The paintings of Roman Bearden (19141988) represent a double triumph.

Question

The paintings of Roman Bearden (1914–1988)
represent a double triumph. At the same time that
Bearden’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to
perfecting the innovative painting techniques he
  (5)   pioneered, it also reveals an artist engaged in a search
for ways to explore the varieties of African-American
experience.

By presenting scene, character, and atmosphere
using a unique layered and fragmented style that
  (10)   combines elements of painting with elements of
collage, Bearden suggested some of the ways in which
commonplace subjects could be forced to undergo a
metamorphosis when filtered through the techniques
available to the resourceful artist. Bearden knew that
  (15)   regardless of individual painters’ personal histories,
tastes, or points of view, they must pay their craft the
respect of approaching it through an acute awareness of
the resources and limitations of the form to which they
have dedicated their creative energies.

(20)   But how did Bearden, so passionately dedicated to
solving the more advanced problems of his painting
technique, also succeed so well at portraying the
realities of African-American life? During the Great
Depression of the 1930’s, Bearden painted scenes of the
  (25)   hardships of the period; the work was powerful, the
scenes grim and brooding. Through his depiction of the
unemployed in New York’s Harlem he was able to
move beyond the usual “protest painting” of the period
to reveal instances of individual human suffering. His
  (30)   human figures, placed in abstract yet mysteriously
familiar urban settings, managed to express the
complex social reality lying beyond the borders of the
canvas without compromising their integrity as
elements in an artistic composition. Another important
  (35)   element of Bearden’s compositions was his use of
muted colors, such as dark blues and purples, to
suggest moods of melancholy or despair. While
functioning as part of the overall design, these colors
also served as symbols of the psychological effects of
  (40)   debilitating social processes.

During the same period, he also painted happier
scenes—depictions of religious ceremony, musical
performance, and family life—and instilled them with
the same vividness that he applied to his scenes of
  (45)   suffering. Bearden sought in his work to reveal in all its
fullness a world long hidden by the clichés of
sociology and rendered cloudy by the simplifications of
journalism and documentary photography. Where any
number of painters have tried to project the “prose” of
  (50)   Harlem, Bearden concentrated on releasing its poetry—
its family rituals and its ceremonies of affirmation and
celebration. His work insists that we truly see the
African-American experience in depth, using the fresh
light of his creative vision. Through an act of artistic
  (55)   will, he created strange visual harmonies out of the
mosaic of the African-American experience, and in
doing so reflected the multiple rhythms, textures, and
mysteries of life.    1 
 1. Which one of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

(A) Bearden was unique among chroniclers of the Great Depression in that his work depicted not just human suffering but also the happier moments that other artists tended to overlook.
(B) By combining a dedication of the perfection of his craft with a desire to portray African-American life in all its complexity, Bearden was able to produce paintings of unique vision.
(C) Without sacrificing his devotion to depicting the realities of African-American life, Bearden was able to expand the number and kind of painting techniques available to the dedicated artist.
(D) Unlike other artists of the Great Depression, who were interested mainly in sociological observation, Bearden devoted himself to the perfection of his craft.
(E) While Bearden has long been celebrated for his innovative painting techniques, he is less well known but equally notable as a compassionate chronicler of the African-American experience.

2 
 2. According to the passage, Bearden’s innovative painting techniques illustrate

(A) a commitment to calling attention to human suffering
(B) a desire to instruct painters about how to approach problems of form
(C) the ability of art to transform ordinary subject matter
(D) the importance of combining the abstractions of painting with the clarity of photography
(E) the need to emphasize more prosaic elements over poetic elements in a work of art

3 
 3. As it is used in the passage, the phrase “protest painting” (line 28) appears to refer to painting that

(A) depicted general scenes of social hardship and group suffering
(B) portrayed solitary figures in abstract surroundings
(C) challenged the traditional techniques employed by painters
(D) emphasized the experiences of African Americans during the Great Depression
(E) used innovative techniques to suggest the effects of social circumstances on individuals

4 
 4. Based on the passage, with which one of the following statements would Bearden have been most likely to agree?

(A) To better highlight the creative technical elements of a painting an artist should choose prosaic and commonplace subjects.
(B) Technical elements such as color can be effectively used to convey social or political messages.
(C) A painter’s use of technical innovations should be subservient to conveying social and political messages.
(D) A painter should focus on the positive elements of African-American life and avoid depicting suffering and injustice.
(E) The techniques of journalism and photography can bring new creative vision to painting and enrich its depiction of African-American life.

5 
 5. It can be inferred from the passage that journalistic and photographic records of Depression-era Harlem generally do not

(A) involve innovative creative techniques
(B) reveal instances of individual human suffering
(C) communicate the sociological platitudes of the period
(D) depict the richness of African-American life
(E) cloud the picture of everyday life

6 
 6. The passage gives information that helps answer all of the following questions EXCEPT:

(A) What led Bearden to choose painting as his primary means of artistic expression?
(B) What are some of Bearden’s most significant contributions to art?
(C) What aspects of life during the Great Depression did Bearden depict?
(D) What specific artistic techniques lent power to Bearden’s paintings of individual subjects?
(E) What did Bearden intent to convey through his use of color?

