Exam 2: What Is Art

How might an artist demonstrate his or her skill, according to established ideas about art?

A work of art like Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial (figure 1.3) expresses a theme of war, death, and remembrance. Can we say that this is the only theme it could possibly express?

Explain why it can be ok for a viewer to find a different meaning in a work of art than the one the artist intended. When would it NOT be OK?

When we define art aesthetically, we:

Why are the definitions used to create the traditional canon of art history problematic?

If we are considering the work of the Renaissance painters Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, what kind of style are we considering?

Henri Matisse's Blue Nude (figure 2.31) was controversial because:

A sculpture made from chocolate gnawed by the artist would challenge definitions of art because:

Explain how the viewer plays an essential role in Jan van Eyck's Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife (figure 2.45A).

Defining art by its beauty is based in the branch of philosophy called ________ .