AH392/692 American History Final Exam

January 14, 2021

AH392/692 American History Final Exam
Please pick three of the following five questions and write three short responses. Each of your
essays should be between 1500 and 2000 words in length (for a total of 1,800 to 2,400 words) and
include a discussion of four works of art from the review list (you may also cover other works
that we discussed in class). While multiple works could serve multiple categories, the same work
of art should not appear in more than one essay. Be sure to include full caption information. The
questions below are broad enough to allow for flexible responses; feel free to pose your own
questions and discuss related issues. Your exams must be submitted in the form of a single Word
document via Turnitin (accessible on the Content page on Blackboard) no later than Saturday,
May 9, at 2:00 pm EST.

AH392/692 American History Final Exam
1. Materials and techniques
Beginning in the 1950s, artists responded to the limitations of traditional materials and
techniques by incorporating humble, everyday objects and images into their works. How
did artists use unorthodox materials (both organic and inorganic) to challenge
expectations regarding the physical and pictorial make-up of the work of art?
2. Processes and procedures
Numerous works of art from the 1950s through the 1970s make visible the process
behind their creation. Discuss artists’ attempts to draw attention to the act of production.
Why were “action” and “process” such important terms during this period? How were
artists reacting to particular modes of art-making or critical writing prevalent at the time?
3. Performance and embodiment
A wide range of artists in the postwar decades put their own bodies and the bodies of
others (participants, models, and even viewers) in a central position within the work of
art. Discuss how artists embraced performance and performativity from WWII through
the 1970s. To what divergent ends did artists engage with the theme of embodiment in
their practices?
4. Photography and documentation
For many artists working from the 1950s through the 1970s, photographic or filmic
recording of the work of art was critical. How did viewers gain access to events,
performances, and site-specific works through photographic reproduction? Discuss the
relationship between art and its documentation during this period.
5. Language and concepts
The visible presence of language and text within works of art increased in the 1960s and
1970s. Consider the various ways that artists have prioritized the idea or concept as the
primary driver behind a work’s creation. How was language deployed by artists to
question traditional notions of art production and viewer engagement?