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Chapter 1 – Experiencing Art
Multiple Choice Questions
1. When first experiencing an unfamiliar work of art, start by asking questions about:
a. expressive content, historical style, individual style.
b. patrons, function, and collocation.
c. historical significance and historical context.
d. composition, formal analysis, medium and technique.
e. all of these.
2. The word “style” derives from stylus, that is:
a. a Greek word for history.
b. Latin for writing instrument.
c. Egyptian for spiritual content.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
3. According to Mircea Eliade, within traditional societies objects such as the Bwa mask
acquire meaning because they participate in:
a. a ritual that links seasonal cycles to the cosmos.
b. the inter-tribal warfare.
c. the blessing of a new building.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
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4. In Guo Xi’s painting Early Spring, despite the curvilinear and diagonal elements, the
work has an axial composition because:
a. of the primary color scheme.
b. of its circular format.
c. the mountain dominates.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
5. Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne emphasizes dramatic movement primarily because it:
a. uses only strict verticals and horizontals.
b. is composed on a diagonal axis.
c. involves axial stability.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
6. The most striking feature of Wright’s Fallingwater is that the building’s structure
responds to:
a. European building style.
b. the Pittsburgh skyline.
c. ancient material limitations.
d. the site.
e. all of these.
7. Palladio’s Villa Rotonda relates to its environment by:
a. subtly integrating with it.
b. dominating the site.
c. becoming virtually invisible.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
8. Controlled city designs, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing, imply:
a. notions of utility within society.
b. a centralized authority.
c. notions of efficiency.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
9. “Sculpture in the round” is sculpture that is:
a. finished on all sides.
b. part of a wall.
c. meant to be viewed from one vantage point.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
10. Daniel Chester French’s Minuteman is animated by a suggested sense of movement
created by the contrast of the vertical axis with the:
a. horizontals of the base.
b. cantilever of the hat.
c. diagonals of right leg and musket.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
11. To properly understand the Bwa mask Bird of the Night as a sculptural form, we
must also consider:
a. the spiritual context.
b. the participation of the onlookers in the ritual.
c. the dynamic context.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
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12. Raphael’s Philosophy is illusionistic; this means that the objects represented:
a. appear to exist within actual space.
b. seem to be weighty.
c. seem to be tangible.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
13. In Philosophy Raphael creates his illusion of three-dimensional reality by:
a. overlapping.
b. diminution.
c. atmospheric perspective.
d. scientific perspective.
e. all of these.
14. Viewing a horizontal hand scroll is unlike viewing a wall painting because the
horizontal hand scroll is:
a. not seen in its entirety at one time.
b. like a journey involving time.
c. meant to be viewed by one or few persons.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
15. In northeast Nigeria Wodaabe women carve gourds into calabashes; most of these
are treasured as:
a. ceremonial possessions.
b. utensils to hold porridge.
c. vessels to carry milk.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
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Fill–in–the-Blank Questions
16. The term used to describe how the appearance of a work of art is tied to the period
during which it was created is ____________.
17. Works of art from the same historical period and culture often share similar
____________ characteristics.
18. In Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, the ____________ is energized by the extension of the
figures’ limbs and the sculptural form.
19. The patron for Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne was ____________.
20. The design of the Katsura Imperial Villa was inspired by the tenets of Zen Buddhism
to create an integration of the building with ____________.
21. The rigid geometric layout visible at the Forbidden City in Beijing symbolized the
relationships between heaven and earth, as well as between the ancestors and
____________.
22. Davis Smith’s Cubi XIX is nonrepresentational because it does not ____________
actual figures or real objects.
23. For a work such as the Bird of the Night (Butterfly) mask, a static presentation in a
display case in a museum obscures its original use in ____________.
24. The Bwa Butterfly mask, like certain works of contemporary art, is ephemeral; this
means that it lasts ____________.
25. In Raphael’s Philosophy, the composition is arranged to emphasize the figures of
____________ and ____________.
26. Because Mondrian’s Composition No. 8 leads us to the periphery without
concentrating on any single area or element, the composition could be described as
____________.
27. A painting technique that utilizes broad, free brushstrokes to define form is termed
____________.
28. The relative darkness or lightness of a color is called the ____________.
29. During certain periods artists formed ____________, which were like trade unions
and assured professional standards.
30. Early in the 19th century, the concept was born of the artist as a member of the
____________, who progressively leads society.
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True-False Questions
31. Upon encountering an unfamiliar artwork, one begins one’s communication with
the work by interpreting.
32. The particular manner of visual expression created by an individual artist is known
as individual style.
33. The ancient Chinese Terra-cotta warrior proclaims instability and transience.
34. In Palladio’s Villa Rotonda, the arrangement is governed by symmetry and balance.
35. A cantilever is a vertical projection into space.
36. According to Xu Bing’s interpretation of Chan Buddhist thought, the work of art is
useless in itself.
37. Mondrian’s Composition No. 8, 1939-42, with Red, Blue, and Yellow reinforces the
flatness of the picture plane.
38. The level of richness or saturation of a color is termed value.
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39. The visual arts are a rare feature of human culture.
40. When we study finished works of art, it is important to ignore the artist’s creative
process.
Short Answer Questions
41. Iconology is the art-historical study that interprets what?
42. What are the means of atmospheric perspective?
43. Mondrian’s Composition No. 8 is orderly and serene; it shows his search for pictorial
balance, and his search for what else?
44. In Ancient Greece, how was the production of art viewed?
45. In the 15th century, what transformed the traditional Western classification of the
visual arts as manual or mechanical?
Essay Questions
46. Describe how Frank Lloyd Wright achieves unity in Fallingwater despite the
asymmetrical design?
47. In the Chinese classical tradition among the aristocracy, discuss the three
“perfections” and what they helped to preserve.