Introduction to art history quiz
Why is knowing an object's chronology so important for the study of art history?
Without its age or date, scholars cannot place it in its proper historical context
Match each art term with its appropriate definition. 1. Composition 2. Medium 3. Technique 4. Plane 5. Contour Line
_4__ A flat surface __3__ The processes employed by an artist to create form, or the distinctive way they handle their materials and tools __5__ In art, the use of line to define the shapes of an object __2__ The material with which or of which an artwork is made __1__ The way in which an artist arranges the parts or components of an artwork
Match each architectural term with its appropriate definition. 1. Plan 2. Lateral Section 3. Longitudinal Section 4. Elevation 5. Cutaway
1 A drawing or diagram showing the horizontal arrangement of the parts of an architectural feature on the ground 3 A drawing or diagram representing part of a building along an imaginary plane that passes through it vertically, cutting through the building's length 5 A drawing or diagram that combines an exterior view with an interior view of part of the building 4 A drawing or diagram showing a head-on view of an external or internal wall 2 A drawing or diagram representing part of a building along an imaginary plane that passes through it vertically, cutting a slice through the building's width
Match each form of sculpture with the technique to which it belongs. 1. Additive Sculpture 2. Subtractive Sculpture
1 Molding 2 Relief Sculpture 1 Casting 2 Carving
Match each art history term with its appropriate definition. . Genre 2. Narrative 3. Landscape 4. Still Life 5. Portraiture
1 Pictorial art that depicts a scene of daily life 2 Pictorial art that depicts a religious, historical, mythological or other story 5 Pictorial art that depicts a recognizable individual or group of individuals 4 Pictorial art that depicts an arrangement of inanimate objects 3 Pictorial art that depicts a place or natural setting
Match each art history term with its appropriate definition. 1. Attribution 2. Connoisseur 3. Patron 4. Commission
1 The assignment of a work to a maker or makers 3 The person or entity that pays an artist to produce individual works or on an ongoing basis 2 An expert in assigning works to one artist rather than any other, or more generally, an expert on artistic style 4 To hire an artist, or the specific contract between a patron and artist for the creation of a work
Match each art history term with its appropriate definition 1. Chronology 2. Terminus Post Quem 3. Terminus Ante Quem 4. Provenance
__4__ The origin or source of an artwork __3__ "Point Before Which;" in art history, the latest possible date for an artwork, or the "point before which" it was made __2__ "Point After Which;" in art history, the earliest possible date for an artwork, or the "point after which" it was made __1__ In art history, the dating of art objects and buildings
Which of the following statements is the most significant for art historians' understanding that Augustus's role as patron was much more important for determining the appearances of his portrait sculptures than the individual artists who actually executed the commissions?
Across his forty-year reign and throughout the empire, portraits of Augustus never show signs of aging and all display a similar, idealized face
In which of the following artworks did the artist employ the device of personification to visually depict abstract concepts or ideas?
Albrecht Dürer, "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," ca. 1498
Which of the following terms is used for the establishment of a system of mathematical ratios for the proper depiction of the human figure?
Canon of Proportions
"Illusionistic Space" most often refers to architecture because it means space that a viewer can physically enter.
False
A statue is different from a bust in that a statue only depicts the head, shoulders and chest of a figure.
False
Art history is a fundamentally objective discipline that is not impacted by any inherent assumptions, presuppositions, or prejudices that the art historian may have based on their own cultural context.
False
Artistic conventions of perspective used to depict convincing illusions of space in art are universal to all cultures and artistic traditions.
False
Because Ogata Korin's painting "Waves at Matsushima" does not use all the perspective techniques of western art tradition and looks so flat, art historians consider it to be of inferior quality to western works such as Peter Paul Rubens' "Lion Hunt."
False
Composition refers to an object's shape and structure, whereas Form refers to how an artist organizes the elements within an artwork.
False
Proportion concerns the size relationships among parts of an object, person, or structure, whereas Scale refers to the relative size between two different objects.
False
Proportional systems or ratios for the proper depiction of the human figure are constant across all cultures and time periods.
False
Regional Style refers to the characteristic artistic manner of a specific era, whereas Period Style is the term used to describe variations tied to geography.
False
Scale concerns the size relationships among parts of an object, person, or structure, whereas Proportion refers to the relative size between two different objects.
False
The identity of an object's maker is of prime importance in art history because the artist was always solely responsible for deciding the appearance of their work throughout history.
False
The modern artistic practice of making an artwork in a private studio and selling it after the fact in commercial galleries was a commonplace across all historical periods of art production.
False
There are many types of texture in art, including the Represented Texture of an object (what it actually feels like) versus the True Texture, or that which is merely depicted by the image itself.
False
Which of the following terms is used for the technique of enlarging the most important or significant elements of an image?
