Art Focused Quizzes 1-4

The Church of Ravenna is MOST known for its

Byzantium mosaic; The Church of Ravenna is in present-day Italy. It is most known for its shining mosaic walls

For which of the following reasons is Giorgione's Tempest notable?

It uses the landscape itself as its subject; Giorgione revolutionized the ay artists used the background of their works. He made the landscape the most important feature of his painting The Tempest, rendering the human subjects mere secondary details

Which of the following statements applies to King Tutankhamun's tomb?

It was cleverly hidden; King Tutankhamun's tomb was so cleverly hidden that it took years to find. Once it was discovered in 1922, the tomb's artifacts became world-famous

For which of the following reasons was Michelangelo hesitant to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

Pope Julius II had already cancelled one of Michelangelo's commissioned projects; Michelangelo was commissioned to design Pope Julius II's tomb, but the project was suddenly cancelled. Michelangelo was hesitant to accept another commission from the Pope when he was asked to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Raphael's School of Athens is located in the

Pope's official chambers; Raphael's School of Athens, which celebrates notable scientists and philosophers, is located in the Pope's official chambers. Raphael painted the fresco with the help of various assistants.

Through which of the following periods did Giorgio Vasari live?

Renaissance; Giorgio Vasari provided insight into the shifting roles of artists of the Renaissance period in his The Lives of Artists

Florentine artist Giotti di Bondone worked during the transition from Gothic to

Renaissance; Giotti di Bondone, a famous artist from Florence, Italy, worked during the transition from Gothic to Renaissance art, creating frescoes which cannot be identified definitively as belonging to one art style or the other

The Akkadians who took over the Sumerians in 2334 BCE were under the rule of King

Sargon; Sargon of Akkad supplanted the Sumerian culture with the Akkadian dynasty, replacing the focus on religion with an emphasis on monarchy

Which of the following terms BEST describes the coloring of mannerist art?

acidic; Mannerist art used acidic colors as well as other innovative distortions to perspective and scale. Tintoretto, a famous mannerist, chose not to use these acidic colors in his works.

What field of study developed participant observation?

anthropology; Participant observation is guided by anthropology as the culture behind the artwork is central to this method of contextual analysis

Before the Renaissance, patrons primarily viewed artists as

artisans; Before the Renaissance, artists were considered to be artisans, meaning they were not viewed as having a high level of skill. They were not seen as worthy of individual attention or elevation

Stonehenge's structures include smaller, indigenous stones known as

bluestones; Bluestones are stones which are indigenous to the Salisbury Plain region. They are smaller than the sarsen stones with which Stonehenge was constructed

The black outlines in cave paintings were primarily drawn using

charcoal; Cave painters used charcoal to create the dark outlines of their subjects, which provided a stark contrast to the yellow and red pigments of the paintings

Which of the following innovations allowed Romans to construct huge domed structures?

concrete; The Roman discovery of concrete allowed Roman builders to fill the space between stones. This stronger material allowed the Romans to construct larger domed buildings

Both the Etruscans and Mycenaeans

decorated their tombs; The Mycenaeans had elaborate tombs, which allowed the preservation of numerous objects. The Etruscans painted the walls and ceilings of their tombs.

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus was notable for its

depiction of female beauty; Botticelli's The Birth of Venus created a standard of female beauty which endured for centuries as the ideal female form.

How do art historians first analyze an art piece?

directly examining the work; The first step to the analysis of a work is to look at the work itself. Direct examination is ideal, but alternatives such as reproductions exist when it is not possible

To construct the massive dome of the Florence Cathedral, Filip Brunelleschi invented a

double-shelled dome; Brunelleschi invented the double-shelled dome, winning him first place in the contest to build the dome of the Florence Cathedral. Brunelleschi had previously come in second place in the competition to design the baptistry doors.

What did the Mycenaeans use to preserve numerous artifacts and objects?

elaborate tombs; The Mycenaeans built elaborate tombs, which allowed for many objects to be preserved.

Which of the following characteristics of Giotti di Bondone's works MOST set them apart from those of the Gothic period?

emotional expressions; Gothic art was much more flat, stylized, and unexpressive than the work which Giotti di Bondone produced. Giotti di Bondone's art, in contrast, was emotionally expressive

Compared to the Greek, the Romans made greater improvement in

engineering; The Romans made pioneering improvements in architecture and engineering. This allowed them to construct larger and sturdier buildings.

All the following elements contributed to the upward, soaring sense of a Gothic church EXCEPT

extra relief sculptures; Gothic churches have ribbed vaults and flying buttresses added in that allowed for larger stained glass windows and taller arches. Relief sculptures are not pertinent to the development of Gothic churches.

