudes was
part of their challenge to German
traditions. The angularity of the figures
recalls Picasso’s Demoiselles.
Nolde’s devout Christianity set him
apart from many other expressionists,
however he was also interested in
non-western or primitive cultures. His
Dance round the Golden Calf is one of
a series of Christian works painted at a
time when he was intensely interested
in primitive, non-western cultures.
These paintings, like The Last Supper,
are full of images gathered from his
studies of primitive art in German
museums, while preparing a book on
Artistic Expression among Primitive
Tribes.
The Golden Calf was a story deriving
from Exodus, where the Hebrews set
up a false idol (the calf) while Moses
was communing with God on the
mountain. It serves as a warning about
false illusions.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 10 of 14
Question Nine: Dada and Surrealism
Achievement
The candidate has compared and
contrasted the treatment of the
subject matter in:
Hoch, My Domestic Mottoes
•
A collection of papers have
been stuck onto a rectangular
piece of cardboard so that it
looks like a noticeboard.
•
All the pieces have been cut out
carefully and most are square or
rectangular.
•
The pieces are layered on top of
one another in perpendicular or
horizontal lines.
•
Handwritten words have been
scrawled across the top of some
of the bits and pieces.
•
The layering of photographs,
notepaper, a postcard, letters
and diagrams create shallow
space.
Apart from the blue rectangle,
the overall colours are in a
limited palette of beige and
grey.
Ernst, the chinese nightingale
•
•
This is a photomontage, which
has been rephotographed so it
has even tones and a smooth
surface.
•
The pieces have been carefully
cut out and assembled so that
the central image looks like an
anthropomorphic figure.
•
The central object has volume
because of its layering and the
shading of some parts like the
arms.
The grass in the background
photograph creates a setting.
The candidate has distinguished
between the two art works, eg:
Both works use collage techniques
and both works have been carefully
organised however, while Hoch’s
work remains a collection of
seemingly random objects or
souvenirs, Ernst has planned his
work and assembled his cut out
pieces to create a centralised
subject.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two art works, eg:
The differences between the two
works may be explained by the
different ideas of the artists at this
time. Hoch was interested in female
roles and experiences and her
collection of objects can be related
to these ideas. Her work serves as
an ironic self-portrait – her image is
within the work, partly concealed –
as well as a Dadaist analysis.
Ernst’s photomontage with its
central image of a bomb can be
related to his nightmarish
experiences in World War 1.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to the
role of subject matter in Dada art,
eg:
It may be argued that subject matter
was unimportant in Dada art because
Dada artists deliberately painted
nonsense subjects in order to
challenge tradition and to draw
attention to the absurdities of both life
and art.
However, an examination of Dada
images and techniques, especially in
the 1920s suggests that many Dada
artists had a systematic approach to
their art and aimed to create art works
which drew attention to the breakdown
of society. Hoch’s over-written
comments are quotes from Dadaist
authors, eg ‘Only an undecided
mixture is dangerous’ (Raoul
Haussmann).
Robert Hughes describes Dadaists as
searching for a kind of visual narrative
that could give art urgency and says
that some believed it was photo
montage, a kind of collage “directly cut
from the reckless everyday psyche of
the press, stuck next to and on top of
one another in ways that resembled
the laps and dissolves of film editing,
these images could combine the grip
of a dream with the documentary truth
of photography” (Robert Hughes, The
Shock of the New, p 71).
The use of photographs and collage
techniques is characteristic of many
Dada artists including Schwitters,
Hoch, Grosz and Heartfield. Ernst’s
photomontages were closely linked to
the works of Man Ray. Hoch’s
Domestic Mottoes brings together a
wide range of experiences and
information on what appears to be a
domestic notice board.
Like many of his photomontages and
paintings, Ernst’s art work is more of a
nightmarish creation which reflects the
disordered realities of his wartime
experiences. He felt an ironic disgust
at books that appeared post-war that
praised advances in military
technology.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 11 of 14
Question Ten: Architecture: Modernism to Post-modernism
Achievement
The candidate has discussed the
modernist characteristics in:
Van der Rohe, Weissenhof Estate,
1927
•
This building takes the form of a
simple rectangular (cubist)
structure, which has no wings or
extensions to spoil the simple
lines of the building.
•
Typical plain cream walls with
smooth plaster surfaces are
broken up by strips of windows.
•
Flat roof with incorporated roof
gardens.
•
The end walls are quite brutalist
with their large smooth and flat
surface punctuated by a narrow
vertical strip of windows.
