2021 AP Exam Administration Student Samples: AP Art History Free-Response Question 2

2021

Art History

Sample Student Responses

and Scoring Commentary

Inside:

Free Response Question 2

• Scoring Guideline

• Student Samples

• Scoring Commentary

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AP® Art History 2021 Scoring Guidelines

Question 2: Long Essay: Visual/Contextual Analysis 6 points

General Scoring Notes

• Except where otherwise noted, each point of the rubric is earned independently. For instance, a student could earn one or two points for

eviden

ce (Row C) or earn the point for analysis and reasoning (Row D) without earning a point for claim or thesis (Row B).

• Accuracy: The components of this rubric each require that students demonstrate art hist

orically defensible content knowledge. Given the timed

nature of the exam, a response may contain errors that do not detract from its overall quality, provided the art historical content used to

advance the argument is accurate.

• Clarity: Exam essays should be considered first drafts and thus may contain grammatical errors. Those errors will not be counted against a

stud

ent unless they obscure the successful demonstration of art historical content knowledge and skills described in the rubric.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many European and American artists created paintings, drawings, and prints that were influenced by other

cul

tures.

Select and completely identify one painting, drawing, or print from Later Europe and Americas (1750–1980

C.E.) that was influenced by another culture.

Explain why the artist was influenced by the imagery, styles, or techniques from another culture in the painting, drawing, or print.

In your response, you should do the following:

• P

rovide two accurate identifiers for the work of art you have selected.

• Respond to the prompt with an art historically defensible claim or thesis that estab

lishes a line of reasoning.

• Support your claim with at least two examples of relevant visual and/or contextual evidence.

• Explain how the evidence supports the claim.

• Corroborate or qualify your claim by explaining relevant connections, providing nuance, or considering diverse views.

When identifying the work you select, you should try to include all of the following identifiers: title or designation, artist, c

ulture of origin, date of

creation, and materials. You will earn credit for the identification if you provide at least two accurate identifiers, but you will not be penalized if any

additional identifiers you provide are inaccurate. If you select a work from the list below, you must include at least two accurate identifiers beyond

those that are given.

Object 1: The Coiffure

Object 2:

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

ject 3: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

AP® Art History 2021 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Identification

(0–1 points)

0 points

Provides one or no accurate identifiers.

1 point

Provides two accurate identifiers for selected work of art.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Object 1:

The Coiffure

Examples that earn this point include the

following (two required):

• Artist: Mary Cassatt (American)

• Medium: Drypoint, aquatint (engraving,

etchin

g), print

• Date: 1890–1891

C.E. (second half or late

century, or any date within 50 years of

creation would also be acceptable)

• Culture: France, United States,

Impressionism

Object 2

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

Examples that earn this point include the

following (two required):

• Artist: Pablo Picasso (Spanish)

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Date: 1907

C.E. (1910s, early 20

century, or

any date within 25 years of creation would also

be acceptable)

• Culture: France, Spain, Cubism

Object 3:

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are

We Going?

Examples that earn this point include the following

(two re

quired):

• Artist: Paul Gauguin

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Date: 1897–1898

C.E. (1890s, second half or late

century, or any date within 50 years of

creation would also be acceptable.)

• Culture: France, Post-Impressionism

AP® Art History 2021 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Claim/Thesis

(0–1 points)

0 points

Rephrases or restates the prompt.

Makes a claim that is not defensible.

1 point

Provides an art historically defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of

reasoning.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

The response must make an art historically defensible claim or thesis that responds to the prompt rather than merely restating or rephrasing the prompt.

A claim or thesis must consist of one or more sentences located in one place that can be anywhere in the response.

A claim or thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning.

Object 1

The Coiffure

Examples that earn this point include the

following

• Cassatt was part of a generation of artists who

were appropriating the style of Japanese and

other non-Western art forms to break with

established European/academic traditions.

• Cassatt was influenced by Japanese art because

she was visiting World’s Fairs, salons of other

artists, artistic clubs, and private galleries.

• Cassatt was fascinated by the new visual

qualities that she saw in Japanese prints and

other Japanese artworks.

• Cassatt was inspired to create more prints

because print culture from Japan was highly

popular, and European artists were emulating

its wide dissemination.

• Cassatt’s interest in Japanese art was part of a

broader cultural context of European interest in

Japanese art/culture at the time.

• The style of Cassatt’s The Coiffure reflects her

interest in Japanese woodblock prints.

Object 2

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

Examples that earn this point include the

following:

• Picasso was part of a generation of artists that

was appropriating stylistic devices seen in

African or archaic/prehistoric art to break with

older European traditions.

