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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
Ancient Mayan murals were most commonly created as __________.
elaborate woodcarvings
plaster frescoes
glass mosaics
tempera paintings
plaster frescoes
Only a handful of ancient Mayan murals survive to the present day, but they all are massive plaster frescos usually found in archaeological sites. The giant murals at Bonakmal depict the court life of an ancient Mayan king in great detail. The paintings were done quite quickly, as they had to be completed before the plaster dried.
Example Question #2 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
Pre-Columbian art was often a cultural expression of world views, religion, philosophy, and the sciences, because many Pre-Columbian civilizations did not have __________.
a strong leader
None of the other answers is correct.
verbal communication
a patriarchal society
a system of writing
a system of writing
Pre-Columbian societies often did not have a system of writing, so for much of their histories, the visual arts was their primary source of communication and record keeping, along with word-of-mouth record-keeping and day-to-day verbal conversation.
Example Question #3 : 2 D Art Beyond European Artistic Traditions
The majority of early Mexican colonial art was __________________ in style, employing little dynamism and movement, and muted colors; however, the addition of small details like corn, cacao, and other characteristics of life in the Americas gave these works of art a distinct _____________________ feel.
European . . . European
indigenous . . . indigenous
indigenous . . . European
European . . . Spanish
European . . . indigenous
European . . . indigenous
The early art of the colonial Americas (namely Mexico) was derived from the European artistic principles that the Spanish brought with them to New Spain (what is now Mexico). When the native settlers of New Spain began to paint using such European principles, they also added details that they could relate to, such as crops native to the Americas, or imagery from the folklore of their culture. These additions gave their paintings a unique indigenous appearance.
Example Question #4 : 2 D Art Beyond European Artistic Traditions
Why did Mexican artworks preserve outdated European artistic trends?
Mexican artists were trained using important engravings of European works
Mexicans were forced by Spain to paint using older European techniques and trends, so that they would not catch up to European sophistication and intellect
Mexican artists were more inspired by the religious works of European history, given their newfound Catholicism
Mexican artists preferred older methods of European art, as those trends were more appealing to indigenous culture
None of these
Mexican artists were trained using important engravings of European works
Mexican painters were trained using imported European copies and engravings of popular paintings and other works. Therefore, by the time they mastered the techniques they were studying from the engravings and copies, the trends featured had already gone out of style.
Example Question #471 : 2 D Art
The ______________ was a system of racial classification and hierarchy used by the Spanish elites of New Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries. This system inspired a series of artwork to be used as a reference, due to its complexity.
Auto-de-fes
Criollo
Casta
Inquisition
Mestizaje
Casta
The Casta was a system of racial hierarchy used in New Spain and also in the Philippines during and after the Inquisition, based on perceived blood purity. It was determined by birth. Those with darker features had fewer opportunities, as did their children after them.
Example Question #2 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
This painting is from the late 18th century in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. Its purpose is ________________________.
to discourage racial mixing in the Spanish colonies of the Americas
to explain to the illiterate the extra taxes that would be levied on any mixed race couple
to promote racial mixing in the colonies as a way to unite the two cultures
None of these
to illustrate the result of a certain racial mix under the Casta system of racial hierarchy
to illustrate the result of a certain racial mix under the Casta system of racial hierarchy
The Casta system of the Spanish colonies of the Americas neither encouraged nor discouraged the mixing of races, it was simply a hierarchy of races, in which white Europeans had more opportunities and rights than their dark-skinned, indigenous counterparts. This system was the subject of much colonial artwork, as many artists were commissioned to illustrate the different races and the classification of their offspring. The title of the painting, De español y mulata, morisca, translates to English as, "From Spanish and mulatto, comes morisco." This means that the child of pure Spanish blood and mulatto blood (mixed race), would be classified as a morisco.
Image from Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mestizo._Mestiza._Mestiza.jpg
Example Question #472 : 2 D Art
What was one of the purposes of hide paintings produced by Native Americans, such as Cotsiogo or Cadzi Cody?
To be used as money in transactions of services
To be used as blankets
To record history
None of these
To be given away as honored gifts
To record history
Hide paintings and oral stories were used by indigenous Native Americans to record their history, as they did not have access to the printing press until after the arrival of European invaders.
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
What myth does The Coyolxauhqui Stone explain?
The attempted murder of Coatlicue by her children
All of these
The birth of Huitzilopochtli, a Mexica patron deity
The death of Coyolxauhqui, Huitzilopochtli's sister
None of these
All of these
The answer is all of the above. The stone tells the story of Coyolxauhqui and her brothers attempting to kill their mother, Coatlicue, when they find out she is pregnant. Instead, Huitzilopochtli (the child she was pregnant with) emerges from Coatlicue's womb fully grown and defeats Coyolxauhqui. The stone depicts the exact moment Coyolxauhqui's body is broken after her beheaded body is thrown down the mountain.
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