Art History Lecture Questions

When did the British first arrive in India?

16th century

When was the Republic of China founded?

1912

India gained independence from the British in what year?

1947

The British conceived of the Victoria Terminus as which of the following?

A cathedral to modernization

What did Courbet employ in the The Stone Breakers to convey the dismal nature of manual labor?

A palette of dirty browns and grays

Bernini places his sculpture Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in a setting that resembles what?

A theater

What art movement arose in the United States as a result of the emigration of European artists after World War II?

Abstract Expressionism

Jean-Paul Sartre saw the sculptures of which artist as embodying his philosophical theory of existentialism, which asserts the absurdity of human existence?

Alberto Giacometti

Who was the most renowned female painter of the 17th century Italy?

Artemisia Gentileschi

Which artistic movement arose out of the ideas of John Ruskin and William Morris, with their emphasis on producing functional objects with high aesthetic value?

Arts and Crafts

Which artist argued that art is truthful and photographs lie?

Auguste Rodin

Who of the following was responsible for the new layout of the city of Paris, begun in 1852, that is referenced in Caillebotte's Paris: A Rainy Day?

Georges Haussmann

Which leading patron and collector of modernist American art ultimately founded a museum to display her own collection?

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

Which best describes the plan of Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane?

Greek cross in oval

Bloodline: Big Family No. 2 references the Chinese governmental policy of restricting married couples in regard to what?

Having only one child

The Villa Savoye embodies Le Corbusier's theories about which genre of architecture?

Houses

Bernini's David differs from his predecessors by showing David in what moment?

In the heat of battle

Which of the following is the preferred medium for East Asian literati?

Ink on paper

Which of the following best describes the function of Performance Art?

It replaces traditional stationary artworks

The work of which artist exemplifies gestural abstraction?

Jackson Pollock

The artist whose work best spoke for the French Revolution was which of the following?

Jacques-Louis David

Which philosopher asserted that the human capacity for feeling, sensibility, and emotions came before reason?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Which aspect does Courbet's Burial at Ornans most resemble traditional history paintings?

Monumental size of the painting

Which of the following pairings represents the two worlds of Jaswant Singh as seen in his portrait?

Necklace bib of emeralds and Order of India

Viewing the art treasures of Italy on the Grand Tour played a major role in the rise of which movement?

Neoclassicism

The Thankful Poor by Tanner is an example of the typical Realist focus on what?

Ordinary people

What element of architecture did German architect Adolf Loos theorize was unnecessary and wasteful?

Ornamentation

The elongated limbs and torso of Ingres's Grande Odalisque can be linked to which earlier artist and style?

Parmigianino, Mannerism

Which 20th-century art movement sought to harness the communicative power of art to reach a wider audience?

Pop art

In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia, with its recognition of religious freedom, served to validate what?

Protestantism

Described as awe mixed with terror, the notion of the sublime had a role in which intellectual movement?

Romanticism

Which of the following is an example of the eclecticism that characterizes postmodernist architecture?

Seagram Building, New York

In her self-portrait, La Pittura, how does Artemisia Gentileschi break with earlier artist's self-portraits?

She is turned away from the viewer

Géricault's gigantic painting Raft of the Medusa, with its writhing, tortured bodies, is his commentary on which contemporary sociocultural situation?

Slavery

Extreme subjectivity and the wish to perceive a deeper reality were typical of which art movement?

Symbolism

In her photograph series, Cindy Sherman addressed the tradition in Western art that presents female beauty from which perspective?

The male gaze

What is the intended message of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks?

The pervasive loneliness of modern humans

What do art historians regard as the real subject of Monet's Rouen Cathedral: The Portal (in Sun)?

The sunlight on the portal

The results of the Spanish resistance to the invasion of their country by Napoleon's forces are highlighted in which painting by Goya?

Third of May, 1808

Which leader embraced neoclassicism because of its associations with virtues such as morality, idealism, and patriotism?

Thomas Jefferson

Who was a leading advocate of the Enlightenment in France?

Voltaire

Which of the following artists created large-scale, kinetic sculptures based on principles of engineering?

Alexander Calder

Which of the following influenced the development of modern Chinese art and architecture?

All of the Above

Joseph Kosuth's One and Three Chairs is an example of which art movement?

Conceptual art

Jasper Johns chose to paint his image of the American flag to express

his proclivity for things seen but not examined

Which movement was a major impetus for political, social, and economic change in the 18th century?

Enlightenment

What did Dadaists believe led to the destruction and loss of life of World War I?

Enlightenment ideals

What is the name of the early-20th-century movement that painted works of simplified design but shockingly bright coloration?

Fauvism

The breaking down of national stylistic boundaries is most evident in which contemporary art form?

Architecture

The Chrysler Building by William van Alen displays iconic elements of which style?

Art Deco

What style of the 1920s and 1930s had a universal application, to works ranging from buildings to jewelry and garments?

Art Deco

At the turn of the 20th century, artists who were viewed as being ahead of their time and who transgressed the limits of established art forms are referred to by what term?

Avant-garde

What art historical term describes Monet's practice of painting his works outdoors?

En plein air

During the Qing dynasty, what European group was invited to the imperial court?

Jesuit Missionaries

Which one of the following was generally considered to be the "Father of Modern Chinese architecture?"

Liang Sicheng

Which New York artist evolved in style to compositionally simple paintings in which color was the primary conveyor of meaning?

Mark Rothko

Which artist created Ashoka at Kalinga?

Meera Mukherjee

What was the occupation of the Qing court artist Lang Shining?

Missionary

The leading French sculptor of the later 19th century was which Realist artist?

Rodin

The aim of much Italian Baroque art was to restore the predominance of which group?

Roman Catholic Church

The Neoclassical follies and other monuments created for the estates of English country houses were part of which trend in landscape architecture?

The picturesque garden

What name did Richard Serra give to his project installed in the plaza of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York?

Titled Arc

Which of the following ideas was Vincent van Goghtrying to communicate in his Starry Night?

Vastness of the universe

Which monument by Maya Lin can be simultaneously called a work of Minimalist sculpture and a site-specific installation?

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The portrait of Jaswant Singh was created in which of the following media?

Watercolor on paper

Which following term refers to the painting genre created by Antoine Watteau in which the amusements and entertainments of the upper classes are depicted?

Fete galante

Whose highly personal work is often described as autobiographical because of her unflinching self-portrait portrayals, which give the viewer a glimpse into her suffering?

Frida Kahlo

The earthworks of Christo and Jeanne-Claude did not alter the land but rather did what?

Modified it with cloth

The last native Chinese dynasty was which of the following?

Qing

Who is the artist whose exhibit The Perfect Moment was canceled for its openly gay character?

Robert Mapplethorpe

A gathering of wealthy socialites in the first half of the 18th century in France would most likely take place in a room decorated with which style?

Rococo