The Saint-Sernin and Chartres Cathedral both

featured stone vaults; Saint-Sernin is a Romanesque church, while Chartres Cathedral is a Gothic church. However, both churches utilize stone vaults in their designs

Cycladic culture was famous for its

female figures; While there are many unanswered questions about Cycladic art, its simplified, geometric, female figures are very appealing. In addition, decorated pottery pieces, including marble bowls are jars, are found.

The Venus of Willendorf is a famous

fertility figure; The Venus of Willendorf, standing less than five inches tall, is the most famous fertility figure of the Old Stone Age, and has exaggerated feminine features, including its breasts and stomach. The figure has no arms.

Which of the following images would MOST likely be on a Corinthian vase?

flowers; Corinthian styled vase sets figures against a floral, ornamented background. Athenian-style vases has black figures that are more linear and larger in scale.

Elements of art are most relevant to the discussion of

formal analysis; Formal analysis focuses on the visual qualities of a work of art by closely examining its "elements of art"

Masaccio most famously used Brunelleschi's linear perspective in his

frescoes; Masaccio put Brunelleschi's newly invented linear perspective into practice in his frescoes. Masaccio combined linear perspective with his own innovation: aerial perspective.

Which of the following techniques did Greek artists abandon during the Early Classical Period?

frontal postures; Significant advances were made in sculptural techniques during the Early Classical Period. One of the most obvious changes is the abandonment of stiff fontal postures.

Which of the following art forms is NOT found in Etruscan art?

gold jewelry; Etruscan art includes brick buildings, gabled roofs, bronze objects, and painted ceilings and walls of tombs. They are, however, not known for working with gold.

The best-known Mycenean objects are made of

gold; The best-known objects in Mycenean culture are made of gold. In addition, the Mycenaeans have demonstrated the use of relief sculpture.

Which of the following parts of human anatomy does cave art of the Old Stone Age contain?

hand; Outlines of hands have been discovered in the Chauvet cave Paintings of the Old Stone Age, providing further evidence that these paintings were the creations of skilled artists

Aesthetics is BEST defined as a

inquiry into the nature of beauty; Aesthetics are a branch of philosophy that deals with the question of what beauty is and how it can guide artistic taste

El Greco's Counter Reformation art, produced for the Catholic church, was

lavish; Dominikos Theotokopoulos, also known as El Greco, created lavish and opulent art for the church to help it fight against the more ascetic protestant style of the Reformation.

Archaic period Greeks created sculptures out of

limestone; During the Archaic period, the Greeks created sculptures carved in marble and limestone. These figures borrowed the frontal pose of the Egyptians but depicted human features more realistically.

The Palette of King Narmer was a ceremonial artifact used for

mixing cosmetics; The Palette of King Narmer is a cosmetic-mixing palette depicting King Narmer in a military victory over an enemy.

Which of the following animals is NOT depicted in the Chauvet Cave paintings?

monkey; The Chauvet Cave paintings depict many animals, including bison, mammoths, bears, lions, and horses. These images of animals were likely a part of a hunting ritual.

The winning design for the doors of the Florentine Baptistry in 1401 depicted the

sacrifice of Isaac; Lorenzo Ghiberti's design of the Florentine baptistry depicts Isaac's sacrifice, with Isaac appearing as a classic Greek figure

Which of the following contexts would LEAST help an art historian situate a work of art?

science; The subject of science is not as relevant to the discussion of an artwork's context as literature, music, theater, or history would be.

The Lives of Artists provides insight into the

shifting roles of artists in society; Vasari's The Lives of Artists is a compilation of biographies of Italian Renaissance artists. This text provides detailed accounts of the way artists worked in an era in which art and culture was booming. It also considered the concept of artistic genius

Which of the following body positions is used in the contrapposto?

shifting the weight to one foot; D Contrapposto, or counter positioning, was invented to highlight the body. It involves the figure posing with its weight shifted to one leg

The overlapping figures of simple perspective create an image MOST resembling a

stage; Giotti di Bondone pioneered the use of simple perspective, which allowed viewers to look into his scenes as if they were looking at a stage. The addition of even this most basic level of depth would have seemed very new to his contemporary viewers

Hierarchical representation emphasizes

status; Hierarchical representation depicts more important people as larger than other subjects of an artwork. For example, in the Palette of King Narmer, the King is the largest figure in the entire artwork.