• Picasso was influenced by African or

archaic/prehistoric art because he was visiting

World’s Fairs, ethnographic museums, etc.,

where this art was on display.

• Picasso’s interest in African or

archaic/prehistoric art was part of a broader

cultural context of European and French

colonialism.

• Picasso’s familiarity with African masks/Iberian

sculpture influenced his depictions of female

forms in Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon.

Object 3

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where

Are We Going?

Examples that earn this point include the

following:

• Gauguin was part of a generation of artists that

was appropriating stylistic devices seen in South

Pacific art to break with older European

traditions.

• Gauguin was influenced by art of the South

Pacific because he moved to Tahiti to escape

from European social/sexual conventions.

• Gauguin was fascinated by the new visual

qualities that he saw in Tahitian art (textiles,

sculptures, and architecture).

• Gauguin was reflecting on birth, life, and death

in his paintings because he was highly

interested in the spiritual life of Tahiti.

• Gauguin’s interest in art of the South Pacific was

part of a broader context of European interest

in/exoticizing of non-Western cultures as part of

colonialism.

AP® Art History 2021 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Evidence

(0–2 points)

0 points

Does not meet the criteria for one point.

1 point

Provides one specific example of visual OR

contextual evidence relevant to the selected work of

art and the topic of the prompt.

2 points

Provides two specific examples of visual and/or

contextual evidence relevant to the selected work

of art and the topic of the prompt.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

The evidence provided must be accurate, relevant, and art historically defensible.

Object 1

The Coiffure

Examples that earn a point include the following

Visual Evidence

• Flat areas/planes of color with little tonal

variation

• Decorative patterning

• Downcast gaze

• Clear distinction of forms using lines to define

their edges

• Shallow picture plane

• Use of the mirror as a formal device

• Depiction of an intimate scene centered

around a woman

• Specific poses of body, such as preparation of

hair

Contextual Evidence

• World’s Fairs, private salons, and art groups

were all highly popular during the late 19

century in the United States and Europe.

• The distribution of Japanese woodblock prints

(ukiyo-e) was widespread in the United States

and Europe during the late 19

century.

• Interest in Japanese culture as well as in

Japanese art, design, and material culture, a

phenomenon known as Japonisme, was

widespread in mid–late 19

-century Europe.

Object 2

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

Examples that earn a point include the following:

Visual Evidence

• The faces of the female figures have a flatness

and are fractured.

• The stances of the woman on the left and others

are highly stylized.

• There are marks on some of the faces that may

reflect scarification or embellishments on

sculptures/masquerades.

• Dark outlines form the edges of and divide the

figures internally.

• The direct visual address of the women appears

confrontational.

Contextual Evidence

• While creating Les Demoiselles Picasso likely

visited the Trocadéro ethnographic museum and

was collecting non-Western art.

• Picasso was influenced by numerous visual

traditions during the period when he created

this work, including African art and ancient

Iberian art, both of which were available to him

in Paris.

• The women represent sex workers, specifically

prostitutes from a street in Barcelona known for

its population of sex workers.

Object 3

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where

Are We Go

ing?

Examples that earn a point include the following:

Visual Evidence

• Depiction of Tahitian women as his subjects.

• Depiction of tropical landscape with volcano,

ocean, animals, and lush vegetation.

• Bright color palette, particularly

complementary colors of yellow/purple,

blue/orange.

• The composition reads from right to left like an

ancient scroll, fresco, or icon.

Contextual Evidence

• Gauguin was living in Tahiti, then a French

colony, when he painted this work.

• The 1889 Exhibition Universelle in Paris

featured a Tahiti exhibit.

• European traders and missionaries had been

present in Tahiti since the 18

century.

AP® Art History 2021 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Analysis and

Reasoning

(0–1 points)

0 points

Does not meet the criteria for one point.

1 point

Explains how the visual and/or contextual evidence provided supports the argument.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

The response must explain the relationship between the evidence provided and an argument about the prompt.

Object 1

The Coiffure

Examples that earn this point i

nclude the

following:

• World’s Fairs, private salons, and art groups

were

all emphasizing and exposing artists to

art from other cultural traditions, such as

Japanese art styles.

• The distribution of Japanese woodblock prints

led to ar

tists adopting formal elements from

these prints into European traditions of

etching and engraving. (Responses could

make this connection through elements such

as flat planes of color, strong outlines, shallow

depiction of space, etc.)

• The wide dissemination of Japanese prints

inspired artists like Cassatt to create more

works on paper and break with Salon

conventions that stressed painting.

• The themes seen in Japanese prints were

adopted into the European context.

(Responses could reference themes such as

women in domestic spaces, the use of mirrors

as a spatial device, preparation of hair, etc.)

