When the Italian influence wore itself out, and the Fontainebleau

Question

When the Italian influence wore itself out, and the Fontainebleau school gave way to a more purely national art; when France had definitely entered into her Italian heritage; when the art of the modern world began, it was an art of grammar, of rhetoric. Certainly up to the time of Géricault, painting in general held itself rather pedantically aloof from poetry. Claude, Chardin, even Prudhon, did little to change the prevailing color and tone.

Claude's art is, in manner, thoroughly classic. He was the first thoroughly original French painter, if indeed one may not say he was the first thoroughly original modern painter. He has been assigned to both the French and Italian schools. The great English painter, Mr. Ruskin says that Claude could paint a small wave very well, and acknowledges that he affected a revolution in art. But assuredly Mr. Ruskin's failure to perceive that Claude's aim and Stanfield's, say, were quite different; that Claude, in fact, was at the opposite pole from the botanist and the geologist whom Mr. Ruskin's "reverence for nature" would make of every landscape painter. It seems hardly fanciful to say that the depreciation of Claude by Mr. Ruskin, who is a landscape painter himself, using the medium of words instead of pigments, is, so to speak, professionally unjust.    1 
 1. Which of the following statements about Claude may be considered to have the LEAST possibility of being true?

A. He specialized in paintings of nature.
B. He and Ruskin were contemporaries.
C. He was one of the finest proponents of the Italian school of art.
D. Claude's use of color and tone hardly inspired rhetoric
E. Claude and Stanfield belonged to the same school of art.

2  
 2. Which of the following conclusions about Mr. Ruskin is LEAST supported by the information given in the passage?

A. Mr. Ruskin, being a landscape painter himself, would hardly take liberty to be critical of a person sharing his profession.
B. Mr. Ruskin demonstrated his reverence for nature by holding botanists and geologists in high regard.
C. It would behoove Mr. Ruskin to have criticized Claude through the medium of art than of writing.
D. Mr. Ruskin was appreciative of Claude and credited him with some pioneering work in the field of art.
E. Mr. Ruskin's apparent failure to construe Claude's aim of art can be considered to be a cause for the former's criticism of Claude.

3  
 3. The author of the passage terms Claude's art to be "thoroughly classic" primarily for which of the following reasons?

A. The assignment of Claude's art to both French and Italian schools of art.
B. The absence of poetic expression in French art which was an integral part of painting elsewhere.
C. The change in Claude's art remained insignificant even with the beginnings of grammar and rhetoric in art elsewhere.
D. The ease with which Claude's art could be distinguished from the nascent art of the modern world.
E. The use of color and tone by Claude that rendered his paintings comparatively less rhetorical to those of the modern painters.

ReetArora · Answer

Please explain 1st and 3rd question

guddo · Answer

1. Which of the following statements about Claude may be considered to have the LEAST possibility of being true?

The question asks for the statement with the  least support from the passage , meaning the one that is hardest to reconcile with what the author actually says about Claude.

(A) He specialized in paintings of nature.

This is possible. The passage discusses Claude in connection with landscape painting and even mentions his painting of a wave.

(B) He and Ruskin were contemporaries.

The passage does not tell us enough to confirm this, but it does not directly rule it out either.

(C) He was one of the finest proponents of the Italian school of art.

This is the best answer. The passage says only that Claude “has been assigned to both the French and Italian schools.” That is much weaker than saying he was one of the finest proponents of the Italian school. The choice adds a strong claim the passage does not support.

(D) Claude's use of color and tone hardly inspired rhetoric

This is at least somewhat possible. The passage says Claude did little to change the prevailing color and tone.

(E) Claude and Stanfield belonged to the same school of art.

This may sound unlikely because their aims were very different, but the passage does not explicitly say they belonged to different schools. So this is still more possible than (C).

Answer: (C)

guddo · Answer

2. Which of the following conclusions about Mr. Ruskin is LEAST supported by the information given in the passage?

The passage presents Mr. Ruskin as someone who did admire Claude in some respects, but also criticized him because Ruskin failed to understand Claude’s artistic aim. So the  least supported  choice will be the one that goes against that picture most clearly.

(A) Mr. Ruskin, being a landscape painter himself, would hardly take liberty to be critical of a person sharing his profession.

This is the least supported. The passage says Ruskin did in fact depreciate Claude, even though Ruskin himself was a landscape painter. So this choice goes against the passage.

(B) Mr. Ruskin demonstrated his reverence for nature by holding botanists and geologists in high regard.

This is supported well enough. The passage says Ruskin’s “reverence for nature” would make a botanist and geologist out of every landscape painter. That suggests he valued that kind of approach highly.

(C) It would behoove Mr. Ruskin to have criticized Claude through the medium of art than of writing.

This is not stated directly, but it is at least loosely suggested by the remark that Ruskin was a landscape painter “using the medium of words instead of pigments,” and that his criticism was “professionally unjust.”

(D) Mr. Ruskin was appreciative of Claude and credited him with some pioneering work in the field of art.

This is supported. The passage says Ruskin acknowledged that Claude “affected a revolution in art.”

(E) Mr. Ruskin's apparent failure to construe Claude's aim of art can be considered to be a cause for the former's criticism of Claude.

This is supported. The passage directly links Ruskin’s depreciation of Claude with his failure to perceive Claude’s true aim.

Answer: (A)

guddo · Answer

3. The author of the passage terms Claude's art to be "thoroughly classic" primarily for which of the following reasons?

The passage contrasts the newer art of the modern world, described as an art of grammar and rhetoric, with earlier painting, which remained more restrained. The point is that  Claude stayed aligned with that older, pre-rhetorical mode , rather than moving with the newer tendency.

(A) The assignment of Claude's art to both French and Italian schools of art.

This is not the reason. The passage mentions this as a classification, not as the basis for calling his art "thoroughly classic."

(B) The absence of poetic expression in French art which was an integral part of painting elsewhere.

This goes beyond the passage. The author says painting held itself aloof from poetry, but does not say poetry was an integral part of painting elsewhere.

(C) The change in Claude's art remained insignificant even with the beginnings of grammar and rhetoric in art elsewhere.

This is the best answer. The passage says modern art became an art of grammar and rhetoric, but Claude did little to change the prevailing color and tone. That supports the idea that his art remained essentially within the older classic manner.

(D) The ease with which Claude's art could be distinguished from the nascent art of the modern world.

This is too indirect. The passage is not talking about ease of distinction, but about the stylistic character of Claude's art.

(E) The use of color and tone by Claude that rendered his paintings comparatively less rhetorical to those of the modern painters.

This is tempting, but it is too specific. The passage does not say Claude used color and tone in some special way to achieve this effect. It only says he did little to change the prevailing color and tone.

Answer: (C)

When the Italian influence wore itself out, and the Fontainebleau

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When the Italian influence wore itself out, and the Fontainebleau

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