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Portrait painting - Quiz
Contributed by: Currie
  • 1. Which emperor commissioned the 'Portraits of Confucius and Seventy-two Disciples'?
A) Yang Qian
B) Araniko
C) Kublai Khan
D) Emperor Gaozong
  • 2. Where were the portraits of Confucius and his disciples displayed during the Song dynasty?
A) In a forest near the capital
B) On a stone tablet at the Imperial University
C) In the Emperor's private palace
D) On the walls of the city gate
  • 3. What was the purported moral purpose of the Song dynasty portrait commission?
A) To celebrate the Mongol conquest
B) To document fashion trends
C) To highlight the wealth of the dynasty
D) To educate students as a moral code
  • 4. What did scholars argue was the hidden political motive of Emperor Gaozong?
A) To improve relations with foreign empires
B) To claim his policies were supported by Confucianism
C) To establish a new religion
D) To increase tax revenues
  • 5. Who painted the portraits of Kublai and Chabi?
A) Yang Qian
B) Araniko
C) Emperor Gaozong
D) Confucius
  • 6. In the portrait of Yang Qian, what does the bamboo symbolize?
A) Loyalty to the Mongol government
B) Reclusion from nature
C) Moral rightness
D) Financial wealth
  • 7. What does the background of Yang Qian's portrait represent?
A) The absolute rejection of the Mongol government
B) The potential choice between reclusion and political service
C) A specific historical battle site
D) The standard interior of a scholar's study
  • 8. What techniques did Araniko use to reinforce the shape of figures in his portraits?
A) Pure ink wash without coloring
B) Charcoal sketching and water wash
C) Outlining with ink and reinforcing with color
D) Oil layering and brush strokes
  • 9. Which aesthetic influenced the highlights on Empress Chabi's jewelry?
A) European
B) Japanese
C) Himalayan
D) Song Chinese
  • 10. How does the composition of the Yuan dynasty imperial portraits differ from the Song dynasty style?
A) They are more fluid and narrative
B) They are highly symmetrical and rigid
C) They avoid the use of color
D) They focus heavily on emotional spirit
  • 11. What feature of the Yuan dynasty portraits creates a 'confrontational impact' on the viewer?
A) The blurred facial expressions of the sitters
B) The inclusion of handwritten inscriptions
C) Full frontal orientation and centered pupils
D) The use of bright, contrasting landscapes
  • 12. How does the Yuan dynasty imperial portrait style compare to the Song dynasty in terms of capturing spirit?
A) Song portraits lacked spirit compared to Yuan
B) Yuan portraits lack the emphasis on the sitter's spirit
C) Both emphasize the capture of spirit equally
D) Yuan portraits emphasize spirit more than Song portraits
  • 13. What dilemma did the Chinese intelligentsia face during the Yuan dynasty?
A) Choosing between moving to the Himalayas or staying in China
B) Choosing between landscape and portrait painting
C) Choosing between Buddhism and Confucianism
D) Choosing between reclusion or new political careers
  • 14. Which artist is known for using non-naturalistic and garish colors for skin tones in his portraits?
A) Pablo Picasso
B) Gustav Klimt
C) Henri Matisse
D) Otto Dix
  • 15. Which artist incorporated gold paint and Byzantine motifs into his portraits?
A) Amedeo Modigliani
B) Oskar Kokoschka
C) Max Beckmann
D) Gustav Klimt
  • 16. Who was the pupil of Gustav Klimt known for portraiture of the Viennese upper class?
A) Max Ernst
B) Oskar Kokoschka
C) Otto Dix
D) Francis Picabia
  • 17. How did Pablo Picasso treat the likeness of subjects in his cubist portraits?
A) Grossly distorted
B) Highly simplified
C) Hyper-realistic
D) Traditionalist
  • 18. Olga Boznańska was an artist associated with which movement?
A) Vorticism
B) Cubism
C) French impressionism
D) Dadaism
  • 19. Max Beckmann was particularly notable for producing which type of work?
A) Self-portraits
B) Abstract murals
C) Sculptural reliefs
D) Landscapes
  • 20. Which artist is associated with the Art Deco era and used streamlined curves and sharp angles?
A) Tamara de Lempicka
B) Olga Boznańska
C) Max Ernst
D) George Bellows
  • 21. Who painted the 1922 modern collegial portrait titled All Friends Together?
A) George Bellows
B) Robert Henri
C) Andy Warhol
D) Max Ernst
  • 22. Which artist painted the 'Helga' series?