Object 2

es Demoiselles d’Avignon

Examples that earn this point include the

follo

wing:

• Picasso’s break with

older European traditions

of depicting women’s bodies as

beautiful/available is clear in the flatness of the

forms, stylization of the women’s bodies,

marks on the faces, and dark outlines—

qualities he saw in African and other works.

• The flatness of the space, stylization of the

faces and

bodies, or marks on faces may have

been derived from African or other non-

Western art he was seeing at the Trocadéro or

collecting.

• The stylization of the women’s poses and facial

features is similar to that of ancient Iberian

sculptures that he saw during the period when

he made this work, which he likely understood

as a European “primitive” art.

• Picasso’s depiction of female sex workers as

both confrontational and visually linked to

African art suggests that he connects

threatening sexuality to non-Western cultures.

Object 3

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are

We Going?

Examples that earn this point in

clude the following:

• Gauguin’s location in Tahiti and depiction of

landscape reflect his placing this metaphorical

painting in a new space, a break with European

tradition.

• Tahitian women depicted by Gauguin represent

metaphorical/spiritual moments: birth, life, death.

• Animals, humans, and the landscape all take on

idiosyncratic metaphors or iconographic meanings

that Gauguin hints at in his correspondence but

does not fully explain.

• Gauguin, like others of his generation, wanted to

break with norms. By moving to Tahiti, he acted on

the idea that colonized locations were sources of

more “pure” visual and spiritual culture and would

allow him to regress to a more “pure” and innocent

version of humanity.

AP® Art History 2021 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Complexity

(0–1 points)

0 points

Does not meet the criteria for one point.

1 point

Demonstrates a complex understanding of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate,

qualify, or modify a claim that addresses the prompt.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

The response may demonstrate a complex understanding in a variety of ways, such as:

• Explaining relevant and insightful connections between the evidence and the claim

• Confirming the validity of a claim by corroborating multiple perspectives

• Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables

• Qualifying or modifying a claim by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence

This complex understanding must be developed in the response and consist of more than a phrase or reference.

Object 1

The Coiffure

Examples that earn this point might include the

following, if appropriate elaboration is provided:

• The development of the technology of

photog

raphy, and particularly ethnographic

photography, provided additional exposure to

non-Western cultural traditions.

• Breaking away from the Salon and challenging

painting as the highest art form was spurred by

the display of prints in private clubs and

exhibitions. The domestic setting of Cassatt’s

prints and use of Japanese conventions fit with

displays in these intimate interiors.

• Cassatt’s interest in Japanese art was part of a

broader cultural context of European interest

in/exoticizing of Japanese art/culture during the

mid–late 19

century that occurred in the wake

of the opening of Japanese markets and ports in

the 1850s and the 1853-54 expedition of

Commodore Perry.

• A major exhibition of Ukiyo-e prints at the École

des Beaux Arts in 1890 influenced Cassatt and

other artists. The exhibit included numerous

works by Kitagawa Utamaro, whose depictions of

women in intimate settings were a particular

inspiration to Cassatt.

Object 2

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

Exam

ples that earn this point might include the

following

, if appropriate elaboration is provided:

• Adopting elements of the stylistic “otherness”

of African and other non-European art was

also a way for Picasso to reject the Salon and

prior established Western artistic traditions.

• Les Demoiselles d’Avignon can be seen as a

modernist take on 19

-century works that

explored female sexuality, sexual availability,

the male gaze, and the female nude, in some

cases in “exotic” settings, such as Manet’s

Olympia or Ingres’s Grande Odalisque.

• Picasso’s interest in archaic/prehistoric and

non-Western art was also founded in his

imagining of colonized cultures both as

“primitive” and as spiritually charged,

unfettered, or free.

• Picasso’s fascination with new ways of

depicting women that were influenced by

African or other non-Western cultures was

also tied to his fascination with prostitution,

venereal disease, and moral degradation

through his belief that these cultures were

more sexually free or primal.

Object 3

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are

We Goi

ng?

Examples that earn this point might include the

following

, if appropriate elaboration is provided:

• Gauguin ties together the palette of bright colors

derived from his tropical surroundings, textiles, etc.,

with the idea of a gold background that would have

been part of a Christian icon or spiritual painting.

• His palette is derived from both non-Western and

older European cultural references, tied into his

conception of a more “pure” spirituality.

• Gauguin ties together imagery of women and the

life cycle derived from his tropical surroundings

with spiritual metaphors tied to Christian belief. His

use of three stages is derived from the Christian

Trinity, but he then hints at Polynesian themes with

the animal and human imagery and gestures.

