Humanities – Visual Art – Guide for Midterm Exam Review
In preparing for the visual art section of the midterm exam, note that most of this section
will be devoted to a single question: I’ll be projecting two paintings side by side. One is
clearly from the Renaissance, and one is obviously Baroque. You’ll be asked to apply
three of the five contrasts that Wollflin proposed in distinguishing Renaissance from
Baroque. (Level 4 students may be given a bit more freedom in choosing which three of
the five contrasts to apply.) Therefore, reviewing the handout that describes those five
contrasts (linear/painterly; multiplicity/unity; closed form/open form; plane/recession;
clear/unclear) would be very wise. The first of the three new visual art powerpoints on
the Resource page includes several of the contrasts of the same story or subject presented
by both Renaissance and Baroque artists (e.g., Doubting Thomas by both Vasari
(Renaissance) and Caravaggio (Baroque): therefore, going through this powerpoint would
be especially helpful.
Expect just a couple of additional very short answer questions; these will relate
specifically to the Baroque period and style, and/or to closely-related Renaissance
concepts that we discussed in the context of how these concepts were further developed
in the Baroque era. A couple of possible topics for questions are: serpentina (a term that
applies to twisting figures: the liking for this began in the High Renaissance, especially in
Michelangelo’s work; Bernini’s sculptures are great examples, but Rubens’s paintings are
also full of “serpentine” figures who show extreme torsion) and allegory, which is wellexemplified by any of the paintings from Rubens’s Marie de Medici series. Closely
related to the idea of allegory are the examples of the personification of “Truth” that
recurs in works by both Botticelli (Calumny of Apelles), as well as by Bernini (the
sculpture and the sketch for “Truth Revealed by Time”) and Rubens (The Destiny of
Marie de Medici). The term “ekphrasis” relates to the Renaissance painting by Botticelli,
Calumny of Apelles, and I may ask a question relating to that term. Visual and written
material relating to these issues, ideas, and examples have been seen in class, and
are included within the three posted powerpoints (top of Resources page), so please
review both your notes and these powerpoints. Remember that I’ve included notes
in the notes panels of the powerpoints.
The big interdisciplinary essay/response to be prepared in advance will give you the
opportunity to bring in material and concepts from earlier in the year (e.g., from the
Medieval period), so I’m not asking any questions on the specifically Visual Art part of
the test that come from earlier in the year.
Feel free to come see me or to email me with any questions. Thank you!