A) Lucian Freud
B) Andrew Wyeth
C) Chuck Close
D) Jamie Wyeth
  • 23. How many studies were included in Andrew Wyeth's 'Helga' series?
A) 247
B) 27
C) 100
D) 500
  • 24. Which artist's portrait titled Benefits Supervisor Sleeping sold for $33.6 million in 2008?
A) Francis Bacon
B) Chuck Close
C) Andy Warhol
D) Lucian Freud
  • 25. What is the primary characteristic of Francis Bacon's portraiture?
A) Streamlined Art Deco style
B) Byzantine motifs
C) Hyper-realistic detail
D) Nightmarish quality
  • 26. Which artist is famous for huge, hyper-realistic wall-sized 'head' portraits?
A) Jamie Wyeth
B) Chuck Close
C) Andy Warhol
D) Alex Katz
  • 27. Which work by Andy Warhol features the pop singer Prince?
A) Orange Shot Marilyn
B) Orange Prince
C) All Friends Together
D) Benefits Supervisor Sleeping
  • 28. Who is the artist famous for painting subjects ranging from presidents to pigs?
A) Jamie Wyeth
B) Andrew Wyeth
C) Robert Henri
D) George Bellows
  • 29. Which group represented British art in the early 20th century through portraiture?
A) Dadaists
B) Expressionists
C) Impressionists
D) Vorticists
  • 30. Which of the following is NOT listed as a medium for portraits?
A) Lithography
B) Digital art
C) Sculpture carving
D) Photography
  • 31. How is a portrait that depicts the whole body described?
A) Full-length
B) Bust
C) Three-quarter view
D) Half-length
  • 32. What part of the face does Gordon C. Aymar suggest is the most reliable for information?
A) The mouth
B) The ears
C) The eyes
D) The chin
  • 33. What painting is mentioned as an example of a subject not facing the viewer?
A) Christina's World
B) Portrait of Madame X
C) Portrait of George Washington
D) Mme. Charpentier and her children
  • 34. What was the average number of sittings for a portrait?
A) One hundred
B) About four
C) Fifty
D) One
  • 35. What does a self-portrait require the artist to use?
A) A professional model
B) A mirror
C) A second painter
D) A photograph
  • 36. Which artist is known for requiring over 100 sittings?
A) Gilbert Stuart
B) Raphael
C) Goya
D) Cézanne
  • 37. What is the common term for a 'head and shoulders' portrait?
A) Three-quarter
B) Bust
C) Full-length
D) Profile
  • 38. In the 18th century, how long did it typically take to deliver a completed portrait?
A) A day
B) A year
C) A week
D) A month
  • 39. What was the result of Gilbert Stuart's retort regarding a 'potato' and a 'peach'?
A) A client's dissatisfaction
B) A masterpiece
C) A commission success
D) A lower price
  • 40. In which ancient civilization were depictions of rulers as gods abundant?
A) China
B) Greece
C) Rome
D) Egypt
  • 41. During which century BC did Egyptian portraiture start placing more emphasis on likeness?
A) 14th century BC
B) 20th century BC
C) 10th century BC
D) 5th century BC
  • 42. How far back do Chinese portraits of notables likely go?
A) 100 AD
B) Over 1000 BC
C) 500 AD
D) 2000 BC
  • 43. What evidence exists for the presence of portraiture in ancient Greek painting?
A) Surviving canvas paintings
B) Papyrus sketches
C) Stone murals
D) Literary evidence
  • 44. Which ruler's head was first added to coins by his successors?
A) Pliny the Elder
B) Constantine I
C) Alexander the Great
D) Theodosius I
  • 45. What is the primary location for the survival of Roman-era painted portraits?
A) Byzantium, Turkey
B) Fayum, Egypt
C) Rome, Italy
D) Athens, Greece
  • 46. Who complained that Roman portrait art was declining?
A) Alexander the Great
B) Socrates
C) Pliny the Elder
D) Constantine I
  • 47. What happened to the interest in individual likeness in the Late Antique period?
A) It declined considerably
B) It focused only on children
C) It remained the same
D) It increased significantly
  • 48. What type of images did Early Christian art evolve for religious figures?
A) Highly realistic individual portraits
B) Fairly standardized images
C) Caricatures of historical figures
D) Abstract geometric shapes
  • 49. Which artist is credited with creating a self-portrait in 1152?
A) Leonardo da Vinci
B) Robert Campin
C) Jan van Eyck
D) Hildegard of Bingen
  • 50. What is the Wilton Diptych (ca. 1400) a portrait of?
