Art - CH 4
What distinguishes formal art criticism from other theories used to evaluate art?
It focuses primarily on the art object itself.
Why do many public buildings employ symmetrical balance in their designs?
Symmetrical balance suggests stability and permanence
Most artists want a balance of unity and variety because
that combination usually yields the most interesting compositions.
Why did Matisse believe that design was as important to a composition as facial expressions and gestures?
He believed that the arrangement of visual elements was necessary to create an expressive composition.
Why is it difficult to determine the cash value of artworks in museums?
They are outside the marketplace system and most will never be sold.
Which term refers to the organization of visual elements in a painting or a photograph?
composition
Critics using which critical approach might look first at environmental influences on the artist?
contextual
Which would receive highest praise in traditional Chinese art criticism?
conveying the spirit of an object
The examples of censorship discussed in the textbook demonstrate that judgments about artistic quality are often based on
cultural values
What distinguishes analysis from factual information or evaluation when writing about a work of art?
Analysis considers how different elements work together.
How does an artist's use of directional forces differ from the use of emphasis and subordination in a work of art?
Directional forces create a path around the work of art.
What reason did the Brooklyn Museum of Art use to successfully challenge censorship of Chris Ofili's Holy Virgin Mary?
Elephant dung is an art medium in certain African cultures.
What is the significance of Miller v. California?
It set standards for the censorship of art in the United States.
What caused the negative response to Impressionism by contemporary audiences in the nineteenth century?
It was so different from traditional painting
What distinguishes the use of balance in sculpture from its use in painting?
Sculpture must consider balance for structural purposes.
Why do many public buildings employ symmetrical balance in their designs?
Symmetrical balance suggests stability and permanence.
Which culture established the artistic standards held by the Aztecs in Mexico?
Toltec
Why is it possible for a small yellow form to balance a large blue form?
Warm colors appear heavier than cool colors.
Which question would be asked in an expressive theory about a work of art?
Who made it?
When writing about a work of art, which question would contribute most to your evaluation?
Why is it important?
Museums are interested in buying and exhibiting works that
embody high-quality standards determined by experts.
Artists use contrast, color intensity, position, and size to create
emphasis on a specific area of the work.
Which can be described as an "artist-centered" approach to evaluating a work of art?
expressive art criticism
The more variety in a work of art, the more the artist
has to introduce orderly elements.
What design goal does the inclusion of helicopters, cars, and hand grenades demonstrate in contemporary Afghan carpets?
pattern
Which is usually the easiest part of writing about a work of art?
providing factual information
What is the design principle for creating a neutral area that does not distract from the area of emphasis?
subordination
What can we best determine from the $179.4 million auction price for a cubist painting by Pablo Picasso?
the economic value of the painting when it was sold
Which element is necessary to create an all-over pattern in an artwork?
the repetition of a set of ordered elements
A person typically experiences scale in relation to
the size of his or her body.
Writing about a work of art should always include
the title and medium
What combination of lines provides stability in a composition?
vertical and horizontal lines
The cash value of a work indicates
what a buyer will pay at a given time.
What criteria did the Aztecs use to evaluate artistic quality?
whether it resembled art by a neighboring people
What was one type of art that was censored in Nazi Germany?
abstract art