Hierarchy of Scale
Under which of the following circumstances would documentary evidence be most reliable for helping to determine the date of an art object?
If the dated written documentation specifically mentions the artwork
Which of the following is not a traditional classification used by art historians for the works they study?
Industrial arts
On what kind of evidence do connoisseurs usually base their attributions of anonymous artworks to one or another artist?
Internal evidence such as the distinctive way the artist depicts small details
Why is the comparison between the interior views of the contemporary Gothic churches at Beauvais, France (Figure I-3) and Santa Croce in Florence, Italy (Figure I-4), shown here, so important for the study of art history? (Select all that apply)
It demonstrates that even within the same geographic region (Europe) at about the same time in history, considerable artistic variations are possible. It demonstrates that the overall style of each building could differ dramatically even when both structures used the pointed arch form in their design. It demonstrates that significant differences in style do not necessitate that objects served different purposes, since these two look very different but both served the same religious function.
Which of the following statements best explains why the figure of the king on the "Altar to the Hand (Ikegobo)" from Benin, Nigeria is depicted with a disproportionately large head?
It was a mark of his importance because one of the ruler's praise names was "Great Head."
What is the symbolic significance of the balance or scales seen in Figure I-7 Gislebertus's depiction of the "Last Judgment" on the west tympanum of Saint-Lazare at Autun, France, shown here?
Justice: Souls are "weighed" to determine whether they are worthy to enter Heaven
Which of the following statements offers an accurate comparison between Figure I-12 Ogata Korin's "Waves at Matsushima" and Figure I-13 Peter Paul Rubens' "Lion Hunt," shown here? (Select all that apply)
Korin uses the perspective technique of relative size to suggest that the rocky outcropping at the far left, depicted as smaller than the other two, is farther away from the viewer's position than the others. Both painters were working in their own aesthetic traditions that sought to depict the visible world in art. Rubens uses the perspective technique of foreshortening to suggest that some of the figures, especially the gray horse at left and the man laying on the ground at lower right, are extending back into space.
Which of the following is not a research question typically asked by art historians?
None of the other options
Which of the following terms applies to the distinctive manner of an individual artist or architect, which can sometimes change across a long career?
Personal Style
Which of the following types of evidence is the most unreliable criterion for dating an artwork?
Stylistic evidence
The range of works that art historians study is constantly expanding and now includes such intangible forms as performance art.
true
Match each art term with its appropriate definition 1. Additive Light 2. Subtractive Light 3. Secondary Color 4. Complementary Color
2 Artistic or painter's light, the color of which is seen through the loss of wavelengths reflected off the pigments in an object 3 Color created through the combination of two primary colors 4 Color created through the combination of one primary color and a mixture of the other two 1 Natural light or sunlight, the color of which is seen through the accumulation of all wavelengths
Match each form of perspective with its appropriate definition. 1. Foreshortening 2. Relative Size 3. Linear Perspective 4. Atmospheric Perspective
2 The manipulation of an object's dimensions in a two-dimensional artwork to give the appearance that it is either closer to or farther away from the viewer's position 1 The depiction of an object at an angle to the flat picture plane of a two-dimensional artwork so that it appears to extend or recede back into space 3 The use of converging diagonal lines in a two-dimensional artwork to give the appearance that an object extends or recedes back into space 4 The manipulation of the color intensity, sharpness or haziness of objects in a two-dimensional artwork to give the appearance that they are far away from the viewer's position
Match each art term with its appropriate definition. 1. Composition 2. Medium 3. Technique 4. Plane 5. Contour Line
2 The material with which or of which an artwork is made 4 A flat surface 1 The way in which an artist arranges the parts or components of an artwork 5 In art, the use of line to define the shapes of an object 3 The processes employed by an artist to create form, or the distinctive way they handle their materials and tools
Match each art term with its appropriate definition. 1. Freestanding Sculpture 2. Bas Relief 3. High Relief
3 Images projecting substantially or boldly from a background of which they are a part 1 Images carved or molded in three-dimensions 2 Images projecting only slightly away from a background of which they are a part
Match each type of artistic style with its appropriate definition. 1. Period Style 2. Regional Style 3. Personal Style 4. School Style
3 The distinctive aesthetic characteristics that can be linked to a specific artist or architect, often used to explain stylistic discrepancies between artworks originating from the same time or place 1 The distinctive aesthetic characteristics of a specific era, usually within a specific culture 4 The distinctive aesthetic characteristics shared among a group of artists working in the same time and place 2 The distinctive aesthetic characteristics that relate to geographic origin
Match each art history term with its appropriate definition. 1. Iconography 2. Symbol 3. Personification 4. Attribute
3 The rendering in bodily form of an abstract idea 1 The distinctive identifying aspect of a person, for example, an object held, associated animal or mark on the body 4 The writing of images;" in art history, refers both to the content of an artwork as well as its study, particularly the study of symbols 2 An image that stands in for another image or idea
Match each art term with its appropriate definition. Match each art term with its appropriate definition.
