Intro To Humanities: Exam 2 Review Part 2

The Broadway musical Hamilton: An American Musical (2015) was written and composed by _____________________. He also played the part of Alexander Hamilton in the first months of the musical's performance.

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• Jacques Louis David

• Olaudah Equiano

• Lin-Manuel Miranda

Which of the following statement about Alexander Hamilton is NOT true? 

• He was president of the United States.

• He is on the $10 bill.

• He worked as an aid to George Washington.

• He died in a duel with Aaron Burr.

• He was the first Secretary of the Treasury.

Which of the following statement about Alexander Hamilton is NOT true? 

• He was born in the Caribbean.

• His father was from Scotland.

• He was an immigrant.

• He was born out of wedlock.

• He was a member of the ancien régime.

Hamilton: An American Musical (2015) is a pastiche (or a collage of art forms from a variety of time periods and genres) that blends 18th century culture, Broadway musical theatre, and this contemporary genre of dance and music:

Hamilton "both depicts and embodies the dynamism and synthesis at the heartof America’s founding. It does so primarily through an artistic medium, hip-hop, in which synthesis is anessential creative device. Hip-hop artists sample musical refrains, lyrics, and dialogue in their work, engagingin an ongoing discourse with musicians of the past while creating something new in the process."  Why Hamilton Matters by Tara Helfman, February 2016Links to an external site.

• heavy metal

• hip-hop

• anime

• hiplet

• opera

Hamilton: An American Musical (2015) set a Broadway box office record for the most money grossed in a single week in New York City in 2016. That same year, the show broke another record when it was nominated for 16 ________________________. It won 11 of those awards, including Best Musical. 

• Academy Awards

• MTV Video Music Awards

• Golden Raspberry Awards

• Grammy Awards

• Tony Awards

The casting in the Broadway musical, Hamilton was ________________________, meaning that performers were selected in part based on the color of their skin. 

"The casting of Hamilton speaks to this dynamism. The 'dead white men' of the founding generation are portrayed as complex, imperfect individuals by a largely non-white cast. Color-blind casting this is not. Race is conspicuous and salient, serving to underscore the paradoxes of a nation founded on ideals of liberty and equality but in which both were denied to vast segments of the population. But at the same time, the casting highlights the durability of those founding ideals."  Why Hamilton Matters by Tara Helfman, February 2016

• color-blind

• heliocentric

• color-conspicuous

• social contract

• natural state

The images above (top right and bottom right) were painted by the artist Kehinde Wiley in the early 2000s. They are from are from a series of paintings inspired by the history of __________ portraiture, a sub-genre of portraiture that features a figure on a horse. This sub-genre is particularly infused with the lineage of male power. From classical Rome to post-revolutionary France, political and military leaders on horseback have evoked and perpetuated social norms of masculine might and control (for example, this equestrian portrait of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius).

In these paintings, Wiley replaced traditional white subjects depicted in large-format paintings with young African American men in street clothes. Wiley was born in Los Angeles in 1977. He attracted attention from both the media and the art world almost immediately after earning his Masters of Fine Arts from Yale University in 2001. Wiley is currently based in New York City and is best known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African Americans. 

Similar to Hamilton: An American Musical (2015), Kehinde Wiley's work is a form of pastiche (or a collage of art forms from a variety of time periods and genres) that blends 18th century portraiture traditions with with 21st century subject matter.

• grisaille

• impasto

• vanitas

• afro art

• equestrian

LEFT: Kehinde Wiley, Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps, 2005

RIGHT: Jaques Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801-1805)

Kehinde Wiley was born in Los Angeles in 1977. He attracted attention from both the media and the art world almost immediately after earning his Masters of Fine Arts from Yale University in 2001. Wiley is currently based in New York City and is best known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African Americans. .....