King Hammurabi supposedly received inspiration for his law code from Shamash, the god of

sun; King Hammurabi is depicted as receiving inspiration for his law code from the sun-god Shamash in the engravings on the stone stele on which the Law Cod of Hammurabi is written.

Which of the following Mesopotamian societies produced the Law Code of Hammurabi?

the Babylonians; The Babylonian king Hammurabi produced the first known written law code, which is now on display engraved on a stone stele in the Louvre Museum.

Which of the following definitions BEST describes sfumato?

the blurring of outlines to allow forms to blend; Leonardo da Vinci's sfumato technique involves the blurring of outlines as if the viewer is seeing the image through a cloud of smoke. Da Vinci famously used the technique in one of his most famous paintings, Mona Lisa.

Comparative studies tend to emphasize

the chronological development of art; Comparative study is the examination of different works of art from different eras/movements to relate the changes in style to historical context

Which of the following events ended ancient Egyptian civilization in 332 BCE?

the invasion of Alexander the Great; C Alexander the Great's invasion of Egypt in 332 BCE effectively brought the Ancient Egyptian civilization to an end, leaving the world with such iconic relics as King Tutankhamun's tomb and Queen Nefertiti's portrait head.

The "heel-stone" of Stonehenge helps the viewer locate the sunrise on

the summer solstice; The heel-stone shows viewers standing in the center of Stonehenge where the sun will rise on the summer solstice.

What is the basic goal of art history?

understanding the meaning of art in its historical moment; At the very core of the subject, art historians seek to examine an artwork and its contextual circumstances to gain an insight into the past

Which of the following factors led to the creation of rock shelters in the Middle Stone Age?

warmer climates; Steadily warming climates enabled cave-dwellers to leave their caves and move around more freely, constructing rock shelters at the locations of their new settlements. Rock shelters of this kind have been discovered in eastern Spain

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the individual parts became

warring kingdoms; The fall of the Roman Empire severed the connection between parts of the empire. As a result, the empire became several warring kingdoms.

Minoan culture was centered around the island of

Crete; The Minoan culture is centered around the city of Knossos on the island of Crete. This is the place where the legend of Minotaur is supposed to have taken place.

Which of the following bronze sculptures was the first free-standing nude sculpture cast since antiquity?

David; Donatello's David, which draws significant inspiration from works of classical antiquity, was the first free-standing nude sculpture cast since antiquity at the time of tis creation

Which of the following Renaissance artists would BEST be described as the father of modern sculpture?

Donatello; Donatello is regarded as the father of modern sculpture in part because of his innovations in naturalism and expression in his sculptures

Which philosophical movement MOST strongly influenced modern art history?

Enlightenment; The Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement that influenced modern art history. People during this time regained an interest in Classical era works, drawing influence from them.

Who wrote The Lives of Artists

Giorgio Vasari; Giorgio Vasari was an author and artist who put together The Lives of Artists during the Renaissance. This is one of the first examples of contextual analysis in art history.

Why did Romanesque churches have small window and door openings?

Heavy stone arches were used; Romanesque churches use a tunnel of arches to form a barrel vault. These heavy stone arches only allowed for small windows and door openings.

For which of the following reasons was Michelangelo's David larger than life-size?

It is intended to be viewed from far below; Michelangelo's David was supposed to be displayed high on the Florence Cathedral's façade, so it would have been viewed from far below. It therefore had to be larger than life-sized in order to not appear to be too small

Who FIRST emphasized a rigorous study of stylistic development in art analysis?

Johann Joachim Winkelmann; Johann Joachim Winkelmann was a German scholar who transitioned away from Vasari's style of contextual analysis to interweave the shifting art movements into his analysis

Which of the following sculptures was created during the Hellenistic Period?

Laocoӧn Group; Notable works during the Hellenistic Period include Venus de Milo and Laocoӧn Group. They are thought of as masterworks designed to present ideals of beauty.

Which of the following artists won the 1401 competition to design the doors of Florence's new baptistry?

Lorenzo Ghiberti; Lorenzo Ghiberti's winning design for the doors of the Florentine baptistry was so beautiful that Michelangelo described the doors as the "Gates of Paradise."

Which of the following statements does NOT accurately describe the Medieval Age?

Most of the books were preserved in libraries; The production of the books was confined to monasteries because only the noble class and clergymen were taught to read. The books were so valuable they were chained to the desks

Which text did Pliny the Elder write?

Natural History; The Roman historian Pliny the Elder was one of the first individuals to analyze past and present works of art in his Natural History.

