Explain the emergence of nonrepresentational art. What works in this chapter feature nonrepresentational elements? Discuss how meaning is created in these works without clear subject matter.
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Nonrepresentational art began to gain momentum in the early twentieth century. Vasili Kandinsky discovered the power of nonrepresentational art when he was struck by the beauty of a painting he didn't recognize in his studio. It turned out to be one of his own works, set the wrong way up. He realized then that subject matter was only incidental to art's impact. Meaning was created through the language of line, form, and color. Similarly, the artists of De Stijl reduced art to essential geometric shapes and primary colors, believing that these were a universally understood visual language. Piet Mondrian distilled his art to what he considered to be the most universal signs of human order: vertical and horizontal lines, and the primary colors red, yellow, and blue. To him, these formal elements radiated a kind of intellectual beauty that was humanity's greatest achievement.
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The incised design on a cylinder seal found in the tomb of Queen Puabi demonstrates the Sumerians' use of
A) narrative images. B) geometric patterns. C) personal monograms. D) cuneiform.
The influence of Neoplatonism would be most likely when, in a painting, a Renaissance artist highlights a
genre scene. donor portrait. nude classical goddess. representation of the Virgin Mary.
List three possible root sources for traditional black gospel music.
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The Berlin version of collage, which consisted of "found" details, was called ____
a. photomontage b. automatism c. precisionism d. Synthetic Cubism