• Gauguin’s failure as a stock broker and/or his failed

marriage in France were part of his motivation to

reject European social norms and explore Tahitian

culture and sexual relationships, which were also

depicted in his paintings.

• Gauguin sent the work back to Paris shortly after it

was completed, together with detailed instructions

for its framing and exhibition, indicating his

continued awareness of and desire to participate in

the Parisian art world.

AP® Art History 2021 Scoring Guidelines

• Cassatt was fascinated by the new visual qualities

that she saw in Japanese prints and other

Japanese artworks because she was exploring her

place as a woman and/or American in the French

art world and used the “otherness” of the

Japanese subject as a parallel.

• Other 19

-century European artists who were

particularly interested in Japanese art, design,

and material culture include Manet, Whistler,

and Van Gogh. Their responses to this influence

could take different visual forms from Cassatt.

Some artists incorporated specific examples of

Japanese material culture into their works (e.g.,

textiles, folding screens) whereas other artists

made direct copies of Japanese prints in painted

form.

• Cassatt’s work both invites the male gaze with an

invitation to view the woman’s exposed form in a

private moment yet seemingly negates

sexualization through a focus on formal elements

rather than overt eroticism.

• The presence in a preparatory sketch of a

memento mori skull held by a figure (a medical

student) who is often understood as a stand-in

for Picasso further underlines the potential

danger presented in the eroticized and

exoticized bodies of the women. The

threatening element of their sexuality suggests

Picasso’s complex and potentially problematic

views of women and female sexuality.

• Picasso’s interest in Iberian art was tied to his

interest in his own ties to Spain as his

homeland or source of inspiration.

• France was a major colonial power with

multiple colonial possessions in Africa at this

time. Colonial exploitation is in part what

made African works of art accessible to Picasso

in Paris.

• Picasso shared an interest in African art with

other contemporary European artists such as

Matisse. Modernist artists responded

particularly to formal qualities of abstraction

of the human figure they saw in works of

African art.

• Gauguin was aware of his reputation in France as an

avant-garde artist, and he fostered this image and

moved from being a weekend painter to a

professional painter by emphasizing his spiritual

exploration in Tahiti (including his attempted

suicide).

• Gauguin’s depictions of Tahiti include elements of

fantasy and stereotyping. Gauguin reported being

disappointed by the Tahiti he encountered, which

was not the tropical paradise untouched by

European influence he had imagined.

• Gauguin’s representations of Tahiti and Tahitian

women and girls have been problematized by

contemporary critics as representing a sexist,

patriarchal, and colonialist mindset.

Sample 2A.1

Sample 2A.2

Sample 2B.1

Sample 2B.2

Sample 2C

Art History 2021 Scoring Commentary

Question 2

Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

Overview

Responses were supposed to demonstrate a number of skills related to art historical thinking, including

arg

umentation, visual and contextual analysis, and historical interpretation. To be awarded all six score points,

the response needed to successfully accomplish the following tasks:

• Select and identify an appropriate painting, print, or drawing from Later Europe and the Americas.

• Establish an art historical claim related to why artists were influenced by art from another culture.

• Provide visual and/or contextual evidence to support that claim.

• Explain how the evidence relates to the claim.

• Corroborate or qualify the claim with additional evidence or argumentation.

Sample: 2A

dentification Score: 1

Claim/Thesis Score: 1

Evidence Score: 2

Analysis and Reasoning Score: 1

Complexity Score: 1

Overall Score: 6

Task A: Provides two accurate identifiers for selected work of art. (1 point)

The response earned this point for correctly identifying Cassatt as the artist and etching as the medium.

Task B: Makes an art historically defensible claim or thesis that responds to the prompt. (1 point)

The response earned the point for stating that “Mary Cassatt was influenced by the style and techniques of

Japa

nese wood block carving.” This statement establishes a line of reasoning that is art historically defensible

and that is related to the topic of the prompt. The response correctly identifies Japan as the culture of influence

and indicates that Cassatt’s interest was primarily related to points of style and technique.

Task C: Provides two specific examples of visual and/or contextual evidence relevant to the

selected work of art and the topic of the prompt. (2 points)

The first of these points was earned for the accurate description of the subject matter of the print as a nude

woma

n, seated on the bed, in front of a mirror. This is a point of visual evidence that is relevant to the topic of

the prompt.

The second point was earned for the description of the low horizon line and the explanation of how that helps

the vi

ewer relate to the subject. This is a point of visual evidence that is relevant to the topic of the prompt.

The response includes additional evidence, for example mentioning the “black lines” around the figure, that

woul

d also have been acceptable as evidence and could have earned the point.

