Chapter 1: The Nature of Art and Creativity

What is one reason that people see art differently? A. Not everyone has 20/20 eyesight. B. People do not always look closely. C. People are easily confused about complex works. D. Looking at art is always an individual, subjective experience.

D. Looking at art is always an individual, subjective experience.

What is one way that Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of flowers like Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. V altered our perceptions of flowers? A. She abstracted the form and eliminated the details. B. She painted them in very naturalistic colors. C. She painted them in extreme detail. D. She painted them in their naturally occurring size.

A. She abstracted the form and eliminated the details.

What is the function of retablo paintings in Mexico and the American Southwest? A. They are a way to give thanks to God. B. They are records of cultural traditions and beliefs. C. They memorialize someone who has died after a serious illness. D. They are decorative features in buildings where rituals are held.

A. They are a way to give thanks to God.

How does Robin Rhode's He Got Game encourage viewers to be creative? A. Viewers must alter their habitual ways of looking to understand the photograph. B. Viewers must reorganize the multiple photographs to understand the meaning. C. Viewers may take the photographs home to share with their friends. D. Viewers are asked to draw pictures in chalk on Rhode's photographs.

A. Viewers must alter their habitual ways of looking to understand the photograph.

Which of the following terms best describes the ability to bring forth something new that has value? A. creativity B. representation C. experimentation D. talent

A. creativity

What is one factor that experts determined is universally common to children's drawings when they are six or younger? A. depicting the world in symbolic rather than realistic ways B. using crayons C. drawing animals D. making stick figures

A. depicting the world in symbolic rather than realistic ways

Which of the following activities would best be described as "seeing"? A. finding recognizable images in clouds B. viewing shared photographs of friends online C. window shopping while walking down the street D. flipping through pages of magazine ads

A. finding recognizable images in clouds

What was the struggle for Romare Bearden in the work Prevalence of Ritual: Tidings. 1967? A. how effectively he communicated and his need for creative expression B. balancing different photograph fragments C. lack of formal training D. experimenting with color

A. how effectively he communicated and his need for creative expression

Which aspect of Constantin Brancusi's The Kiss best demonstrates its abstraction? A. its geometric form B. its inspiration in nature C. its unpainted limestone surface D. its expression of the idea of love

A. its geometric form

What distinguishes the practice of seeing from that of looking? A. Seeing involves comparing different works. B. Seeing involves our memories, emotions, and imagination. C. People need more education to be able to correctly see. D. Seeing has to be done in front of the actual object.

B. Seeing involves our memories, emotions, and imagination.

A visual work of art is executed through the use of a medium and A. preliminary drawings. B. skill. C. innovation. D. passion

B. Skill

What statement best describes Janet Echelman's Her Secret Is Patience? A. The abstraction of formal elements suggests no specific content in the work. B. The formal elements and iconography together reinforce the content. C. The formal elements are most important in communicating the sculpture's content. D. Content is understood primarily through the iconography of the sculpture

B. The formal elements and iconography together reinforce the content.

Which of the following factors makes the Cameroon Chief 's Stool an example of abstract art? A. The stool is hand carved with no power tools. B. The proportions of the figures are exaggerated. C. The stool only has two colors. D. The stool was never meant to be used. It was a tribal decoration.

B. The proportions of the figures are exaggerated.

Which of the following is a trait of creative artists? A. They have no training but are remarkably insightful. B. They make connections across seemingly unrelated fields. C. They are educated in art schools, colleges, or university art departments. D. They demonstrate talent as little children.

B. They make connections across seemingly unrelated fields.

Who was the Philadelphia Wireman? A. a homeless man who created clothes and blankets from woven bits of wire B. an unknown artist who made sculptures from refuse and other objects C. an outsider artist who became famous through the public exhibition of his works in museums D. a man who used wire and other found materials to create monumental sculptures in his backyard

B. an unknown artist who made sculptures from refuse and other objects

The Abstraction of a Cow series represents Theo van Doesburg's A. dislike of organic forms. B. interest in simplification. C. preference for geometric shapes. D. preference for bright colors.

B. interest in simplification

What distinguishes visual creativity from other creative practices? A. the role of looking and close observation B. the use of images C. the originality of the artist D. the demonstration of artistic skills

B. the use of images

How does your textbook define a work of art? A. an image that evokes an emotional response B. the visual expression of an idea or experience C. anything that demonstrates human creativity D. an aesthetically pleasing object with no obvious function

B. the visual expression of an idea or experience

Which of the following is an example of a figurative work of art? A. René Magritte's La Trahison des Images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe) B. William Harnett's A Smoke Backstage C. Alana's Grandma D. Sabatino "Simon" Rodia's Nuestro Pueblo

C. Alana's Grandma

What is one consequence of professional training today in art schools, colleges, and university art departments? A. Artists have to have a college degree. B. Artists have to postpone exhibiting work until they graduate. C. Artists have more knowledge of historical and contemporary art history and alternate points of view. D. Artists have to learn to work in all media.

C. Artists have more knowledge of historical and contemporary art history and alternate points of view.

What is one reason that Echelman's choice of netting for Her Secret Is Patience contributes to the viewer's understanding and enjoyment of the work? A. Netting was an economical choice for a large public work. B. Netting was the only medium that could be dyed the colors the artist wanted. C. Netting is flexible and responds gracefully to the winds in Phoenix, so the work harmonizes with the city and forces of nature. D. Fabrics had never been used in large public works or art installations.

C. Netting is flexible and responds gracefully to the winds in Phoenix, so the work harmonizes with the city and forces of nature.

Which of the following is an example of outside art? A. Retablo (artist unknown) B. Wireman's Untitled (Watch Face) C. Rodia's Watts Towers D. Wallace's Peony quilt

C. Rodia's Watts Towers

Why do children often become less creative as they get older? A. They come to rely on symbolic imagery to communicate ideas. B. They come to use intuitive skills in drawing and composition. C. They come to doubt their creativity. D. They come to interpret things more personally

C. They come to doubt their creativity.

Nonrepresentational works focus the viewer's attention on A. unusual media. B. historical references. C. pure visual forms. D. symbolic messages.

C. pure visual forms.

Which of the following traits is associated with creative people today? A. stubbornness B. talent C. questioning D. intuition

C. questioning

Why is Nuestro Pueblo (Our Town) an example of outsider art? A. The artist used junk materials such as broken dishes, shells, and pipes. B. The artist did not use any power tools to make it. C. The artist had no formal training in making art. D. The artist worked independently of any tradition or style.

D. The artist worked independently of any tradition or style.

Which of the following factors is common to all trompe l'oeil paintings? A. They include figurative elements. B. They include text. C. They represent objects as life size. D. They are highly illusionist.

D. They are highly illusionist

What is one practical way to focus on a painting's form rather than its subject? A. Ask the artist about the work. B. Try to make a drawing of the painting. C. Read about the work in art history texts. D. Turn the painting upside down.

D. Turn the painting upside down.

Why have most trained artists historically been male? A. Women were thought to lack creativity B. Women held too many domestic responsibilities. C. Women were thought to lack talent. D. Women were denied apprenticeships.

D. Women were denied apprenticeships.

Which artists create work based primarily on cultural traditions and practices? A. child artists B. outsider artists C. untrained artists D. folk artists

D. folk artists

Iconography is most helpful to interpret A. line, shape, and color. B. the kind of media used. C. the authenticity of the work. D. how subjects, symbols, and motifs convey meaning.

D. how subjects, symbols, and motifs convey meaning.