CLEPHumanities : Analyzing the Form of 2D Visual Art

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities

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Example Questions

Example Question #4 :2 D Visual Art

The American painter who painted canvases of large blocks of color with broad, visible brushstrokes is__________.

Possible Answers:

Georgia O'Keefe

Jackson Pollock

Grant Wood

Mark Rothko

Andy Warhol

Correct answer:

Mark Rothko

Explanation:

Utilizing large canvases featuring only one or two bold colors in large blocks, Mark Rothko deconstructed the principles of Abstract Expressionism to their simplest form. Beginning in 1949, Rothko's "multiforms" became his chief artistic format, and made him a world-famous artist.

Example Question #3 :2 D Visual Art

The Mexican artist Diego Rivera was most well known for working in what medium?

Possible Answers:

Photography

Mosaics

Murals

Collage

Printmaking

Correct answer:

Murals

Explanation:

迭戈里维拉杜在巴黎开始了他的艺术生涯ring the first decade of the twentieth century as a cubist influenced by Picasso. On moving back to his native Mexico in the 1910s, Rivera began embracing revolutionary politics, more direct figures, and native Mexican culture, as well as painting massive murals on the sides of buildings. These murals made Rivera much more successful, and produced many different commissions around the world.

Example Question #359 :2 D Art

A work of art that is a compilation of various images put together in one piece is known as a__________.

Possible Answers:

cast

collage

mural

fresco

mosaic

Correct answer:

collage

Explanation:

A collage is constructed not as one image, but by compiling a variety of images into one larger piece. This can be done for a variety of reasons, including ironic juxtaposition, social commentary, or refreshing traditional imagery. Collages became more widely used in the twentieth century as various forms of media were brought into widespread use.

Example Question #5 :2 D Visual Art

Jackson Pollack is well known for what distinctive artistic style?

Possible Answers:

Roller painting

Drip painting

Collage

Mosaic

Screen-printing

Correct answer:

Drip painting

Explanation:

Jackson Pollack began his career as an expressionist painter, using representative shapes and traditional methods. Beginning in the late 40s, however, Pollack began using the technique of "drip painting," which involved laying the canvas on the floor and splattering liquid paint on it from above. This produced paintings that were extremely abstract, but vivid and emotional, which garnered Pollack worldwide acclaim.

Example Question #61 :Twentieth And Twenty First Century 2 D Art

What twentieth century artist made large-scale screen prints of famous photographs in outlandish colors?

Possible Answers:

Andy Warhol

Mark Rothko

Jackson Pollack

Wasily Kandinsky

Robert Rauschenberg

Correct answer:

Andy Warhol

Explanation:

Andy Warhol sought to make art that directly engaged and confronted popular culture in unique and surprising ways. Warhol also liked to experiment with methods that had a sense of automation, such as screenprinting. Both of these aspects of Warhol's work were shown in a series of paintings he did in the 1960s, which had images of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean reprinted in bright pinks, blues, and greens.

Example Question #412 :Clep: Humanities

The kind of artwork that features many pieces of glass or tile arranged into a portrait or other image is called a__________.

Possible Answers:

mural

fresco

diptych

mosaic

devotional

Correct answer:

mosaic

Explanation:

而“马赛克”是一个非常广泛的术语,它指的是any artwork made by assembling together small pieces of glass and tile. Roman artists and architects frequently used mosaics to create artwork in homes and buildings, and these were frequently realistic depictions of people or landscapes. Mosaics are still used by artists today, but can often take on abstract forms.

Example Question #1 :Analyzing The Form Of Nineteenth Century 2 D Visual Art

800px-great_wave_off_kanagawa2

The above image is a woodblock print, meaning it__________.

Possible Answers:

can have its colors easily changed

can be easily replicated in the same form

can only be shown in a large format

cannot be moved from the place it was first drawn

can be enlarged and miniaturized easily

Correct answer:

can be easily replicated in the same form

Explanation:

The woodblock format, popular throughout Asia, is an artistic format that is produced by having a large piece of wood cut into and dyed by the artist. Thereafter, this woodblock can be printed onto canvas or paper, making it extremely easy to duplicate the work of art again and again.

Example Question #1 :Analyzing The Form Of Nineteenth Century 2 D Visual Art

Still-life-with-skull-1898.jpg_blog

The composition above is a painting in the genre of__________.

Possible Answers:

still life

portrait

history painting

nude

landscape

Correct answer:

still life

Explanation:

The painter of this work, Paul Cézanne, was particularly noted for his still lifes. The one in this question, "Still Life with Skull," was painted in 1898 and is particularly notable for the inclusion of a skull, a notable feature of Cezanne's later work from the 1890s on. Cézanne's use of broad brushstrokes, layered color, and different perspectives helped create a bridge from impressionism to modern art movements like cubism.

Example Question #51 :2 D Art Beyond European Artistic Traditions

What form of art was developed by Islamic artists who did not draw living figures because of proscriptions in the Quran?

Possible Answers:

Landscaping

Calligraphy

Sculpture

Architecture

Painting

Correct answer:

Calligraphy

Explanation:

The Quran, the Islamic holy book, made Muslim artists pursue calligraphy for two different but related reasons. Calligraphy was the easiest mode of transmission for the written Quran in the early years of the religion. Additionally, Quranic prohibitions on creating figurative art made many Muslim artists pursue the geometrical and literary art of calligraphy.

Example Question #1 :Analyzing The Form Of 2 D Visual Art

Renaissance art made a dramatic departure from medieval art by__________.

Possible Answers:

putting more focus on religious subjects

using more realistic depictions of the human form

using fewer and less rich colors

deemphasizing classical subjects

None of the other answers

Correct answer:

using more realistic depictions of the human form

Explanation:

During the Renaissance, with a renewed focus on classical art and scientific understanding, visual arts underwent a significant change. In particular, religious themes dwindled in importance in comparison to classical subjects, and deeper, more varied colors were used to represent more realistic depictions of the human form.

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