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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
The Renaissance painting style of Mannerism was defined by all of the following EXCEPT __________.
naturalism in movement
strict compositional forms
highly intellectual approach to art
artificial constructions and poses
naturalism in movement
Mannerism was essentially the second wave of Renaissance painting, being most prevalent in the second half of the sixteenth century. Mannerism took many of the Renaissance values of clarity and formal achievement and pushed them even further. In the works of artists such as Tintoretto, El Greco, and Giambologna created highly stylized, formal works that were paragons of mannerism.
Example Question #2 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
The term chiaroscuro indicates that a painting features __________.
a use of bright colors
an attempt to make a painting look three-dimensional
a strong contrast between dark and light shades
a pose of unnatural dimensions
a strong contrast between dark and light shades
Chiaroscuro is a technique developed in the Italian Renaissance that created extremely strong contrasts between light and dark shades in a painting for dramatic purposes. While early Renaissance artists like Botticelli were notable for its use, it reached its apex in the seventeenth century in works by artists such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt van Rijn.
Example Question #3 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
In late-Medieval and early-Renaissance art, the image of an angel visiting the Virgin Mary before Jesus' Birth is known as __________.
the Annunciation
the Pietá
the Assumption
the Immaculate Conception
the Annunciation
In the Christian Bible, in the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary to inform her that she will give birth to the Messiah and name him Yeshua (or Jesus). Known as the Annunciation, it was one of the most popular subjects of late-medieval and early-Renaissance art, as it highlighted Mary's virginity while also reflecting her humanity in the circumstance.
Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Renaissance 2 D Visual Art
Medieval European art lacked which element that was developed in the Renaissance?
Bright colors
Vanishing-point Perspective
Religious subjects
Patronage
Portraits
Vanishing-point Perspective
Using newly found mathematical principles in their artwork, Renaissance artists were able to create perspective in Western painting for the first time. Vanishing-point perspective, which creates lines of sight that reflect the depth seen in reality, allowed for portraiture, religious subjects, and other works to be seen in new ways. Coupled with new scientific knowledge and an increasing use of dark colors and shadows, Renaissance art created new perceptions of artwork.
Example Question #5 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
In medieval religious art, a painting depicting the Madonna and Child feature which biblical figures?
Abraham and Sarah
The Risen Christ and Mary Magdalene
The Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus
John the Baptist and Jesus Christ
Satan and the Whore of Babylon
The Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus
Among the most important and widely painted images in Medieval art were depictions of the Madonna and Child. These paintings, depicting the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, were meant to show the two holiest figures in Medieval Catholicism to the illiterate believers of the church in the middle ages.
Example Question #6 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
A medieval painting composed of three separate pieces is known as a __________.
trilogy
triptych
portrait
diptych
landscape
triptych
A triptych, from Greek words meaning "three fold," was often placed at the altar of medieval and early modern European churches. The paintings allowed for three separate scenes to be shown in one place, which allowed both the artist to depict three related topics and show the viewer a larger scene than one panel would allow. Triptychs were largely used for religious topics in the middle ages, but have remained a popular style up to the present day.
Example Question #7 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
Which of the following pieces is an example of a polyptych?
The Well of Moses
The Ghent Altarpiece
Saint Anthony Tormented By Demons
The Portinari Altarpiece
The Ghent Altarpiece
The Ghent Altarpiece consists of a set of folding panels and is thus called a polyptych. The Portinari Altarpiece has three panels and is therefore considered a triptych. The Well of Moses is a sculpture. St. Anthony Tormented By Demons is an engraving.
Example Question #4 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
Which of these terms describes the hazy, smoky lighting that creates distance between the viewer and the subject?
Chiaroscuro
Sfumato
Tenebrism
Ignudi
Sfumato
Sfumato was a High Renaissance lighting technique used by artists like Leonardo da Vinci to produce distance between the viewer and the subject of a painting. Chiaroscuro refers to the transition between light to dark in a Renaissance painting. Tenebrism is the Baroque-era contrast between shadows and light that was used by artists like Caravaggio. Ignudi is the Italian term for nude figures in Renaissance art.
Example Question #9 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
Which term refers to the style of painting that involves applying pigments with water to freshly plastered walls?
Mural
Mosaic
Graffiti
Illuminated
Fresco
Fresco
Artists create frescoes by painting pigments on walls while the plaster is still drying. "Illuminated" refers to decorated texts, often early religious manuscripts or other important texts. Mosaics are made by using hard materials, not paints, and graffiti art does not require a wet or drying wall. "Mural" is too broad to be the right answer.
Example Question #10 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art
All of the following artists' paintings are notable for their use of chiaroscuro except ______________.
Leonardo da Vinci
Rembrandt
Peter Paul Rubens
Andy Warhol
Caravaggio
Andy Warhol
"Chiaroscuro" refers to a technique that makes two-dimensional shapes seem three-dimensional. Artists do this by simulating light and shadow. It is a technique commonly employed by Renaissance and Baroque artists, but less commonly seen in the Pop Art that Warhol specialized in.
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