Art: Introduction To Art History

aesthetics

the study of beauty or good taste; anything related to the study of beauty or good taste

composition

the way an artist organizes forms (lines, shapes, etc.) in an artwork, either by placing shapes on a flat surface or by arranging forms in space

contour line

a perceived line that describes three-dimensional form

line

in art, a technique for defining shape, also used to create a sense of depth

oeuvre

(pronounced "uhvrr") � a work of art; the sum of the lifework of an artist, writer, or composer

patron

generally a wealthy person who pays an artist to create a work of art; throughout much of history artists could not have survived without "patronage

personification

giving human characteristics to something that is not human

perspective

a method of presenting an illusion of the three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface

proportion

the relationship of one part of a person, building, or object to another; for example the size of a statue's head in relationship to the rest of the body

symbol

an object or word or gesture that represents something else

We can agree that art is all of the following

visual � can be seen
tangible � can be touched
manufactured � is consciously made for some purpose

An art historian does all of the following except _____.

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Which of the following is a question that an art historian would ask when doing his work?

When was the work created?
How did the artist come to create the work?
What is the subject?
Was there a patron who commissioned the work?
Who were the artist's teachers?
Who was the audience?
Who did the artist influence?
Was the artist's oeuvre shaped by

When an art historian looks at the formal elements, he is examining _____.

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If you paid an artist to paint a picture of your dog for your living room wall, she might consider you her _____.

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The style of a particular work may tell us all of the following except _____.

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If an artist were trying to represent the concept of "liberty" through personification, the artist would paint _____.

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When we look at objects in a painting for their symbolic values, we are using which approach?

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All of the following are examples of materials except _____.

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