Art History MCQs

Art History MCQs

The following Art History MCQs have been compiled by our experts through research, in order to test your knowledge of the subject of Art History. We encourage you to answer these multiple-choice questions to assess your proficiency.
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1: Images of deities ____.

A.   Can be male or female.

B.   Are always represented in physical form

C.   Are universal.

D.   All of these

2: The first to photograph war, ____ made 3,500 photographs covering both sides of the u.s. civil war.

A.   Mathew Brady.

B.   Leni Riefenstahl

C.   Sergei Eisenstein

D.   Walker Evans

3: The primordial couple of the dogon represents ____.

A.   The father and mother of all.

B.   Adam and Eve

C.   Venus and Mars

D.   Dionysos and Ariadne

4: The role of the art critic is ____.

A.   Its underlying theme or message

B.   Elements which are descriptive of something else, elements which, represent some other concept, and culturally determined

C.   A sense of impending doom or entrapment

D.   To describe works of art and evaluate their significance

E.   All of the above

5: The word ?intaglio? comes from the italian verb meaning ____.

A.   Performance

B.   Daguerreotype

C.   Installations

D.   To cut into

6: The ziggurat of ur is an ____.

A.   Undulating temple.

B.   Enormous tower.

C.   Overpowering natural mountain.

D.   Artificial mountain.

7: Picasso is considered __________________________.

A.   Fauvist artists and Picasso's Le Demoiselles D'Avignon

B.   None of the above

C.   Both reduce items to basic geometric forms.

D.   A founding father of Cubism.

8: The abbey church of saint-foy is one of the earliest ________ churches ever built.

A.   Gothic

B.   Romanesque

C.   High Renaissance

D.   Carolingian

9: The scribe responsible for making the lindisfarne gospels was ________.

A.   Bishop named eadfrith.

B.   Visual communication

C.   Graphic design

D.   Calligraphy

10: Museums became common in ____ during the nineteenth century.

A.   Europe

B.   North America

C.   Asia

D.   Africa.

11: ____ are finely skilled handwork in media such as ceramics, glass, wood, metal, and fibers.

A.   Crafts

B.   Relifs

C.   Intaglios

D.   Monotypes

12: ____ criticism focuses on the political implications of a work of art.

A.   Formalist

B.   Ideological

C.   Psychological

D.   Structural.

13: ____ painting is an ancient medium that uses pigments mixed with hot beeswax.

A.   Encaustic

B.   Gouache

C.   Tempera

D.   Fresco.

14: ____ sculptures are meant to be viewed from all sides.

A.   Bas relief.

B.   Freestanding

C.   Assemblage

D.   Haute relief.

15: A ____ is a city of the dead.

A.   Necropolis

B.   Metropolis

C.   Ka

D.   Stupa.

16: A ____ is a living being who has attained buddhahood but chooses to remain on earth to help others.

A.   Bodhisattva.

B.   Shaman

C.   Shiva

D.   Saint

17: A ____ is a vessel designed specifically to contain salt.

A.   Saltcellar

B.   Hydria

C.   Vase

D.   Ting.

18: A graphite rod in a wood or metal holder is called ____.

A.   Pencil.

B.   A pencil.

C.   Charcoal

D.   A conte crayon.

E.   Silverpoint.

19: A mandala is an attempt to show ____.

A.   The face of God

B.   The cosmos.

C.   The future

D.   A holy figure.

20: A(n) ____ is a member of a turkish harem.

A.   Pilegesh.

B.   Kippumjo.

C.   Odalisque.

D.   Seraglio.

21: A(n) ____ is associated with creation myths and is the mother and father of all humankind.

A.   Odalisque

B.   Primordial couple

C.   Aztec couple

22: Artistic metaphors and symbols are ____.

A.   Its underlying theme or message

B.   Theme

C.   Painting/photography

D.   All of the above

23: As its name suggests, the ancient greek ____ was used for carrying and storing water.

A.   Hydria

B.   Hydrant.

C.   Fountainhead

24: Auguste rodin's the kiss was ________.

A.   Atmospheric perspective

B.   Designed for the Gates of Hell, based on the story of Paola and Francesca in Dante's Divine Comedy, and made into several copies

C.   The painting technique, the nude woman seated next to men dressed in contemporary clothing, and the fact that the woman looks out at the viewer

D.   The artist includes a portrait of himself standing at his easel

25: Buddhists and hindus believe that human beings are ____ until they attain nirvana.

