Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation
and appreciation of beauty. Aesthetic objects can evoke a response inside us because they have
qualities of beauty or the power to make us think or feel.
(a) True
(b) False - Answers True
Fresco is a mural painting technique in which paint is applied on top of the dry plaster on walls or
ceilings.
(a) True
(b) False - Answers False
Which of the following statements about Michelangelo Buonarotti is false?
(a) Michelangelo's painting The Last Judgment depicts Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden of
Eden by an angel holding a sword.
(b) Michelangelo always considered himself to be a sculptor instead of a painter. His creative urge was
so powerful that when he went to the stone quarries and laid his hands on the blocks of marble, he
could see the art within and hear it crying out for him to release it.
(c) Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance artist who was so talented that he was given the nickname
"Il Divino" (the divine one) by his contemporaries in the art world. - Answers (a) Michelangelo's painting
The Last Judgment depicts Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden of Eden by an angel holding a
sword.
Which of the following statements about Vincent van Gogh is false?
,(a) Before becoming a painter, Van Gogh worked briefly as an art dealer and trained to become a
preacher. He was unsuccessful in his theological pursuits but spent some time as a missionary in a poor
area of Belgium.
(b) Vincent van Gogh was unsuccessful in selling his art works and was supported financially and
emotionally by his younger brother Theo, who sent him money for painting supplies, food, and lodging.
Much of what we know about Vincent comes from letters that he wrote to Theo.
(c) Van Gogh's painting The Potato Eaters was done in the light, airy style of Impressionism. Tragically, it
is now believed that Vincent died from a gunshot wound inflicted during a quarrel with his friend Paul
Gauguin over money. - Answers (c) Van Gogh's painting The Potato Eaters was done in the light, airy
style of Impressionism. Tragically, it is now believed that Vincent died from a gunshot wound inflicted
during a quarrel with his friend Paul Gauguin over money.
Which of the following statements is false?
(a) An aesthetic response is an internal, psychological response that can occur within viewers when they
are looking at an artwork.
(b) An artist may emphasize the dominance of certain images or objects within an artwork by making
them seem less visually powerful than the images surrounding them. Dominance can be created by
making an image smaller or hiding it among a group of background images.
(c) Symbols are visual images or even colors within a work of art that viewers may recognize and
associate with specific meanings. - Answers (b) An artist may emphasize the dominance of certain
images or objects within an artwork by making them seem less visually powerful than the images
surrounding them. Dominance can be created by making an image smaller or hiding it among a group of
background images.
Which of the following statements is false?
(a) The public approved of Eric Fischl's sculpture Tumbling Woman because it was a such a powerful
expression of the human loss and suffering that took during the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York.
Several additional copies of the sculpture were swiftly created and placed at various locations around
the city so that more people could view it.
, (b) Marcy Borders became known as the "Ash Woman" of 9/11 after an iconic photograph was
published of her, stricken with fear and covered in ashes as she tried to escape from the World Trade
Center during a terrorist attack in New York on September 11, 2001.
(c) Eric Fischl's Tumbling Woman reflected the horror of 9/11 and may have been symbolic of the
persons who chose to jumped from the towers of the World Trade Center and die on the sidewalks
below rather than be burned alive in the buildings they couldn't escape from. - Answers (a) The public
approved of Eric Fischl's sculpture Tumbling Woman because it was a such a powerful expression of the
human loss and suffering that took during the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York. Several additional
copies of the sculpture were swiftly created and placed at various locations around the city so that more
people could view it.
Placing a work of art into context means finding out about the historical, personal, and cultural
experiences and influences that surrounded and shaped the artist and their art throughout their life—
especially during the time period in which they created the artwork that you are looking at. Researching
context can give you clues about the meaning of an artwork because the influences upon the artist may
be reflected in the images found in their art.
(a) True
(b) False - Answers (a) True
Regarding the artist M.C. Escher and his graphic work Hand with Reflecting Globe (1935), which of the
following statements is false?
(a) In this artwork, the artist has used the technique of placement to emphasize objects in the picture
that have special significance. Examples of this would include the shelf of books near the man's head
and the portrait of a woman hanging high above on the wall.
(b) If we place this artwork into context, we discover that the theories of Sigmund Freud were very
popular during this time period and may have influenced this work. If so, the man sitting in the chair
could be a psychiatrist analyzing himself.