Henri Matisse’s The Ochre Head represents the artist’s exuberant

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 446, Date: 11-Nov-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

Henri Matisse’s  The Ochre Head  represents the artist’s exuberant display of his new mastery of a technique once  peculiar  to Picasso. Matisse has learned to artfully separate color and drawing. The painting depicts a head and shoulders, a bouquet of red flowers in a dark blue vase sitting upon a bench, a framed drawing of a woman’s head, and an unframed painting or drawing, also of a woman. But what is most striking about the painting is the way Matisse has begun to allow his colors and his forms to play freely, even while they are coordinated. The ochre of the head runs out past the form. Bits of blue from the bench appear in the man’s neckline or along his shoulder. The colors of the various frames and surfaces of the drawing on the wall overlap and refuse to be constrained by definite lines of form. Although this technique is not given the kind of free reign Picasso allows it in his Cubist period or in works such as  Minotaur , it is still a stunning development for Matisse. And he seems aware of this fact. The painting’s composition references Picasso’s  Still Life with Ancient Head  from 1925, signaling Matisse’s awareness that he is borrowing from his younger colleague.    1  
 D 
 1. The author uses the word “peculiar” ( Highlighted ) to mean which of the following?

(A) strange
(B) abstract
(C) unknown
(D) unique
(E) appealing

2  
 A 
 2. The main idea of the passage is to

(A) describe an artistic work and its inspiration
(B) describe how Matisse surpassed Picasso
(C) describe how Matisse developed his style
(D) describe a representative example of Matisse’s work
(E) describe the influence of Picasso on the art world

3  
 C 
 3. According to the passage, all of the following are true of The Ochre Head EXCEPT:

(A) The artist avoided the constraint of coloring only between the lines.
(B) Its arrangement is similar to that of a piece by Picasso.
(C) It is considered among the best of Matisse’s work.
(D) Its use of technique is more constrained than that of Minotaur.
(E) It depicts household objects.

328/1904

minustark · Answer

Nice, short RC. Got 1 & 3 correct. In Q 1 its pretty obvious 'peculiar' is meaning the style was unique to Picasso. In Q 3, nowhere in the paragraph it was said it is Matisse's best work. I always find the main idea question difficult. Thought it is about Matisse developing his style.

2. The main idea of the passage is to

(A) describe an artistic work and its inspiration
(B) describe how Matisse surpassed Picasso
(C) describe how Matisse developed his style
(D) describe a representative example of Matisse’s work
(E) describe the influence of Picasso on the art world

I am confused between A and C. Would you please clarify why A is correct.

Pratheek95 · Answer

Hi, I am not sure if my answer is correct but I was able to eliminate C since it was not mentioned how exactly his style was developed...He has mainly mentioned a few aspects namely:

Matisse's work has a few similarities to Picasso's
The elements of his painting and what makes it peculiar
Difference between Picasso and his

Hea234ven · Answer

Can anyone explain the answer of q3? I was confused on E. How can the head depict household objects? I didn;t choose C because in the last phase this sentence-' Although this technique is not given the kind of free reign Picasso allows it in his Cubist period or in works such as Minotaur, it is still a stunning development for Matisse.' has words-'stunning development'.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The main idea of the passage is to

Explanation

The author describes both the work ( The Ochre Head ) and the inspiration for that work (Still Life with Ancient Head), which matches  choice (A).

Choice (B)  is a distortion as the passage does not rate the painters.

Choice (C)  is a distortion as the passage describes a painting but not how the artist developed his style.

Choice (D)  is incorrect as the passage indicates that this was a new direction rather than a representative work.

Choice (E)  is out of scope because the passage only discusses two painters, not the art world.

Answer: A

Hope it helps

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. According to the passage, all of the following are true of The Ochre Head EXCEPT:

Explanation

While the author clearly appreciates the work, its place in the hierarchy of all of Matisse’s works is not discussed, so  (C) is the correct answer  to this Except question. The four wrong answers can all be found in the passage.

For choice (A) , the passage states that  “colors … refuse to be constrained by definite lines of form.”  Therefore it is true that the artist avoided the constraint of coloring only between the lines.

For choice (B) , the end of the passage states that the painting’s composition references a Picasso work.

For choice (D) , the passage says the technique is not employed with the  “free reign”  used in Minotaur; that is,  The Ochre Head  is more constrained in its use of the technique.

For choice (E) , the passage says a vase of flowers and a bench are depicted.

Answer: C

Hope it helps

mark366 · Answer

Can someone explain to me why the answer for q1 is D and not E? I opted for option E.

1. The author uses the word “peculiar” (Highlighted) to mean which of the following?

(A) strange
(B) abstract
(C) unknown
(D) unique
(E) appealing

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author uses the word “peculiar” ( Highlighted ) to mean which of the following?

Difficulty Level:   600

Explanation

“Unique,” choice (D) , is a secondary meaning of  “peculiar.”  The author uses it in the context of Matisse learning something that Picasso had done. Of the wrong answers,  (B) and (E)  at best come from prohibited outside knowledge, whereas  (A) and (C)  are the opposite of the intended meaning—anything  “strange”  or  “unknown”  to Picasso would be something he doesn’t do;  “peculiar to Picasso”  means something that he’s known for doing.

Answer: D

globaldesi · Answer

I am also confused. As C is agree is incorrect but somehow the second fragment " its inspiration" is also a distortion. Can anyone help explain how this segment is proved in a passage?

Rege1988 · Answer

Can someone explain to me questions one through three. I am very confused on these questions. Thank you,

Henri Matisse’s The Ochre Head represents the artist’s exuberant

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Henri Matisse’s The Ochre Head represents the artist’s exuberant

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