•
The geometric form of the
building echoes the steel
skeletal construction. Geometric
form is enhanced by the
horizontal fenestration.
Mass-produced components,
like steel window frames derived
from industrial architecture here
used in domestic.
Gropius, Graduate Centre
•
•
The building is made up of
rectangular blocks or cubes,
arranged at right angles.
•
A flat roof, simple forms,
geometric volumes are
enhanced by horizontal
windows.
•
Mass-produced components like
steel windows are derived from
industrial architecture.
•
Most of the surfaces are
finished in buff-coloured bricks,
broken up by strips of windows.
•
Pilotis (columns) are used to lift
one section off ground-level.
Geometric forms echoes steel
skeletal structure.
The candidate has distinguished
between the two buildings, eg:
The exterior of the Weissenhof
Estate is more uniform with similar
components and surfaces used
throughout, while there is slightly
more diversity in the Graduate
Centre with its two blocks set at right
angles to one another.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two buildings, eg:
Van der Rohe’s earlier building
embodies the austere simplicity of
early German modernism in its
uniform stacked cubes, white
facades, glass and metal fittings.
Simple materials and overall shapes
are also used in Gropius’ later work,
however the use of pilotis,
decorative panels on the lower level
and the use of two different blocks
incorporate international influences.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to the
development of modernism in
Europe and the United States, eg:
The period 1900–1920 was an
important one for the development of
art and architecture in Europe when a
succession of innovative, modernist
architects and designers experimented
with the possibilities of new
technologies and modern materials.
While German modernist movements
such as the Werkbund can be seen as
the pioneer of architectural
modernism, other groups and
designers such as De Stijl and Le
Corbusier were also important. Early
European modernism reached its
climax in the establishment of the
Bauhaus School of 1926, designed by
Gropius, a founding member of the
school.
The development of German
Modernism was halted by the Nazi
Government once it came to power in
Germany in 1933. Modernist designers
were forced to change their styles or
emigrate. Both van der Rohe and
Gropius emigrated to the United
States where they were both
employed by schools of architecture.
In these roles, the two architects were
very influential and the modernist style
soon replaced Art Deco in American
cities and houses. The Graduate
Centre was designed for Harvard
University. The severity of the early
modernist style has been enlivened
breaking up the building into two
opposed cubes and by the use of Le
Corbusier-influenced pilotis to lift one
block off the ground and create a
relationship with the surrounding
landscape.
The Graduate Centre set a precedent
for educational architecture which was
followed all over the world. Shortly
afterwards Van der Rohe designed a
functionalist skyscraper, the Seagram
building, which had a similar impact on
high-rise architecture. Before long the
world-wide influence of modernist
architecture was recognised in its new
title “International Architecture”.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 12 of 14
Question Eleven: Modern American Art
Achievement
The candidate has discussed the
use of colour and paint in:
Hopper, Rooms by the Sea
•
The painting is dominated by a
wall that is split diagonally by a
shaft of sunlight and painted in
tones of bluish white and grey.
•
Towards the right of the painting
the flat white / grey wall bisects
areas of flat yellow and blue.
•
•
On the left, a narrow rectangular
view of an inner room uses
contrasting red and green,
which are enhanced by
complementary green tones and
yellow.
The paint has been applied in
flat coarse brush strokes which
are visible in the painted
surface.
Paint and colour dominate
Hopper’s painting
Rothko, Untitled, 1954
•
•
A large rectangular canvas has
been separated into rectangular
zones of flat, stained paint.
•
The painting is dominated by
the large rectangle of orange in
the upper zone.
•
The red-framed blue rectangle
in the lower part of the painting
contrasts with the upper orange
zone and sets up a vibrancy.
•
Yellow and gold strips of colour
frame the large zones.
•
The thin layers of paint reveal
the underlying layers in diffuse,
blended tones.
Feathered edges have been
created by the bleeding of the
poured and sponged paint.
The candidate has distinguished
between the styles of the two
paintings, eg:
Rothko has used his colours to
describe different natural lighting
effects in his painting while the
luminosity in Rothko’s colours is not
related to an actual light source.
•
Achievement with Merit
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained
the reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
Hopper is a realist painter and his
painting provides a realistic
observation of contrasting light in
interior and exterior scenes.
Rothko is famous as an abstract
painter who concentrated on the
effects of colour and paint rather
than on the observation of real
life.
Both emphasise different moods /
emotions relating to colour.