3__ The property of color that distinguishes degrees of purity or intensity, such as brightness or dullness __1__ The property of color that distinguishes one from another and gives each its name __2__ The property of color that distinguishes degrees or tones of lightness or darkness
Match each type of art historical evidence with its appropriate definition. 1. Physical Evidence 2. Documentary Evidence 3. Internal Evidence 4. Stylistic Evidence
4 An important yet subjective method to date an artwork, relying on an art historian's ability to analyze the distinctive manner of producing an object and relating that to other evidence. 2 A reliable way to document an artwork's age when the source contains specific identifying information, such as a record of the patron's commission of or payment for the work. 1 The most reliable way to document an artwork's age, this type of evidence considers the material used to make the object. 3 A somewhat reliable way to document an artwork's age, this method depends upon the art historian's ability to read visual clues and link them to other historical information.
Match each art history term with its appropriate definition
4__ The origin or source of an artwork __3__ "Point Before Which;" in art history, the latest possible date for an artwork, or the "point before which" it was made __1__ In art history, the dating of art objects and buildings __2__ "Point After Which;" in art history, the earliest possible date for an artwork, or the "point after which" it was made
Which of the following statements offers an accurate comparison between John Henry Sylvester's and Te Pehi Kupe's representations of the same subject, Te Pehi Kupe, (Figure I-19 left and right), shown here? (Select all that apply)
Sylvester executed the portrait according to the prevalent artistic tradition of 19th-century Europe that emphasized the naturalistic representation of figures in contemporary clothing, depicted to be recognizable to any passing viewer. Kupe executed his self-portrait from a desire to emphasize the symbolic meaning of his tattoos instead of naturalistic representation because they represent his rank and status. The apparent difference in visual style demonstrates that each artist approached the subject from very different, culturally-specific, points of view.
By what visual means did Claude Lorrain create a convincing illusion of three-dimensional space in his two-dimensional painting "Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba," Figure I-1, shown here? (Select all that apply)
The sun in the center of the canvas and a building tucked behind trees at the middle right are depicted with indistinct details and an overall haziness that suggest their great distance from the viewer's position. The top and bottom of the port building at the far right are not parallel but formed by diagonal lines that appear to recede into the distance. The rowboats at the dock are shown much bigger on the canvas than the sailing ships in the harbor to suggest that the sail ships are much farther away from the viewer's position. The Roman ruins along the left side of the canvas are depicted using exacting detail based on close observation of reality.
What is Formal Analysis?
The visual analysis of artistic form
How were each of The Four Evangelists identified for viewers of the manuscript illumination in Figure I-8, Folio 14 Verso of the "Aachen Gospels," shown here?
Their iconographic attributes appear just above each of their heads
What was the aesthetic objective of the artist who made the relief of Hesire for his tomb at Saqqara in Ancient Egypt?
To present the various human body parts as clearly as possible
"Iconography" refers both to the content of an artwork as well as the study of that content.
True
A central aim of art history is to determine the original context of artworks.
True
A statue is different from a bust in that a bust only depicts the head, shoulders and chest of a figure.
True
All modes of artistic production can reveal the impact of patronage on the object's appearance and function.
True
Although it no longer dominates the field the way it once did, stylistic analysis is still an important aspect of the study of art history.
True
An art historian can attribute an anonymous artwork to one or another artist through careful analysis of its style
True
Art historians know that they can never be truly objective and must take steps to acknowledge the existence of inherent assumptions, presuppositions, or prejudices from their own cultural context.
True
Art historical study in the 21st century is typically interdisciplinary in nature, and requires the intersection of multiple fields of knowledge
True
Art history is different from art appreciation because the study of art history requires knowledge of the historical contexts of artworks and buildings.
True
Even without knowing an artwork's maker or considering its style, an informed viewer can determine much about its period and provenance by iconographical and subject analysis alone.
True
Form refers to an object's shape and structure, whereas Composition refers to how an artist organizes the elements within an artwork.
True
Period Style refers to the characteristic artistic manner of a specific era, whereas Regional Style is the term used to describe variations tied to geography
True
Stylistic analysis still dominates the study of art history just as it did when the discipline first began.
True
The modern artistic practice of making an artwork in a private studio and selling it after the fact in commercial galleries is an exceptional situation that does not represent the majority of historical periods of art production.
True
The type of art historian who can most reliably attribute an artwork based on style alone is called a connoisseur.
True
There are many types of texture in art, including the True Texture of an object (what it actually feels like) versus the Represented Texture, or that which is merely depicted by the image itself.
True
When an artist depicts people, places, or actions in their art, viewers must identify these features in order to achieve a complete understanding of the work.
True