The contemporary Mexican artistic movement known as muralism

Question

The contemporary Mexican artistic movement known as muralism, a movement of public art that began with images painted on walls in an effort to represent Mexican national culture, is closely linked 
  (5)   ideologically with its main sponsor, the new Mexican government elected in 1920 following the Mexican Revolution. This government promoted an ambitious cultural program, and the young revolutionary state called on artists to display Mexico’s richness and 
  (10)   possibility. But the theoretical foundation of the movement was formulated by the artists themselves. The major figures in the muralist movement, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and José Clemente Orozco, all based their work on a common premise: 
  (15)   that art should incorporate images and familiar ideas as it commented upon the historic period in which it was created. In the process, they assimilated into their work the customs, myths, geography, and history of the local communities that constitute the basis of Mexican 
  (20)   national culture.

But while many muralist works express populist or nationalist ideas, it is a mistake to attempt to reduce Mexican mural painting to formulaic, official government art. It is more than merely the result of the 
  (25)   changes in political and social awareness that the Mexican Revolution represented; it also reflected important innovations in the art world. In creating a
wide panorama of Mexico’s history on the walls of public buildings throughout the country, muralists 
  (30)   often used a realist style. But awareness of these innovations enabled them to be freer in expression than were more traditional practitioners of this style.

Moreover, while they shared a common interest in rediscovering their Mexican national identity, they 
  (35)   developed their own distinct styles. Rivera, for example, incorporated elements from pre-Columbian sculpture and the Italian Renaissance fresco into his murals and used a strange combination of mechanical shapes to depict the faces and bodies of people. 
  (40)   Orozco, on the other hand, showed a more expressionist approach, with loose brushwork and an openly emotional treatment of form. He relied on a strong diagonal line to give a sense of heightened movement and drama to his work. Siqueiros developed 
  (45)   in a somewhat similar direction as Orozco, but incorporated asymmetric compositions, a high degree of action, and brilliant color.

This stylistic experimentation can be seen as resulting from the demands of a new medium. In 
  (50)   stretching their concepts from small easel paintings with a centralized subject to vast compositions with mural dimensions, muralists learned to think big and to respect the sweeping gesture of the arm—the brush stroke required to achieve the desired bold effect of 
  (55)   mural art. Furthermore, because they were painting murals, they thought in terms of a continuum; their works were designed to be viewable from many different vantage points, to have an equally strong impact in all parts, and to continue to be viewable as 
  (60)   people moved across in front of them.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) Muralism developed its political goals in Mexico in service to the revolutionary government, while its aesthetic aspects were borrowed from other countries.
(B) Inspired by political developments in Mexico and trends in modern art, muralist painters devised an innovative style of large-scale painting to reflect Mexican culture.
(C) The stylistic features of muralism represent a consistent working out of the implications of its revolutionary ideology.
(D) Though the Mexican government supported muralism as a means of promoting nationalist ideology, muralists such as Siqueiros, Rivera, and Orozco developed the movement in contradictory, more controversial directions.
(E) Because of its large scale and stylistic innovations, the type of contemporary Mexican art known as muralism is capable of expressing a much wider and more complex view of Mexico’s culture and history than previous artistic movements could express.

2 
 2. The author mentions Rivera’s use of “pre-Columbian sculpture and the Italian Renaissance fresco” (lines 36–37) primarily in order to provide an example of Rivera’s

(A) assimilation of elements of Mexican customs and myth
(B) movement beyond single, centralized subjects
(C) experimentation with expressionist techniques
(D) distinctive manner of artistic expression
(E) underlying resistance to change

3 
 3. Which one of the following aspects of muralist painting does the author appear to value most highly?

(A) its revolutionary ideology
(B) its use of brilliant color
(C) its tailoring of style to its medium
(D) its use of elements from everyday life
(E) its expression of populist ideas

4 
 4. Based on the passage, with which one of the following statements about art would the muralists be most likely to agree?

(A) Art should be evaluated on the basis of its style and form rather than on its content.
(B) Government sponsorship is essential to the flourishing of art.
(C) Realism is unsuited to large-scale public art.
(D) The use of techniques borrowed from other cultures can contribute to the rediscovery of one’s national identity.
(E) Traditional easel painting is an elitist art form.

5 
 5. According to the passage, the Mexican government elected in 1920 took which one of the following approaches to art following the Mexican Revolution?

(A) It encouraged the adoption of modern innovations from abroad.
(B) It encouraged artists to pursue the realist tradition in art.
(C) It called on artists to portray Mexico’s heritage and future promise.
(D) It developed the theoretical base of the muralist movement.
(E) It favored artists who introduced stylistic innovations over those who worked in the realist tradition.

6 
 6. Which one of the following, if true, most supports the author’s claim about the relationship between muralism and the Mexican Revolution (lines 24–27)?

(A) The major figures in muralism also created important works in that style that were deliberately not political in content.
(B) Not all muralist painters were familiar with the innovations being made at that time in the art world.
(C) The changes taking place at that time in the art world were revivals of earlier movements.
(D) Officials in the Mexican government were not familiar with the innovations being made at that time in the art world.
(E) Only those muralist works that reflected nationalist sentiments were permitted to be viewed by the public.

7 
 7. Which one of the following does the author explicitly identify as a characteristic of Mexican mural art?

(A) Its subject matter consisted primarily of current events.
(B) It could be viewed outdoors only.
(C) It used the same techniques as are used in easel painting.
(D) It exhibited remarkable stylistic uniformity.
(E) It was intended to be viewed from more than one angle.