Achievement with Excellence
As for Achievement with Merit, plus:
The candidate has referred to the
different aims of each artist, eg:
There are many similarities between
these two works and it is apparent that
both artists are working within a
modernist context in terms of painted
surfaces and planes of paint and colour.
Hopper is famous as an American
Realist, who aimed to capture the
realities of new modern America – roads,
high rise buildings and cities. He also
aimed to confront Americans with the
contrasting realities of this new world –
the loneliness, isolation and emptiness
which lay beneath the fast-moving busy
new world. Nevertheless, a modernist
interest in painterly effects – light, colour,
surface planes – can be seen throughout
his career in works like Compartment C
Car, 1938, where the large flat areas of
colour and shafts of strong light are used
to isolate human figures. The isolated
human figure characterises Hopper’s
work and this work is unusual because it
does not include people, however the
small peep into the room with the sofa
and other furnishings do suggest a
human presence. It becomes more
haunting because of the absence of
figures.
Rothko is regarding as a leading figure in
the American Abstract Expressionist
movement, which was a major player in
the modernist exploration of the
possibilities of paint and surface.
After an early exploration of
Expressionism and Surrealism, by 1949
Rothko had settled on “his formula,
which he repeated with variations until
his suicide in 1970, which was a series
of coloured rectangles” (Robert Hughes,
Shock of the New, p 320). By eliminating
nearly everything from his work he aimed
to create intense experiences of colour
and light, which could have mystical and
spiritual effects. Repetition was part of
this formula, linked to meditative
mandalas. This process culminated in
the large subject less, formless canvases
of the Rothko Chapel. The viewer who
looks into these works is confronted by
Rothko’s ultimate aim – the presentation
of the great existentialist void.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 13 of 14
Question Twelve: New Zealand Art
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
The candidate has compared and
contrasted the stylistic
characteristics of:
Colin McCahon, This is the
Promised Land
As for Achievement, plus:
The candidate has explained the
reasons for the differences
between the two paintings, eg:
McCahon has included a variety of
objects, scenes and figures in The
Promised Land to place the
Christian story in a contemporary
New Zealand context. He
emphasises this further by including
the figure in a typical New Zealand
black singlet.
As for Achievement with Merit,
plus:
The candidate has referred to each
artist’s approach to landscape, eg:
Both art works feature familiar
landscapes. In The Promised Land,
McCahon has painted Farewell Spit
and the Nelson region, which he knew
well from the time spent living and
working there in the late 1940s. For
Harris, Banks Peninsula or Otago
Peninsula are probably the places
which often feature in his work.
Each artist has given a spiritual quality
to their work in different ways.
McCahon has used Christian
symbolism in the jug and candle, with
a Biblical reference in the text and title
of the painting. He was influenced by
Giotto and Renaissance artists, seen
in the way he has painted a religious
scene in a local landscape, with the
angel-like figure looking from above,
similar to other works painted by
McCahon at this time such as The
Angel of the Annunciation.
•
The composition is an all over
composition featuring figures,
rolling hills, a distant view and a
simple building with a white jug
and candle in the centre.
The forms are rounded and
tonally modelled, especially
seen in the way light falls on the
hills.
Jeffrey Harris, Figures in
Landscape
•
•
The composition has more
figures randomly placed all
around the picture plane, some
standing on the ground with
others floating above it.
The forms are more geometric
and flattened creating clearly
defined objects but still giving
the impression of depth.
The candidate has distinguished
between the styles of the two
plates, eg:
Both painters have used a horizontal
landscape format with a horizon
positioned two thirds of the way up
the painting. McCahon uses two
human faces to frame his painting
and direct the viewer’s eye to the
secondary landscape at the bottom
of the painting. Harris has many
more figures in his painting and they
are positioned all over it, even
floating in the sky.
•
Harris has included many people,
showing different stages in life from
newborn to old. He has emphasised
these differences by the variety of
poses and placement in the
composition, some are a part of life
on earth, others rise above it.
Harris has created a mysterious
atmosphere by depicting a variety of
figures doing ordinary things, such as
swimming, and extraordinary things,
such as floating above the landscape.
In this series of small paintings, Harris
was influenced by the little known
Sienese Renaissance painter,
Sassetta, in his creation of paintings
that mixed the natural and
supernatural in their iconography.
Harris executed this work at a similar
time to a number of works with
religious symbolism – his Crucifixions
were motivated by the idea of suffering
rather than for religious reasons.
NCEA Level 3 Art History (90490) 2011 — page 14 of 14
Judgement Statement
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with Excellence
2A
OR
1E
2M
OR
1E+1A
1E +1M