The rings and rows of stones discovered in Western Europe are MOST associated with the

Neolithic Period; The Neolithic Period, or New Stone Age, produced art like the famous Stonehenge in England. These rings of stones were often very large, and the stones themselves are known as "megaliths".

The Chauvet Cave paintings were created during the

Old Stone Age; The Chauvet Cave paintings date back to 30,000 BCE, which places them in the Old Stone Age or Upper Paleolithic Period

Who destroyed the original Parthenon?

Persians; The Parthenon was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE and restored in 447 BCE. Its use of columns became a principal feature of Western architecture for thousands of years

Which of the following statements would a modern art historian NOT support?

The standard by which art is judged has become inflexible; As art styles continue to evolve and change with time, art historians cannot judge a Renaissance work by the same standards an Abstract Expressionist painting. Furthermore, the definition of art has not become more exclusive, but inclusive today. Works such as movie posters and TV imagery are considered art.

How do modern historians learn about Greek sculptures during the Early Classical Period?

They reference surviving Roman copies; Although not much of the sculpture from Early Classical Period survived, Roman copies provided historians with many information on these ancient works.

Which of the following explanations BEST accounts for the emphasis on Western rather than non-Western art in art history?

Western art has been better preserved; Western art has been better preserved than the arts of cultures from more harsh environments. Additionally, much of Western art has been discovered, whereas the art of other cultures has been left unexplored.

Nearest which city is Stonehenge located?

Wiltshire; Stonehenge, a stone structure characteristic of the Neolithic Period, is located on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England.

Which of the following items would typically NOT be part of contextual analysis?

a reproduction of the work of art; Contextual analysis involves examining the external circumstances around a piece of art. Aspects such as culture, religion, and economy are considered in this type of analysis. Observing a reproduction would be an example of formal analysis as the focus is on the artwork itself rather than its context

The primary assumption in formal analysis is that the

a work's meaning rests on an artist's choice of visual qualities; Formal analysis operates on the assumption that the meaning of a work of art is directly related to its visual qualities. As such, formal analysis is dependent on an art historian's observation skills for a proper study of the piece

Which of the following adjectives CANNOT be used to describe Roman relief sculptures?

naturalistic; Romans created relief sculptures for colossal arches, but also created relief sculptures for funerary purposes. The sculptures can be either purely decorative or biographical, but they are generally NOT naturalistic

The Minotaur's maze was most likely a(n)

palace; The Minotaur is a creature who devoured anybody that enters his maze. The maze is a sprawling palace complex that has since been excavated

Which of the following innovations contributed MOST to the advent of the Renaissance in Italy?

paper money; The introduction of paper money allowed the economy to grow to the point that families like the Medicis could amass considerable wealth. Such families became consistent patrons of the arts, supporting the sudden growth of the industry

What method of contextual analysis involves direct involvement in art traditions?

participant observation; C Participant observation involves the act of actively participating in the traditions that the artwork of interest originates from. An example would be participating in a Japanese tea ceremony to gather more contextual information about the traditions of that region.

Titian Vecelli was a famous

portraitist; Titian Vecelli famously added background elements to his portraiture. His use of specific background elements like columns and curtains established a style of portraiture which has remained in use for centuries

"Fine art" does NOT include

pottery; Pottery making for a long time was seen more as a craft to produce functional items rather than art. The other four options were long established as art and thus held their place as "fine art" for hundreds of years.

Which of the following art forms is NOT associated with the Minoans?

prints; The Minoan created statues, fresco paintings, pottery designs, and major palaces. However, there is not a significant amount of prints left behind.

Which of the following disciplines(psychology, anthropology, sociology, aesthetics, art criticism) is LEAST closely related to art history?

psychology; The subjects of anthropology, sociology, art criticism, and aesthetics are all directly related to art history. While psychology is arguably also related to art, it would be related in a more indirect manner.

Which of the following factors was the central aspect of Mesopotamian Sumerians' lives?

religion; Sumerians' lives focused primarily on religion. This is why Sumerians built ziggurats, which were large religious structures that functioned as temples.

Traditional art history contains a bias towards all of the following groups EXCEPT

woman; Traditional art history reflects a bias towards white men as that demographic of people generally held the authority in its development throughout history.

Which of the following materials would NOT endure in the climate of West Africa?

wood fiber; Natural materials like wood fibers are less likely to survive for long periods. Especially in the humid climate of West Africa, art made of materials like wood fibers does not survive as well as materials like stone, metal, or clay.

Which of the following adjectives does NOT describe Germanic ornamentations?

wooden; The Germanic people focused on metal art using gold, silver, and bronze. However, wooden ships of the Vikings also contain detailed carvings.