4.2: Spirituality and Art
1. Spirituality encompasses ________.
a. our sense of being connected to others
b. our awareness of both mind and body
c. our wish to understand life’s meaning and the world around us
d. all of the previous answers
e. none of the previous answers
2. Many ancient Greek artists made artworks to honor ________.
a. their gods and deities
b. their knowledge of the space/time continuum
c. the spirit world as experienced in their dreams
d. the mascots of their favorite sports teams
e. all of the other answers
3. The Greek pediment on the temple dedicated to the god Zeus at Olympia (4.2.1) depicts a scene
from ________.
a. the Trojan War
b. the Christian Bible
c. the battle between the Lapiths and Centaurs
d. gladiatorial fights
e. none of the other answers
4. The deity at the center of the pediment on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (4.2.1), who brings order
to the scene, is ________.
a. Zeus d. Venus
b. Apollo e. Mars
c. Athena
5. The bronze doors of the Church of Saint Michael’s at Hildesheim, Germany were made under the
direction of ________.
a. Bishop Bernward d. Hildegard of Bingen
b. Pope Julius II e. Lorenzo de’ Medici
c. Duke Jean de Berry
6. The doors of the Church of Saint Michael’s at Hildesheim, Germany, ________.
a. are made of bronze
b. depict scenes from the book of Genesis
c. depict scenes from the life of Christ
d. pair Old and New Testament stories from the Christian Bible
e. all of the other answers
7. The subject matter of Buddhist art consists of ________.
a. careful accounts of Buddha’s princely lineage
b. detailed depictions of the castle Buddha grew up in
c. stories from Buddha’s life, teachings, and beliefs
d. only flowers and foliage
e. Buddhist art is not about Buddha at all
8. When Buddha was born he sprang miraculously from the sea as a full-grown man.
9. The doors of the Church of St. Michael’s at Hildesheim, Germany (4.2.2) and the stela of the Life
of Buddha (4.2.3) are both narrative artworks. Consider how the artist portrayed the passage of
time in each of these works. Has either artist created focal points for important parts of the story?
What parts of each narrative are included or left out?
10. In traditional African cultures, spirits can be beneficial or harmful.
11. Spiritual ideas, such as the “ancient mother,” can never be represented in recognizable imagery.
12. How could you tell that a Senufo sculpture depicts a spirit figure rather than a human being?
a. such figures are always upside-down
b. parts of their anatomy will be exaggerated
c. they have one eye closed
d. their arms are actually wings
e. African sculptures never depict spirit figures
13. What is the medium of the Senufo mother-and-child figure (4.2.4)?
a. marble d. cracked glass
b. wood e. wheat
c. clay
14. What was the purpose of the Senufo mother-and-child figure?
a. to ward off crows from the field
b. to be a torch to light the village’s paths at night
c. to be a guiding spirit for the guardians of religious and historical traditions
d. to be a vessel for burning incense
e. all of the other answers
15. Navajo sand paintings are generally made to be passed down from generation to generation.
16. The materials used in Navajo sand paintings include:
a. pollen, corn, and powdered stones
b. sand, concrete, and leading
c. charcoal, grass, and acrylic paint
d. powdered pigments, horse-hair brushes, and vellum
e. no one knows because the process is secret
17. A shaman is a person who ________.
a. acts as an intermediary between the invisible spirit world and the physical realm of humans
b. ties up captives with a rope while a ruler performs important rituals
c. creates cave drawings upside-down
d. is authorized to dig in sacred sites for the purposes of research
e. none of the other answers
18. Navajo sand paintings are made ________.
a. using the technique of dry fresco
b. to heal an individual and restore balance to the community
c. to impress visitors with the skill of the shaman
d. totally in the dark
e. to last forever
19. The Stela of Naram-Sin is made of what material?
a. wood d. bronze
b. limestone e. clay
c. pink sandstone
20. The Stela of Naram-Sin shows ________.
a. the first pharaoh uniting Upper and Lower Egypt
b. a Babylonian ruler receiving a law code from Shamash
c. a Maya king wearing ceremonial regalia
d. an Akkadian king on a mountaintop being looked upon favorably by the gods
e. none of the other answers
21. Eastern Orthodox icons, such as the Virgin of Vladimir, display similar visual characteristics,
including:
