CLEP Humanities : Analyzing the Content of Nineteenth-Century 2D Visual Art

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Content Of 2 D Visual Art

Matthew-brady-antietam-1024x713

The above photo is taken from what conflict?

Possible Answers:

The Napoleonic Wars

The American Civil War

The Franco-Prussian War

The Mexican American War

The Spanish American War

Correct answer:

The American Civil War

Explanation:

During the American Civil War, the medium of photography was still relatively new, having only been invented a few decades before the outbreak of war in 1861. The photographer Matthew Brady was the pioneering figure in developing photography throughout the war. By capturing war in the realistic medium of photography, Brady both helped people see war in a different manner and appreciate the possibilities of photography.

Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Content Of Nineteenth Century 2 D Visual Art

Who was the French artist who spent the last years of his life living in Polynesia and painting its inhabitants?

Possible Answers:

Vincent van Gogh

Édouard Manet

Paul Cézanne

Henri Matisse

Paul Gauguin

Correct answer:

Paul Gauguin

Explanation:

Paul Gauguin was an important Post-Impressionist whose early work experimented with color and symbolism, but Gauguin's work took on a new form after visiting Tahiti in the 1880s. Gauguin began capturing the culture of Polynesia and started using symbols of Polynesia and images of Polynesians themselves in his art. In the 1890s, he permanently moved to the island of Punaauia in French Polynesia, and painted more and more symbolic paintings that played with color and structure.

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