CLEP Humanities : Understanding Terminology That Describes Renaissance 2D Visual Art
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities
All CLEP Humanities Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Renaissance 2 D Visual Art
Medieval European art lacked which element that was developed in the Renaissance?
Religious subjects
Bright colors
Patronage
Vanishing-point Perspective
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 #2 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Renaissance 2 D Visual Art
Perspective is considered one of the chief innovations of painting developed during __________.
the Baroque era
the Romantic era
the Renaissance era
the Medieval era
the Gothic era
the Renaissance era
Perspective, the ability to place objects and figures in a 2D image that reflects 3D realities, was one of the driving forces of the artistic era known as the Renaissance. The era included painters like Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Michelangelo, who developed modes of portraiture that revolutionized artistic depictions. With this innovation, most Western art can be divided between pre- and post-Renaissance styles.
Example Question #3 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Renaissance 2 D Visual Art
What is the term for the contrast of light and shade that became popular in sixteenth century European paintings?
Sfumato
Chiaroscuro
Crosshatching
Shading
Contrapposto
Chiaroscuro
Contrapposto has to do with the weight shift in a figure, crosshatching is used to create angles, and shading does not imply a contrast. Sfumato is about the transition from light to dark, not contrasting the two. Chiaroscuro is the only answer that works here because its definition is the treatment of light and shadow to show a contrast.
Certified Tutor
All CLEP Humanities Resources