A.   Damned.

B.   Reincarnated.

C.   Repentant

26: Context refers to the social and ____ conditions that encompass a work of art.

A.   Political

B.   Symbolic.

C.   Structural.

D.   Critical.

27: Correggio was known for creating _________ and ____________ effects.

A.   Dramatic; theatrical

B.   Bold; shocking

C.   Allegories; special

D.   All of the above.

28: Depictions of ritual sacrifice were shown in many cultures, including ____.

A.   Christian and Mesoamerican.

B.   Christian and Hebrew

C.   Hindu and Buddhist

29: Diagonal lines imply ____.

A.   Calm.

B.   Action.

C.   Growth.

D.   Peace.

30: Early christians buried their dead in vast underground networks called ____.

A.   Mausoleums

B.   Mastabas

C.   Mounds

D.   Catacombs.

31: Etruscan tomb chambers were carved directly out of soft bedrock called ____.

A.   Diorite.

B.   Limestone.

C.   Tufa.

D.   Sandstone.

32: Formal analysis is important because it is helpful in understanding the ____ of a work of art.

A.   Composition

B.   Subject matter.

C.   Context

D.   All of these.

33: In addition to being a religious symbol, the statue david also _______________________.

A.   Served as a reminder of Florence's republican state.

B.   The creation of Adam

C.   It was supposed to be a tomb for Pope Julius II.

D.   A sculpture of Mary holding Jesus' body

34: In africa, ____ are venerated in sculptures.

A.   Saints.

B.   Martyrs.

C.   Ancestors.

D.   Gods and goddesses

35: In prehistoric times fertility was ____.

A.   An important concern.

B.   Taken for granted.

C.   Discouraged.

D.   Encouraged

36: In the islamic religion, ____ is never depicted in visual form.

A.   Abraham

B.   Mohammed

C.   Allah

D.   Moses.

37: In this image, justinian is shown as a(n)____.

A.   God.

B.   Emperor-priest.

C.   Absolute monarch.

D.   Celestial being.

38: It took michelangelo 4 years to paint the ________ of the sistine chapel.

A.   Walls

B.   Floor

C.   Ceiling

D.   Columns

39: Jan davidsz de heem's a table of desserts reflects cultural and ____ beliefs.

A.   Political.

B.   Philosophical.

C.   Religious.

D.   Economic.

40: Many religious structures, from stonehenge to the pantheon, use ____ to convey their power.

A.   Precious metals.

B.   Geometry.

C.   Natural shapes

D.   Non of these

41: Minarets are associated with ____ structures.

A.   Stupa.

B.   Mosque.

C.   Cathedral.

D.   Ziggurat

42: Moche pottery is characterized by ____.

A.   Stylized images of ideal beauty

B.   Elaborate decorative ornamentation

C.   Highly structured geometric patterns

D.   Naturalistic imagery of everyday life

43: One of the earliest forms of load-bearing construction is the ____ method of construction.

A.   Post and lintel

B.   Geodesic dome

C.   Truss

D.   Non of these

44: Ornamentation in architecture is the ____ of forms or surfaces beyond structural necessity.

A.   Embelishment.

B.   Absence.

C.   Presence.

D.   Painting

45: Palaces are different from ordinary residences by ____.

A.   Their location

B.   Their grand size

C.   Their simplicity of design

D.   Their emphasis on symmetry.

46: Prior to 1848, monumental canvasses were reserved for _________________.

A.   Religious images

B.   Triptychs

C.   Heroic subjects and pictures of the powerful

D.   Landscapes.

47: Rhythm in art is demonstrated by the ____ of one or more of the elements of art.

A.   Emphasis.

B.   Subordination.

C.   Balance.

D.   Repetition.

48: Ritual meals do not include ____.

A.   Religious holidays.

B.   Potlatches.

C.   Japanese tea ceremonies.

D.   Sunday brunch.

49: Some of the oldest surviving paintings were made on ____.

A.   Earthen floors

B.   Clay vessels

C.   Large wooden

D.   Boats.

50: Steel frame construction has been likened to ____

A.   Reinforced concrete

B.   Load-bearing buildings

C.   A skeleton

D.   A hard shell