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Art History 2021 Scoring Commentary

Question 2 (continued)

Task D: Explains how the visual and/or contextual evidence provided supports the argument.

(1 point)

The response earned this point for stating, “This style of an intimate, domestic moment is taken from a similar

Jap

anese print of a woman checking her hair in 2 mirrors.” With this statement, the response correctly

analyzes the relationship between one piece of the visual evidence (subject matter) and the claim of Japanese

influence.

Task E: Demonstrates a complex understanding of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate,

qualify, or modify a claim that addresses the prompt. (1 point)

The response earned this point for the discussion at the end of the response of the opening of Japan in the

wake of Commodore Perry’s expedition. This was awarded a complexity point, rather than being counted as

additional evidence, as the response demonstrates an understanding of the significance of that historical

event and goes on to explain how the results of that event impacted Cassatt and other artists.

Sample: 2B

Identification Score: 1

Claim/Thesis Score: 1

Evidence Score: 1

Analysis and Reasoning Score: 1

Complexity Score: 0

Overall Score: 4

Task A: Provides two accurate identifiers for selected work of art. (1 point)

The response receives this point for accurately identifying Klimt and The Kiss. This work was not on the list

provi

ded to students but is an acceptable choice as it is a painting (a drawing or print would also be

acceptable) from the Later Europe and Americas (1750−1980

C.E.) content area that was influenced by another

culture.

Task B: Provides an art historically defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning.

(1 p

oint)

The response establishes a line of reasoning that is art historically defensible and that is related to the topic of

the pro

mpt: “It is clear that the piece took heavy influence from the Byzantine art style because of the strong

emotions and use of gold.” The claim accurately identifies Byzantine art as another culture that influenced the

work and indicates reasons for Klimt’s interest. The description of the “strong emotions” of the work is

inaccurate, but this does not detract from the overall quality of the claim. The response restates the claim at

the end, proposing the Byzantine association of holiness and gold as an additional motivation for this influence.

Task C: Provides two specific examples of visual and/or contextual evidence relevant to the

sel

ected work of art and the topic of the prompt. (1 point)

The response was awarded this point for stating that “the figures are locked in a tight embrace” with facial

exp

ressions that indicate the figures’ “closeness with one another.” This is visual evidence that is relevant to

the topic of the prompt.

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Art History 2021 Scoring Commentary

Question 2 (continued)

The response did not receive the second point for this task. The response indicates the use of gold but does

not add new information to the visual description in the initial claim. The evidence provided (“gold was used

heavily in Byzantine art”) touches on the earlier period but not Klimt’s use of gold.

Task D: Explains how the visual and/or contextual evidence provided supports the argument.

(1 poin

The response earned this point for the explanation that “gold is a valueable material with strong symbolism,

which i

s why Klimt took this influence and allowed it into his art.” This shows reasoning about how the

visual evidence (gold) supports the claim of influence from Byzantine art.

Task E: Demonstrates a complex understanding of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate,

qual

ify, or modify a claim that addresses the prompt. (0 points)

The response did not earn this point because it does not provide additional discussion that demonstrates

comp

lex understanding of the prompt.

Sample: 2C

Identification Score: 1

Claim/Thesis Score: 0

Evidence Score: 1

Analysis and Reasoning Score: 0

Complexity Score: 0

Overall Score: 2

Task A: Provides two accurate identifiers for selected work of art. (1 point)

The response was awarded this point for the accurate identification of Picasso and oil on canvas. Because two

accu

rate identifiers are provided, the point was earned despite the inaccurate time of “the 18th century.”

Task B: Provides an art historically defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning.

(0 poin

ts)

The response did not earn this point because it does not state a claim related to Picasso’s being

influ

enced by another culture.

Task C: Provides two specific examples of visual and/or contextual evidence relevant to the

sele

cted work of art and the topic of the prompt. (1 point)

The response earned this point for the description of the women as “prostitutes and lived on the streets of d’

ignon and were looked down upon.” This is visual evidence that is relevant to the topic of the prompt.

Although the response includes an attempt to address this point, it was not awarded. The mention of “shapes”

is ins

ufficiently detailed; in addition, the response is referencing shapes to support a claim about Cubism

rather than influence from another culture.

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Art History 2021 Scoring Commentary

Question 2 (continued)

Task D: Explains how the visual and/or contextual evidence provided supports the argument.

(0 points)

The response includes an attempt to address this task by linking Picasso to “a traditional Western Europe

medi

um,” but this does not address how the evidence supports a claim related to influence from another

culture.

Task E: Demonstrates a complex understanding of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate,

qua

lify, or modify a claim that addresses the prompt. (0 points)

The response does not include an attempt to address this task.

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