a. stylized but believable poses
b. linear outlines
c. gold backgrounds
d. haloes for the Madonna and Child
e. all of the other answers
22. When was the Eastern Orthodox Church icon the Virgin of Vladimir made?
a. during Greek and Roman times
b. during the Middle Ages
c. during the Renaissance
d. in the twentieth-century
e. the Eastern Orthodox Church never made icons
23. Who is the artist of The Ecstasy of St. Teresa?
a. an Olmec stonemason d. Mark Rothko
b. Michelangelo e. Henri Matisse
c. Gianlorenzo Bernini
24. The Ecstasy of St. Teresa was meant to show Teresa ________.
a. being pierced by an angel’s arrow
b. being infused with divine love
c. as a devout Christian
d. as a role model to be followed by other devout Christians
e. all of the other answers
25. Depictions of the Last Judgment were made by only one culture.
26. In ancient Egypt, what is a book of the dead?
a. a genealogy recounting a person’s ancestors and their relationships
b. a guide to the steps of proper embalming and mummification
c. a collection of spells and incantations designed to help with navigating the afterlife
d. a short novel about the process of dying
e. the memoir of a man who died while working on the pyramids
27. In Hunefer’s Book of the Dead, how is his heart depicted?
a. as the representation of his soul
b. in a canopic jar
c. being weighed against a feather
d. as a symbol that he lived an honorable life
e. all of the other answers
28. Who is the artist of the Last Judgment tympanum from the Cathedral of Saint-Lazare?
a. Imhotep d. Johannes Vermeer
b. Gislebertus e. the artist’s name is unknown
c. Gianlorenzo Bernini
29. Why are the bodies of the damned in the Last Judgment tympanum from the Cathedral of
Saint-Lazare so graphically grotesque?
a. to give a strong warning to viewers that they should live a virtuous life
b. to show that the afterlife for sinners would be something to look forward to
c. because the artist was trying to be funny
d. to show that only people suffering from diseases go to Hell
e. no one knows why they were shown this way
30. Compare the painting of the Last Judgment before Osiris from Hunefer’s Book of the Dead (4.2.9)
with Gislebertus’s Last Judgment tympanum from the Cathedral of Saint-Lazare (4.2.10). Briefly
describe what each one looks like—the materials used, shape, size, and so on—concentrating on
the most noticeable similarities and differences. What is the story illustrated in each artwork? How
are the stories similar and how are they different?
31. Who is the artist of the painting Woman Holding a Balance?
a. Imhotep d. Johannes Vermeer
b. Gislebertus e. the artist’s name is not known
c. Gianlorenzo Bernini
32. What is the woman doing in the painting Woman Holding a Balance?
a. waiting for her soul to be judged
b. holding scales as if she is weighing her jewelry
c. having her luggage examined at the airport
d. showing that a person’s material possessions are the true indication of her worth
e. all of the other answers
33. When were the walls of Lascaux painted?
a. 30,000–25,000 BCE d. 100 BCE–100 CE
b. 15,000–13,000 BCE e. none of the other answers
c. 5,000–2,000 BCE
34. Why might the paintings at Lascaux be considered sacred?
a. because the site was visited repeatedly and painted again and again
b. because they show the rituals of a secret society
c. because a particular, identifiable religion was practiced in the caves
d. because the bulls painted there were the ancestors of the people who lived in the caves
e. all of the other answers
35. Where were the Roman catacombs located at the time they were built?
a. behind the city of Lascaux
b. in the main marketplace in Rome
c. outside the city of Rome
d. underneath the town of La Venta
e. inside the city walls of Vence
36. Why were the Roman catacombs of sacred importance?
a. pagan, Christian, and Jewish Romans used them
b. they were the burial places of many Romans’ ancestors
c. they served as temples for many religious observances
d. the paintings there could be relevant for multiple religions
e. all of the other answers
37. Muslim practice includes ________.
a. gathering to pray in a mosque d. praying in the direction of Mecca
b. praying to Allah e. all of the other answers
c. praying five times per day
38. Muqarnas are ________.
a. towers to call the faithful to prayer
b. niches in the wall that indicate the direction of Mecca
c. blue tilework with calligraphic script
d. stalactite vaults
e. none of the other answers
39. Which religion specifically emphasizes the ways that natural elements, such as the sun, mountains,
water, and trees, are connected to well-being?
a. Shinto d. Judaism
b. Islam e. Buddhism
c. Christianity
40. The site of Ise Jingu is located where?
a. Iran d. the United States
b. Japan e. Egypt
c. France
41. Why is the building at Ise Jingu rebuilt every twenty years?
a. because the wood used to build it lasts precisely that long
b. because that is how long Amataerasu Omikami lived
c. because nature is cyclical and the shrine, too, must be renewed and refreshed
d. because if rebuilding it was postponed any longer the next generation would not know how it
was built
e. all of the other answers
42. Where is the Rothko Chapel located?
a. Iran d. the United States
b. Japan e. Egypt
c. France
43. Mark Rothko wanted his paintings at the Rothko Chapel ________.
a. to be seen one at a time, never in groups together
b. to create an environment that transported the viewer beyond everyday reality
c. to be seen either in bright light or in total darkness, never in between
d. to exist entirely separately from the architecture in which it was housed
e. to avoid creating a contemplative environment for the viewer
44. Compare and contrast the interior decoration of two places of worship from this chapter: Mark
Rothko’s Chapel in Houston, Texas (4.2.16), and Bernini’s sculpture in the Cornaro Chapel,
Rome, Italy (4.2.8). How do both artists inspire devotion in visitors to these chapels? In your
response, consider the period in which these works were made and the audience they were created
for.
45. Choose three examples of art from this chapter that are related to spirituality. Consider in your
answer the imagery, the media used, and the relationship to the relevant ideas or concepts. How are
they similar? How are they different? What does spirituality mean to you? How has your definition
changed as a result of studying spiritual art in this chapter?