Through his demonstration of extraordinary painting skill and his use of famous portraits, Wiley could be seen as wryly placing himself in line with the history of great master painters. Here, for example, he has signed and dated the painting just as David did, painting his name and the date in Roman numerals onto the band around the horse’s chest. Wiley makes another reference to lineage in the foreground where he retains the original painting’s rocky surface and the carved names of illustrious leaders who led troops over the Alps: NAPOLEON, HANNIBAL, and KAROLUS MAGNUS (Charlemagne). But Wiley also includes the name WILLIAMS—another insistence on including ordinary people of color who are often left out of systems of representation and glorification. Not only is Williams a common African-American surname, it hints at the imposition of Anglo names on black people who were brought by force from Africa and stripped of their own histories." Khan Academy

Which of the following statements about the painting above is NOT TRUE:

• The background is also infused with tiny paintings of sperm—Wiley’s way of poking fun at the highly charged masculinity and propagation of gendered identity that are involved in the Western tradition of portraiture.

• Kehinde Wiley painted the background of this image to match the naturalistic setting of Jacques Louis David's painting.

• This painting is a clear spin-off of Jacques-Louis David’s painting of 1800-01, which commemorates Napoleon’s victorious military campaign against the Austrians.

• Wiley includes the name WILLIAMS to the other names listed on the rock to represent the people of color who are often left out of systems of representation and glorification.

• Kehinde Wiley has signed and dated the painting just as Jacques Louis David did, painting his name and the date in Roman numerals onto the band around the horse’s chest.

The images above are from a series of portraits by the artist Kehinde Wiley called Economy of Grace. Wiley was born in Los Angeles in 1977. He attracted attention from both the media and the art world almost immediately after earning his Masters of Fine Arts from Yale University in 2001. Wiley is currently based in New York City and is best known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African Americans.

"This group of paintings represents a significant departure from Wiley’s previous subject matter by depicting African-American women, his first-ever series dedicated to female subjects. The models for the paintings were cast on the streets of New York City. Chosen by Wiley at the Louvre, Their poses are based on historical portraits of society women by Jacques-Louis David, Thomas Gainsborough and John Singer Sargent, among others. For the first time, custom-made couture gowns were created specifically for each of the models by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy. The resulting paintings to be shown in An Economy of Grace are a celebration of black women, creating a rightful place for them within art history, which has to date been an almost exclusively white domain." Kehinde Wiley - Economy of GraceLinks to an external site.

Which of the following statements about the paintings above is NOT TRUE:

• The models for the paintings were cast on the streets of New York City.

• The painted are intended to be a celebration of black women, creating a rightful place for them within art history, which has to date been an almost exclusively white domain.

• This was Kehinde Wiley's first-ever series dedicated exclusively to male subjects.

• Custom-made couture gowns were created specifically for each of the models by the high-end design house, Givenchy.

• Their poses are based on historical portraits of society women at The Louvre painted by artists such as Jacques-Louis David.

The image on the left is The Two Sisters, and was painted by Kehinde Wiley in 2012 as part of his Economy of Grace series. The exhibition represented a significant departure from Wiley’s previous subject matter by depicting African-American women, his first-ever series dedicated to female subjects. The models for the paintings were cast on the streets of New York City. Their poses are based on historical portraits of society women by Jacques-Louis David, Thomas Gainsborough and John Singer Sargent, among others.

The image on the right is part of he AfroArt series created by the Atlanta-based Creative Soul PhotographyLinks to an external site. studio of a married couple named Regis and Kahran Bethencourt. The photographers draw inspiration from classic portraiture as well as more contemporary art movements, such as the Harlem Renaissance of the early 20th century. According to their website, "The series is a recognition and celebration of the versatility of black hair and its innate beauty. The purpose of this series is to illustrate the story of our royal past, celebrate the glory of the here and now, and even dare to forecast the future. With this series, we aim to empower children of color to embrace their natural curls and the skin that they’re in."

Afro Art is a celebration of the beauty of black girls and the afro, which is worn as a symbol of pride. The politics of black hair is deeply rooted in history. In the 1960s, the afro hair style emerged during the civil rights movement as a symbol of rebellion, pride, and empowerment. Afro Art continues to influence culture in the 21st century.

Although both images depict female subjects, one was created from the perspective of a male artist and the other was created from the perspective of a woman and a man (a married couple). All of the artists are African American. These images raise interesting questions related to the male gaze, the female gaze, and the white gaze.

Which one of the following statements about the portraits above is TRUE:

• Both images were created by female artists.

• Both images depict natural hair styles.

• Both images draw inspiration from classical portraiture.

• Both images depict international-known political figures.

• Both images were created in New York City.