Nineteenth century painter Albert Bierstadt’s view of his artistic

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 455, Date: 16-Nov-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

Nineteenth century painter Albert Bierstadt’s view of his artistic skill as a vehicle for selfpromotion was evident in his choices of style and subject matter. From the debut of his career with the exhibition of Lake Lucerne (1856), he developed a fixed style that was most easily recognizable for its size—the largest of the 636 paintings on display at the exhibition, it was over three meters wide. This, coupled with the artist’s ability to represent the optimistic feeling in America during the westward expansion, is what led to Bierstadt’s explosive growth in popularity during the 1860s. Bierstadt deliberately appealed to those rich patron —railroad tycoons and financiers—whose nearest substitute to making the arduous journey out West was to purchase a hyperbolized replica of a Western vista.

But trends following the Civil War produced a drastic shift away from the adventurous optimism of the pre-war era and toward a more subdued appreciation for the details of Americanlife. In this new social context, the paintings now seemed too decadent, too gaudy, for the new philosophy taking root in the country following the horrors of war. As one  commentator  in 1866 put it, Bierstadt’s work “may impose upon the senses, but does not affect the heart.” In a sense then, that same American pride upon which Bierstadt had capitalized to advance his success was now, in its fickleness, the source of his downfall.    1 
 B 
 1. According to the passage, the new philosophy taking root in America after the Civil War would be best described as

(A) justifiable pessimism
(B) somber realism
(C) restrained minimalism
(D) prideful idealism
(E) stubborn dogmatism

2 
 E 
 2. The passage quotes the commentator ( Highlighted ) primarily in order to

(A) challenge a prevailing thesis
(B) point out an erroneous assertion
(C) provide expert testimony
(D) highlight a controversy
(E) offer evidence supporting a claim

3 
 C 
 3. All of the following are mentioned as contributors to Bierstadt’s success EXCEPT

(A) the dimensions of his paintings
(B) his ability to convey auspicious feelings
(C) subdued appreciation for the details of American life
(D) catering to the preferences of the wealthy
(E) portrayals of exaggerated landscapes

JayPatadiya · Answer

Took 6 and half minute and got 3rd question incorrect.

3. All of the following are mentioned as contributors to Bierstadt’s success EXCEPT

(A) the dimensions of his paintings
(B) his ability to convey auspicious feelings
(C) subdued appreciation for the details of American life
(D) catering to the preferences of the wealthy
(E) portrayals of exaggerated landscapes

Plz help with this question. I marked E as an answer as I could not reference of option E in the first para. The last sentence & last word of the first para "Vista" does indicate something that E is mentioned but I am still not 100% sure if that is the reason.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. All of the following are mentioned as contributors to Bierstadt’s success EXCEPT

Explanation

The author argues in the first paragraph that Bierstadt  “developed a fixed style that was most easily recognizable for its size,”   (A) , that he had an  “ability to represent the optimistic feeling in America,”   (B) , that he  “deliberately appealed to those rich patrons,”   (D) , and that patrons could purchase a  “hyperbolized replica of a Western vista,”   (E) .

The increasing attention to  “subdued appreciation for the details of American life”  is mentioned in the  second paragraph  as a trend that worked against Bierstadt. Therefore,  choice (C)  is the correct answer to this Except question.

Answer: C

Hope it helps

navaneethan123 · Answer

can you explain the answer for question 2 as well

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The passage quotes the commentator ( Highlighted ) primarily in order to

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

A central thesis of the passage is that the same elements that initially made Bierstadt’s work popular eventually contributed to its downfall. These elements were, in short, an emphasis on size and quantity rather than emotionality. The quoted phrase is a criticism of his work to this effect, providing a specific example of the opinion of the time. This supports  choice (E).

Choice (C)  may be tempting, but this phrase may or may not be the opinion of an expert, plus to “provide expert testimony” is not the best description for the purpose of the phrase.

Answer: E

Hope it helps

tanu11 · Answer

can you explain the 1st question ?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. According to the passage, the new philosophy taking root in America after the Civil War would be best described as

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

The passage makes the case that Bierstadt’s work, which represented the  “optimistic feeling in America during the Westward expansion,”  was later considered  “gaudy”  and no longer suited for the prevailing trends in art in America after the war.

The optimism that once characterized American preferences was tempered by the  “horrors of war.”  The new American attitude, in other words, was one of  “somber realism,” choice (B).

Don’t get misled into picking  (D), “prideful idealism,”  by the fact that the passage mentions American pride. The passage does not imply that there was anything idealistic about the new American attitudes after the Civil War.

Choice (A)  may also be tempting but the author never makes any sort of claim as to whether the new American attitudes are misguided.

Answer: B

rocky620 · Answer

For the Second ques, i was stuck between C & E, both of which, (to me) seemed to have the same affect on the second paragraph. But choice C has an added experts, which forced me to choose E. As, it is not mentioned anywhere that the commentator was an expert.

Thanks.

Thanks.

Rainman91 · Answer

1. According to the passage, the new philosophy taking root in America after the Civil War would be best described as

(A) justifiable pessimism (out of scope. Nowhere does it mention they were pessimistic)
(B) somber realism (Hint: I realized by the tone of the author that ppl were adventurous and optimistic before. After the war, they become a bit more subdued. Basically, their spirits were up before the war. After the war, they got a reality hit. Hence they become somber.) 
(C) restrained minimalism (out of scope)
(D) prideful idealism (Never mentioned)
(E) stubborn dogmatism (Never mentioned)

Rainman91 · Answer

3. All of the following are mentioned as contributors to Bierstadt’s success EXCEPT

(A) the dimensions of his paintings
(B) his ability to convey auspicious feelings
(C) subdued appreciation for the details of American life
(D) catering to the preferences of the wealthy
(E) portrayals of exaggerated landscapes

was confused with E. If you didn't know the word hyperbolize or Vista, then this will go down between C and E. 
But focus for a few seconds on the paragraph. The rich would never themselves travel out to the west. Their nearest substitute was buying a painting that represented the beauty of the western lands. And these portrayals would benefit the artist. So landscapes are mentioned in a way as a underlying reason for his success.

Lastly, the subdued appreciation for the details of American life is completely opposite of what the artist painted. He was always optimistic. Subdued is polar opposite of his work. Hence you can land on C using reasoning. Hard question nevertheless.

paridhibajaj · Answer

Hi,

As per my understanding, GMAT does not test the question pattern 1. This seems to be a GRE Passage. Please correct me if I am wrong?

Thanks!!

Nineteenth century painter Albert Bierstadt’s view of his artistic

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Nineteenth century painter Albert Bierstadt’s view of his artistic

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