Exam Basics
How many sections are in the HSC Visual Arts written exam?
Two (Section I and Section II).
Name one Damien Hirst artwork you have studied.
For the Love of God (2007) or The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991).
Name one of the Goya artworks you have studied.
The Second of May 1808 or The Third of May 1808.
100: What art movement was Claesz part of?
Answer: The Dutch Golden Age / Still Life tradition.
100: What Cézanne artwork have you studied?
Answer: Fruit Basket (c. 1890s).
How many marks is Section II worth?
25 marks.
What is For the Love of God made from?
A platinum skull covered in diamonds with real teeth.
What historical event do these paintings depict?
The Spanish people’s uprising and executions by Napoleon’s French army in 1808.
200: What is the name of the painting studied?
Answer: Vanitas Still Life (1630s).
200: What subject matter did Cézanne often paint?
Answer: Still lifes, especially fruit and everyday objects.
How much time should you spend on Section II?
About 40 minutes.
What animal appears in The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living?
A tiger shark.
In The Third of May 1808, how is the central figure shown?
With arms outstretched like a Christ figure, lit brightly against the soldiers.
300: Name two common objects in Vanitas paintings.
Answer: Skull, candle, watch, rotting fruit, hourglass.
300: How does Cézanne’s approach to still life differ from Claesz’s Vanitas?
Answer: Cézanne focuses on form, colour, and permanence, while Claesz symbolises death and decay.
What must you include in your Section II response?
Case studies of artists and artworks you have studied.
What theme do both artworks explore?
Mortality, death, and humanity’s fear of it.
How do Goya’s paintings make the audience feel?s
They evoke horror, empathy, and outrage at the brutality of war.
400: What is the moral message of Vanitas art?
Answer: Life is short, wealth is temporary, death is inevitable.
400: How did Cézanne influence modern art?
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Answer: He bridged Impressionism and Cubism with his focus on structure and form.
What are three frameworks you might be asked to use in Section II?
The Frames and the Conceptual Framework.
How does Hirst’s use of materials create shock for the audience?
By using real human remains and a preserved shark, he forces the audience to confront death directly.
How do Goya’s works differ from Damien Hirst’s?
Goya humanises suffering with empathy, while Hirst presents death as spectacle.
500: How does Claesz’s Vanitas Still Life connect to Damien Hirst’s For the Love of God?
Answer: Both use skulls to symbolise mortality, but Claesz uses subtle symbolism while Hirst uses shock and spectacle.
500: How could Cézanne’s Fruit Basket contrast with Goya’s war paintings?
Answer: Cézanne captures calm beauty and timelessness, while Goya shows violence, horror, and human suffering.