8 
 8. The primary purpose of the second paragraph is to

(A) describe the unifying features of muralism
(B) provide support for the argument that the muralists often did not support government causes
(C) support the claim that muralists always used their work to comment on their own historical period
(D) illustrate how the muralists appropriated elements of Mexican tradition
(E) argue that muralism cannot be understood by focusing solely on its political dimension

TharunRPrakash · Answer

I was confused between options B and E for Q1 but fortunately went with B. But I fail to understand why option E was eliminated. Was it solely because option B was better?

Sajjad1994

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Why E is wrong?

No comparison to  “previous artistic movements”  enters into this passage’s Scope, with the exception of the elements named in  lines 35–39 , and those are only a passing detail related to Rivera’s work alone.

Hope it helps

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. Which one of the following aspects of muralist painting does the author appear to value most highly?

Explanation

(A) —Since the author feels that to focus on muralism’s ideology is reductive and  “a mistake,”  s/he would not choose it as muralism’s most respected aspect.

(B) —Brilliant color is ascribed to Siqueiros but not to other muralists, so it too is unlikely to be the most admired element.

(C)—The correct answer, (C)  picks up on the enthusiastic language in  paragraphs 3  (where style is described with phrases like  “strange experimentation,” “openly emotional,” “strong diagonal,” “heightened movement and drama,”  and so forth) and  4  (where the muralists’  “think  big”  and  “respect  the sweeping gesture”  led to  “the desired bold effect” ). Half of the passage, in other words, is devoted to approving descriptions of that which  (C)  mentions.

(D) —Depicting everyday life was, inferably from  paragraph 1 , part of the cultural/ideological element of muralism. But since the author is most interested in the movement’s “wide panoramas” and extravagant expressiveness, the mundane is hardly his/her most admired feature.

(E)  is clearly an ideological element. The author is far more interested in muralism’s aesthetics than its ideology.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. Which one of the following, if true, most supports the author’s claim about the relationship between muralism and the Mexican Revolution (lines 24–27)?

Explanation

Lines 24–27  assert that muralists transcended  “political and social awareness” —i.e. ideology—in favor of  “innovations”  that (paragraphs 2 and 3 go on to clarify) relate to expressiveness of style.  (A)  would be a clear-cut example of that transcendence, so  (A)  supports the author’s claim that the ideological interests of the Revolution were not the muralists’ sole concern.

(B), (D) —No mention is made of muralists  (B)  or government officials  (D)  who were ignorant of the outside world, artistic or otherwise.

(C) —These were  “important innovations,”  exactly the opposite of  “revivals of earlier movements.”

(E) —There’s no sense at all that the public was shielded from any muralist efforts; indeed, the opposite is suggested in  paragraphs 2 (lines 28–29)  and  4 (lines 56–60).

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

8. The primary purpose of the second paragraph is to

Passage map

Paragraph 1 —Muralism reflected Mexican culture

Paragraph 2 —It also was expressive; went beyond politics

Paragraph 3 —Muralists had distinct indiv. styles

Paragraph 4 —Technique and intended impact

This sort of breakdown will help you locate right answers as you need to seek them out.

Our Roadmap said of paragraph 2, That’s  (E)  in a nutshell.

(A) —Muralism, as noted regarding question 7 (E) above, was a movement of diversity of form and content, so  (A)  is hardly a purpose that the author would embrace, whether in  paragraph 2  or elsewhere.

(B) —Several choices among these eight questions have trumped up some sort of artists vs. government conflict, and this is the latest. They’ve all been wrong. To say that the muralists’ interests went beyond the ideology that interested the government is not to imply any necessary clash.

(C) —Commentary on the historic period is mentioned in  paragraph 1. Paragraph 2  is about style, not content. So  (C)  is something of a train wreck.

(D) , like  (C) , focuses on the concerns of  paragraph 1.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. Based on the passage, with which one of the following statements about art would the muralists be most likely to agree?

Explanation

(A)  eschews content altogether in favor of form, but this runs counter to the muralists’ commitment to cultural commentary and their enthusiastic incorporation of  “images and familiar ideas,”  as described in  paragraph 1.

(B) —Government  “essential” ? Not supported by the text. That the muralists painted  “public buildings” (line 29)  implies that they received some subsidy, but we get no more hint than that; in any event, the passage’s focus is on elements of art that transcended the government’s concerns.

(C) —Since  “muralists often used a realist style,” lines 29–30 , it’s unlikely that they’d assent to  (C).

(D) , the correct answer, is right out of  paragraph 3 , where the muralists’  “common interest in...their Mexican national identity”  is seen as consonant with Rivera’s use of pre-Columbian and Italian Renaissance imagery. There’s a strong sense that the muralists would eagerly take from any sources they thought congenial, and  (D)  reflects this.

(E)  needn’t take much of your attention once you’ve located  (D) . In any case, all of the passage’s interest in huge murals and sweeping gesture cannot fairly be read as any kind of slight towards the traditional easel, which is mentioned simply in contrast to the mural  (lines 50–52).

Answer: D

Parniant · Answer

Could someone explain why A is the wrong answer for q7? Thank you

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 7 
 
Choice (A) is admittedly tempting. The passage does say that "  art should incorporate images and familiar ideas as it commented upon the historic period in which it was created," but in the very next sentence, we're told that the mural artists "assimilated into their work the  customs, myths, geography, and history  of the local communities that constitute the basis of Mexican national culture."

Current events certainly may have been incorporated, but to what extent? Maybe the subject matter consisted primarily of the items in bold above? Maybe current events actually were NOT specifically depicted, or at least not that often? Or maybe the subject matter was typically a mix of all of the above?

In short, we can't be sure that current events were the PRIMARY subject matter. It's certainly possible, but we can't know for sure.

Choice (E) is much better because it's something that is EXPLICITLY mentioned in the final sentence.

I hope that helps!

The contemporary Mexican artistic movement known as muralism

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The contemporary Mexican artistic movement known as muralism

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