NES Profile: Art (503)

In traditional Tibetan Buddhist sandpainting, monks work in groups for many days pouring brightly colored powders on a flat surface to create complex, symbolic compositions known as mandalas. After a short time, the work is destroyed, representing the impermanence of life. This is an example of the function of art as a:

1. form of entertainment.
2. means of social commentary.
3. spiritual practice.
4. documentation of history.

Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)

C. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the function of the practice of sandpainting in Tibetan Buddhist culture. The ritual of constructing and destroying sandpaintings is considered a spiritual practice and a step in the Tibetan Buddhist path to enlightenment.

He is stylistically carved in a simple frontal standing posture with his hands on his hips. Decorative bands encircle his brow and upper arms. Nails have been driven into the visible portion of his torso and shoulders. In the center of his torso, approximately where a navel might appear, is a round cavity of about the same diameter as his arm.

Source: Unknown artist. Nkondi tatu oath taking figure. Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY. Used with permission.

In the Kongo culture, nkisi nkonde sculptures, such as the one shown above, are believed to become endowed with specific powers through the placement of particular substances into the container near the figure's abdominal region. Individuals can then activate these powers in times of need by driving a nail or other object into the figure. This use of art indicates that the Kongo culture values art as a way to:

1. unite the community.
2. exert control over life events.
3. memorialize ancestors.
4. express personal emotions.

Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)

B. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how an artwork from the Kongo culture relates to its cultural and historical context. Individuals interact with the nkisi nkonde sculptures to summon spirits to help them with a wide range of concerns, such as curing illness and stimulating crop growth. In this way, the Kongo people value art as a way to exert control over their lives.

Source:  Unknown artist. Image of Navajo blanket, Banded background, 1870– to 1875. Length 75" inches, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, William Randolph Hearst Collection, Anthropology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Used with permission.

The geometric patterns used on the woven Navajo blanket shown above reflect an influence from the artistic traditions common in:

1. Alaska.
2. Mexico.
3. Hawaii.
4. Canada.

Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)

B. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how artwork from the Navajo culture was influenced by art from another culture. In the 1860s, the Navajo people were forcibly relocated to New Mexico by the U.S. government. It was there that Navajo weavers were influenced by the designs of Mexican serapes, woven garments that frequently featured geometric motifs.

The figure has the coloring of a deer, with a reddish-brown coat speckled with light tan and a light tan belly and throat. The legs are crossed and the hands are clasped over the chest. The head has the features of a male deer with antlers, and something protrudes from the side of its mouth, possibly a tongue. A brownish-orange band encircles the neck, and one end hangs down in front of the chest. Bands of the same color encircle the lower legs. At the back of the figure is a curved shape like the handle of a pitcher or mug, topped by a cylindrical vertical spout.

Source:   Museo Larco, Lima - Perú. ML010499

The stirrup spout and animal form of the work shown above are characteristic of the early art of:

1. Peru.
2. eastern Europe.
3. Polynesia.
4. Iran.

Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)

A. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of a distinguishing characteristic of art from South America. This ceramic jar's naturalistic depiction of an animal and its stirrup spout are characteristic of the art of the Moche people of Peru.

While the two woodblock prints shown above were created using the same medium and share similar content, which of the following is a significant difference between them?

1. Image 1 is a realistic depiction of the subject, while Image 2 is abstract.
2. Several blocks were required to print Image 1, while only one was required for Image 2.
3. Image 1 is a portrait of the subject, while Image 2 is a portrait that presents the subject as a symbol.
4. Line is used in Image 1 primarily to define edges, while line is used in Image 2 primarily to create asymmetrical balance.

Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)

B. This question requires the examinee to analyze a significant difference between two artworks. Woodblock printing is a type of relief printing in which artists remove the surface areas of the block around the design. Incorporating more than one color in a woodblock print generally requires one block per color. Image 1 features several ink colors and therefore required several blocks for printing, while Image 2 has one ink and required only one block for printing.

Her body faces to the right and her head is turned back toward the viewer. Her left arm is bent towards her right shoulder, and her left hand is holding the rolled-up cuff of her right sleeve. Her right arm is angled toward the viewer and bent upwards at the elbow, and her right hand is in a fist to the right of her face. Above the woman is a thought bubble with large print that says We Can Do It!

Source: We can do it! Courtesy National Archives, photo no. 535413. Creator: Office for Emergency Management. War Production Board. 1/1942-11/3/1945

In this work, the artist uses the combination of text and image for the purpose of:

1. confronting gender stereotypes.
2. satirizing the genre of advertising.
3. exploring class issues.
4. promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)

A. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of ways in which visual images in popular media influence culture and society. When the United States became involved in World War II2, manufacturing jobs were vacated by men who were needed to fight in the war. In an effort to encourage women to fill those jobs, corporations and the United States government created propaganda posters that equated the importance of work with fighting in the war. The text and image used in this poster portrays women as strong and capable of doing the work previously done by men, thus having the effect of confronting the stereotype that women could not work outside the home.