Chapter 9 – Seventeenth-Century Art
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In his sculpture of David, Bernini chooses to portray the instant of:
a. celebratory triumph.
b. deepest thought.
c. greatest action.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
2. Baroque painting is characterized by:
a. strong lighting.
b. asymmetrical compositions.
c. powerful effects of movement.
d. dramatic subject matter.
e. all of these.
3. Caravaggio’s Christ with the Doubting Thomas is arresting because:
a. the actions of the figures are convincing.
b. the strong light gives sharp physical presence.
c. the figures are naturalistic.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
4. Bernini’s Baldacchino at St. Peter’s solved the problem of providing:
a. shade for the Pope.
b. a focal point for the interior.
c. an entrance to the dome.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
5. In the Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, Rembrandt offered a radical
solution to the problem of the militia portrait, which was to:
a. create spontaneous groupings.
b. emphasize pictorial drama and focus.
c. subordinate the democratic ideal.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
6. On the interior of the dome for San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Borromini creates a
floating, levitating sensation by:
a. adding hidden windows at the base.
b. leaving an oculus open to the sky.
c. actually stretching the dome high upward.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
7. In Rembrandt’s etching of Christ Preaching, a child is visible in the foreground doing
what?
a. considering Jesus’s words
b. arguing with Christ
c. drawing in the dust
d. all of these
e. none of these
8. In the painting Arcadian Shepherds, Poussin treats even death as:
a. colorful and energetic.
b. philosophical and contemplative.
c. tragic and dramatic.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
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9. The palace at Versailles by Louis Le Vau and Jules Hardouin Mansart was not only
Louis XIV’s main royal residence, it was also the:
a. site of a famous battle.
b. mausoleum for St. Louis.
c. governmental seat.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
10. Rubens’ landscapes exhibit the same tumultuous energy and visual excitement as
his:
a. allegorical pictures.
b. religious pictures.
c. mythological pictures.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
Fill–in–the-Blank Questions
11. During the seventeenth century in China, the Ming Dynasty fell and was succeeded
by the ____________ Dynasty, which ruled until 1912.
12. In Velázquez’s Water Carrier, the influence of Caravaggio is evident in the half-
length, lifesize figures, as well as in the dark background and ____________.
13. The Taj Mahal in India was built by Shah Jahan in the Mughal period from 1632 to
1648 as a(n) ____________ to his favorite wife.
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14. In Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt countered the avoidance of Dutch artists to
painting a religious subject, because of his interest in the ____________.
15. In the seventeenth century, landscape became a truly popular theme in the
____________ for the first time in the history of Western art.
True-False Questions
16. In countries that remained Catholic in the seventeenth century, the Counter–
Reformation led to the production of contemplative Baroque secular images.
17. Evidence in many Vermeer paintings suggests that he used a camera obscura.
18. On the Taj Mahal, the lotus dome that crowns the building sits atop a high drum.
19. In A Man Rowing a Boat on the Bullewyk, Rembrandt applied wash, which is thick ink
mixed with liquid soap.
20. Seventeenth-century art in Japan was dominated by a spirit of spontaneous action
and revolutionary innovation.
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Short Answer Questions
21. In essence, what is Artemisia Gentileschi saying in her 1630 painting titled Self-
22. In his Arrival and Reception of Marie de´ Medici at Marseilles, how did Rubens satisfy
the aspirations of his royal client?
23. Why is Teresa of Ávila depicted barefoot in Bernini’s sculpture Ecstasy of Saint
Teresa?
24. In Velázquez’s painting Las Meninas, why do we believe that the cross on
Velázquez’s chest was added later?
25. Why is realistic still-life painting considered to be a democratic art?
Essay Questions
26. Why and how did seventeenth-century art theorists neglect and underestimate still-
life painting? Who excelled at seventeenth-century still-life painting?
27. What do the fountain sculptures and gardens of the park at Versailles have to say
about Louis XIV? What was the purpose of the park and palace at Versailles?