CLEP Humanities : Understanding Terminology That Describes Renaissance 2D Visual Art

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities

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Example Questions

Example Question #2 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art

Medieval European art lacked which element that was developed in the Renaissance?

Possible Answers:

Religious subjects

Bright colors

Portraits

Vanishing-point Perspective

Patronage

Correct answer:

Vanishing-point Perspective

Explanation:

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 #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Renaissance 2 D Visual Art

Perspective is considered one of the chief innovations of painting developed during __________.

Possible Answers:

the Renaissance era

the Gothic era

the Baroque era

the Medieval era

the Romantic era

Correct answer:

the Renaissance era

Explanation:

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 #2 : 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?

Possible Answers:

Chiaroscuro

Contrapposto

Shading

Sfumato

Crosshatching

Correct answer:

Chiaroscuro

Explanation:

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.

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