<p>I'm hoping to self-study an AP class or two next year. The kids I know taking AP Art History as an actual class are dying right now - apparently the teacher is really tough. Is the AP test this difficult, though? </p>
<p>Also, would APAH be pushing it for a person with little to no knowledge of the visual arts? I have a legitimate interest - and spend a lot of my time in the art room anyway, haha - but I have no working technical knowledge.</p>
<p>So I guess my questions, simplified, are: 1) Is AP Art History a doable self-study? and 2) Would it still be doable if taken by a non-artist?</p>
<p>1) I think it would be a difficult self-study, but a lot of people here seem to think of it as doable. I’d recommend that you take it if the kids just feel “dead” and it isn’t killing their GPA. There is <em>a lot</em> to learn for Art History.
If you do end up self studying, or taking it at all, get the Annotated Mona Lisa as a prep book. I didn’t personally use it and I did very well (consistently had the highest grades in both bells and received a 5) but it’s highly recommended both here and elsewhere. I just used Barron’s.
2) Undoubtedly! One’s ability to excel in Art History has very little, if anything at all, to do with one’s ability as an artist. I can barely draw a stick figure. While Art History classes likely do have a large number of artists in comparison to other classes – I know mine did – artistic skill is completely unnecessary. My Art History teacher herself would often mention her lack of skill with any typical utensil.</p>
<p>AP Art History requires a lot of memorization. The non-artist stuff is an interesting question. The course is definitely made easier if you are already familiar with some of the terms, and some of the art work & architecture. The course isn’t so much about “working technical knowledge” as a very quick romp through tons of images. If you are already interested, that is a big plus. I would just think it might be difficult to cover so much material on one’s own.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned, it is A LOT of memorization. We have to memorize thousands of images (titles, artist, period, style, bg, etc.). It is doable to self-study though. I have an A, and I am not artistic at all. We use Stockstad’s Art History. I supplement my readings with Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. Good luck! If you have any questions, PM me.</p>