A) Henry VIII
B) Cosimo I de' Medici
C) Richard II of England
D) Charles IV
  • 51. Which of the following was a master of Early Netherlandish portrait painting?
A) Sandro Botticelli
B) Rogier van der Weyden
C) Raphael
D) Michelangelo
  • 52. What medium allowed Northern European artists to achieve greater realism in the 15th century?
A) Oil colors
B) Tempera
C) Fresco
D) Watercolor
  • 53. Why did artists switch from wood to canvas in the 16th century?
A) Canvas resists cracking better than wood
B) Canvas allows for faster drying
C) Canvas was easier to find
D) Canvas was cheaper than wood
  • 54. Which painting by Jan van Eyck is considered a landmark of Western art for its depiction of a full-length couple?
A) The Arnolfini Marriage
B) School of Athens
C) Ginevra de' Benci
D) The Mona Lisa
  • 55. Which artist is known for making a sequence of self-portraits beginning at age thirteen?
A) Albrecht Dürer
B) Lucas Cranach
C) Hans Holbein the Younger
D) Leonardo da Vinci
  • 56. What subject did Hans Holbein the Younger famously paint in 1527 while in England?
A) Richard II
B) Sir Thomas More
C) Henry VIII
D) Charles IV
  • 57. What is the primary characteristic of the 'Mona Lisa smile' according to the text?
A) Exaggerated width
B) Subtle asymmetry
C) Absence of teeth
D) Perfect symmetry
  • 58. Which artist is noted for being one of the first child portraitists?
A) Masaccio
B) Titian
C) Leonardo da Vinci
D) Raphael
  • 59. Who painted the portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici showing the ruler in armor with a wary eye?
A) Raphael
B) Titian
C) Agnolo Bronzino
D) Leonardo da Vinci
  • 60. Which artist moved to Spain and emphasized an 'inner vision' over physical appearance?
A) Hans Holbein the Younger
B) Albrecht Dürer
C) Agnolo Bronzino
D) El Greco
  • 61. Who is credited with creating the first caricatures?
A) Diego Velázquez
B) Frans Hals
C) The Accademia degli Incamminati
D) Rembrandt
  • 62. Which artist painted 'Las Meninas'?
A) Frans Hals
B) Sir Anthony van Dyck
C) Peter Paul Rubens
D) Diego Velázquez
  • 63. What did Sir Joshua Reynolds believe was most important in a portrait?
A) Using very long brushes
B) Painting only the background
C) Observing exact similitude of every feature
D) Taking the general air
  • 64. Which artist introduced humor into portraiture with his 'Self-portrait with Pug'?
A) Gilbert Stuart
B) Thomas Gainsborough
C) John Trumbull
D) William Hogarth
  • 65. Which American artist was known for painting over 100 replicas of George Washington?
A) John Singleton Copley
B) John Trumbull
C) Charles Willson Peale
D) Gilbert Stuart
  • 66. What technique did Rembrandt use in 'The Night Watch' to create unconventional lighting?
A) Chiaroscuro
B) Fresco
C) Pointillism
D) Impasto
  • 67. Who was the French painter known as a chronicler of royalty, painting five French kings?
A) Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
B) François Boucher
C) Peter Paul Rubens
D) Hyacinthe Rigaud
  • 68. Which female painter is mentioned as a notable portraitist of the 18th century?
A) Rosalba Carriera
B) Madame de Pompadour
C) Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
D) Angelica Kauffman
  • 69. What style did female portrait subjects often wear in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?
A) Diaphanous gowns
B) Heavy velvet robes
C) Traditional armor
D) Ornate floral corsets
  • 70. Which French painter is known for painting a mirror behind the subject to show a rear view?
A) Eugène Delacroix
B) Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
C) Jacques-Louis David
D) Gustave Courbet
  • 71. Which romantic artist is known for a series of portraits depicting mental patients?
A) Piotr Michałowski
B) Théodore Géricault
C) Honoré Daumier
D) Francisco de Goya
  • 72. Which artist is described as a transitional figure between realism and impressionism?
A) Édouard Manet
B) Thomas Eakins
C) Gustave Courbet
D) Mary Cassatt
  • 73. Who was considered the last major exponent of the British portrait tradition?
A) John Singer Sargent
B) Giovanni Boldini
C) Cecilia Beaux
D) Edgar Degas
  • 74. Which American artist was known as the 'female Sargent'?
