When you first saw a piece of African art, it impressed you as a unit;

Question

When you first saw a piece of African art, it impressed you as a unit; you did not see it as a collection of shapes or forms. This, of course, means that the shapes and volumes within the sculpture itself were coordinated so successfully that the viewer was affected emotionally.

It is entirely valid to ask how, from a purely artistic point of view, this unity was achieved. And we must also inquire whether there is a recurrent pattern or rules or a plastic language and vocabulary that is responsible for the powerful communication of emotion which the best African sculpture achieves. If there is such a pattern of rules, are these rules applied consciously or instinctively to obtain so many works of such high artistic quality?

It is obvious from the study of art history that an intense and unified emotional experience, such as the Christian credo of the Byzantine or 12th or 13th century Europe, when espoused in art forms, gave great unity, coherence, and power to art. But such an integrated feeling was only the inspirational element for the artist, only the starting point of the creative act. The expression of this emotion and its realization in the work could be done only with discipline and thorough knowledge of the craft. And the African sculptor was a highly trained workman. He started his apprenticeship with a master when a child, and he learned the tribal styles and the use of tools and the nature of woods so thoroughly that his carving became what Boas calls “motor action.” He carved automatically and instinctively.    1 
 1. The information in the passage suggests that a mature African carver might best be compared to a

A. chef following a recipe
B. fluent speaker of English just now beginning to study French
C. batter who hits a home run the first time at bat
D. veteran fiddler expertly varying a traditional tune
E. senior editor correcting the p rose of an unidiomatic author

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

We are told that the African sculptor was highly trained and followed the rules without thinking about them. Analogously, a veteran fiddler can expertly improvise variations on a traditional tune without giving the process much thought. Both creative artists have over the course of time developed a mastery of their chosen medium. They need neither to follow recipes nor to impose rules on others. 
 
  Answer: D

When you first saw a piece of African art, it impressed you as a unit;

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