Art: Life in the UK test revision

Medieval British art served the Church: painted church walls and decorated religious books. After the Protestant Reformation much of it was destroyed or lost, and wealthy families began collecting paintings and sculpture instead. Questions ask about the theme, the types of art, and what changed.

Why it matters: Links the art section to the Reformation in the history chapter, a cause-and-effect the test likes.

Memory hook: Medieval art was all for the altar; the Reformation wiped the walls clean.

Official handbook: Chapter 4, section 4.2, page 45

Before Britain produced its own famous painters, foreign artists did much of the work. Holbein and Van Dyck are the handbook's two examples from the 16th and 17th centuries. British artists, especially in portraits and landscapes, only became well known from the 18th century onwards. That timeline is the point to remember.

Why it matters: The test may ask which painters were foreign-born, or from which century British artists became well known.

Memory hook: Holbein and Van Dyck: the 'Van' and the 'bein' sound foreign because they were.

Official handbook: Chapter 4, section 4.2, page 45

The handbook names five galleries and their cities. Three are in London: the National Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Wales has the National Museum in Cardiff, and Scotland has the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. Matching gallery to city is the usual question, and the Cardiff one is the least familiar.

Why it matters: Gallery and city are matched in questions, and Tate Britain returns as home of the Turner Prize.

Memory hook: Three in London, one Museum in Cardiff, one Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh: 3-1-1.

Official handbook: Chapter 4, section 4.2, page 45