A) Jane Avril
B) Cecilia Beaux
C) Mary Cassatt
D) Edith Mahon
  • 75. Which of these painters was famous for his caricatures of his contemporaries?
A) Pierre-Auguste Renoir
B) Claude Monet
C) Jacques-Louis David
D) Honoré Daumier
  • 76. Who painted the portrait of the Bellelli Family?
A) Edgar Degas
B) Gustave Courbet
C) Thomas Eakins
D) Édouard Manet
  • 77. From which group did the convention of non-individualized features in Persian miniatures derive?
A) Qajar dynasty
B) Ottoman Empire
C) Mughal Empire
D) Mongol Ilkhanids
  • 78. What orientation was normal for individual portraits in the Mughal tradition?
A) Full-back view
B) Frontal
C) Three-quarter view
D) Profile
  • 79. What condition did Emperor Akbar the Great likely have?
A) Blindness
B) Color blindness
C) Dyslexia
D) Poor eyesight
  • 80. What feature often appeared on the portraits of Mughal emperors to show status?
A) Jeweled turbans
B) Crowns
C) Halos
D) Swords
  • 81. Who were the primary audience for the small, exaggerated portraits of the Ottoman imperial family?
A) The general public
B) Religious leaders
C) A very restricted circle
D) Foreign dignitaries
  • 82. Which dynasty used large oil paintings for royal portraits?
A) Ilkhanid
B) Ottoman
C) Mughal
D) Qajar
  • 83. What kind of features did the chief figure in a court scene have in the Persian miniature tradition?
A) Chinese-looking features
B) Highly individualized features
C) European-looking features
D) Abstract shapes
  • 84. Which group was an exception to the lack of likeness in portraits?
A) Buddhist clergy
B) Confucian bureaucrats
C) Taoist merchants
D) Imperial palace guards
  • 85. Who was allowed to pay homage to imperial ancestor portraits?
A) Foreign dignitaries
B) The general public
C) All government officials
D) The most senior ministers
  • 86. What practice did Taoist scholars study during the Han dynasty?
A) Physiognomy
B) Mathematics
C) Astronomy
D) Calligraphy
  • 87. How often could senior ministers visit the imperial gallery of ancestor portraits?
A) Only upon the death of an emperor
B) Once per decade
C) Every month
D) Once a year
  • 88. Who founded the Western Jin dynasty in 266 AD?
A) Sima Yan
B) Ruan Xian
C) Rong Qiqi
D) Gu Kaizhi
  • 89. What is the length of the relief painting found in the Nanjing tomb?
A) 96 inches
B) 150 inches
C) 200 inches
D) 35 inches
  • 90. How many figure portraits are contained in the Jin dynasty thread-relief painting?
A) Ten
B) Seven
C) Eight
D) Four
  • 91. Which figure in the relief is not one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove?
A) Ruan Ji
B) Ji Kang
C) Liu Ling
D) Rong Qiqi
  • 92. What activity is Liu Ling depicted doing in the relief painting?
A) Playing the flute
B) Dancing
C) Writing literature
D) Drinking alcohol
  • 93. What musical instrument is Ruan Xian shown playing in the portrait?
A) A drum
B) A harp
C) A flute
D) A zither
  • 94. What kind of vessel is Liu Ling holding in the painting?
A) A vase
B) A goblet
C) An erbei
D) A bowl
  • 95. Which Jin dynasty artist wrote the book 'On Painting'?
A) Sima Yan
B) Gu Kaizhi
C) Shan Tao
D) Ruan Xian
  • 96. Which dynasty saw an increase in the humanization and personalization of portrait painting?
A) Han dynasty
B) Tang dynasty
C) Song dynasty
D) Ming dynasty
  • 97. What religious influence contributed to more realistic portrait features during the Tang dynasty?
A) Taoism
B) Confucianism
C) Buddhism
D) Shintoism
  • 98. What concept in Mahayana Buddhism linked an image's presence to the presence of a real person?
A) Temporal incorruptibility
B) Chronological succession
C) Imperial legitimacy
D) Spiritual consonance
  • 99. How many emperors were depicted in the scroll commissioned by Emperor Taizong?
A) Twelve
B) Fifteen
C) Thirteen
D) Ten
  • 100. How did Emperor Taizong use costumes to indicate his opinion of the emperors in the scroll?
A) Informal costumes indicated wise scholars, formal dress indicated warriors
B) All emperors were dressed in identical royal robes
C) Informal costumes indicated bad rulers, formal dress indicated high achievements
D) Only the Tang dynasty emperors wore formal attire
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