7 
 7. According to the passage, human figures in Bearden’s paintings do all of the following EXCEPT:

(A) serve as particular examples of human hardship
(B) suggest circumstances outside the explicit subject of the paintings
(C) function as aspects of an artistic composition
(D) symbolize emotions or psychological stages
(E) inhabit abstract but recognizable physical settings

8 
 8. The passage suggests that the author’s attitude toward Bearden’s innovative painting techniques is one of

(A) admiration for how they aided Bearden in communicating his rich vision of African-American life
(B) appreciation for how they transform complex social realities into simple and direct social critiques
(C) respect for how they are rooted in the rhythms and textures of the African-American experience
(D) concern that they draw attention away from Bearden’s social and political message
(E) strong conviction that they should be more widely utilized by African-American artists

Sajjad1994 · Answer

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Explanation

7. According to the passage, human figures in Bearden’s paintings do all of the following EXCEPT:

Explanation

The Hot Words are  “human figures,”  which means individuals, which means we want to study  lines 26-34.   (D)  turns out to be correct because—according to  lines 34-37 —it was color, not human figures, that Bearden used to convey moods. Each of the other choices has textual support, sometimes almost verbatim:

(A) , line 29;

(B) , lines 29-33;

(C) , lines 33-34; and

(E) , lines 30-31.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. Based on the passage, with which one of the following statements would Bearden have been most likely to agree?

Explanation

No way to predict an answer here, so we must confidently look for something strongly consistent with Bearden’s art as described somewhere in the text.

(A)  is opposite because according to  paragraph 4  Bearden eschewed the prosaic, and he sought out AfricanAmerican themes, rituals and ceremonies and the like, that certainly transcend the  “commonplace.”

(B) ’s celebration of the expressive uses of color should have struck you as most consistent with the text, and if you seek support for  (B)  you get it in  lines 37-40.

Having spotted and confirmed  (B) , you should give the remaining choices a cursory look, confident that they’re wrong but wanting confirmation. All three are opposite. By making style subservient to content,  (C)  flies in the face of the  “double triumph.”  Bearden’s many paintings of suffering contradict  (D).

And  lines 45-48  confirm that to Bearden, what journalism and photography brought to art was actually simplification and  “cloudy rendering” (E).

Answer: B

5. It can be inferred from the passage that journalistic and photographic records of Depression-era Harlem generally do not

Explanation

We just considered journalism and photography  (E)  in question 4, so that gives us a leg up. If those arts  “simplify”  and  “render cloudy”  the richness of the world, then that richness is something that doesn’t come through, making  (D)  correct.

(A)  is opposite, far too complimentary about journalism and photography, while their subject matter

(B)  is never discussed.  (C) , too, is also opposite, since the text strongly suggests that  “the clichés   of sociology”  were related to, if not reflected by, the techniques of journalism and photography. You can only pick  (E)  if you miss the word “not” in the question stem;  (E)  is what journalism and photography did do.

Answer: D

8. The passage suggests that the author’s attitude toward Bearden’s innovative painting techniques is one of

Explanation

By now we know that our author is crazy about Bearden’s techniques, mostly because they’re a major component of his vivid portrait of African-American life. That’s  (A).

If anything, the author credits Bearden with turning the simple into the complex, in contradiction to  (B). “Respect”  is a bit tepid, and anyway, Bearden’s technique reflects African-American life’s  “rhythm and textures” ; it’s not  “rooted”  in them.

(D)  is of course too negative—Bearden’s technique complements his content—and  (E)  has the wrong scope, since this passage’s retrospective look at Bearden shows no interest in sending a message to African-American artists today.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

1. Which one of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

Explanation

Merely seeing the words  “double triumph,”  and understanding the nature of the  “double triumph,”  should quickly yield  (B).  It’s got the craft ( Paragraph 2 ), the overview of AAM life ( Paragraphs 3 and 4 ), and the appreciation of his uniqueness.

(A)  ignores the stylistic issues altogether and blows up in importance a contrast largely restricted to  lines 41-45.

(C)  gives too much prominence to style, and suggests that Bearden’s reconciling of his style and his vision was something of a struggle when no such hint is present.

(D)  directly contradicts lines  20-23.

As for  (E) , it implies that the author is conceding one famous aspect of Bearden’s art while announcing a less-known another element, when in fact the passage celebrates both equally.

Answer: B

animeshdash1000 · Answer

Can someone please explain why the answer to question no.2 is 'C' instead of 'A'

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Paragraph 2  is the domain of the technique discussion, and  (C)  is just a straight paraphrase of  lines 11-14.

"Bearden suggested some of the ways in which
commonplace subjects could be forced to undergo a
metamorphosis when filtered through the techniques
available to the resourceful artist."

(A)  doesn’t come into the picture until many lines later, and it’s not connected to Bearden’s innovative style.

The paintings of Roman Bearden (19141988) represent a double triumph.

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The paintings of Roman Bearden (19141988) represent a double triumph.

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