Unit 3- Early Europe and Colonial Americas

Sandro Botticelli’s painting Birth of Venus and Albrecht Dürer’s engraving Adam and Eve are similar in that both artists

• combined deep space with dramatic light to create emotional scenes

• relied on classical models to represent the concept of ideal beauty

• set their figures in exotic landscapes that were intriguing to the viewers

• used decorative patterning and harmonious colors to create serene images

In Hunters in the Snow, Bruegel unifies the composition through

• visible, textured brushstrokes

• a symmetrical, balanced arrangement

• the repetition of a limited color palette

• the use of hierarchical scale in the figures

The Byzantine mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora from the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna differ from classical Roman mosaics in that they

• focus on realism, illustrating the concern of Byzantine art for making religious subject matter more relatable

• employ diagonal lines and stacked bodies, showing the focus of early Christian art on drama and emotional impact

• portray secular leaders, demonstrating the preference of Byzantine art for historic over religious subject matter

• favor stylized figures against a gold-leaf background, reflecting the emphasis of early Christian art on spirituality

The Catacomb of Priscilla was designed by its original founders to provide a

• burial place for members of the early Christian community

• refuge for early Christian families at times of religious persecution

• secret location to baptize early Christian converts

• place of worship for large congregations of early Christians

While different theories exist about why no Christian art older than the earliest paintings from catacombs seems to have survived, some scholars theorize that early Christians

• avoided making religious images to distinguish themselves from members of other religions

• had no time for image making since they were continually persecuted by Roman authorities

• created religious art that was almost undistinguishable from other religious art of the time

• only started making images once the literacy rate among the population began declining

The right side of the work shown, Cranach’s Allegory of Law and Grace, can be interpreted as being an illustration of Protestant Reformation theology, because

• the connection made between the nude man on the right side and the crucified Christ shows that salvation can only be granted through God’s grace and sacrifice

• the depiction of Moses with the Ten Commandments next to the nude man on the left side shows that all those who obey God’s law will enter Heaven

• it contrasts with the depiction of chaos the left, showing that the upholding the hierarchy and order of the church by the faithful is essential for salvation

• it depicts New Testament scenes that complement Old Testament scenes shown on the left, foreshadowing Christ’s death and resurrection

Works like Cranach’s Allegory of Law and Grace would have appealed to a wide audience because

• people believed that buying them would improve their chances of salvation

• people believed that they were holy objects that possessed healing properties

• prints on paper were a novelty and therefore considered to be status symbols

• woodcuts were inexpensive and could be reproduced in large quantities

The cross-carpet page of the Lindisfarne Gospels demonstrates both continuity and change through the use of

• indigenous styles to express new religious meaning

• religious imagery in a secular manuscript to appeal to a wider audience

• classical references to serve a propagandistic purpose

• cloisonné enamel in lavish manuscript production to increase its worth

A feature of Donatello’s David that reflects Italian Renaissance interest in reviving the classical Greco-Roman sculptural tradition is the figure’s

• imperial gesture

• contrapposto stance

• stylized form

• monumental size

Scholars think that early medieval fibulae, such as the Merovingian looped fibulae, served as

• magical objects meant to protect the wearer

• ancestral insignia worn to honor the dead

• religious objects used in funerary rituals

• status symbols owned to enhance prestige