DSST Art of the Western World Exam Practice Questions Answer Key

1. B: Lichtenstein was a Pop artist who acquired fame during the Pop art explosion that followed World War II. While all artists are influenced by prior periods, Roy Lichtenstein is not known as an Impressionist but as a Pop artist. Eliminating the statements which describe him as an Impressionist leaves the choice of a and b. Lichtenstein is widely known as a sculptor, but better known for his comic book style panels featured in prominent New York and London museums.
2. A: Andy Warhol’s original studio, The Factory, was located in mid-town Manhattan and was used by Warhol from 1962 to 1968. However, Warhol called subsequent gallery locations The Factory as well. Warhol began his career as a commercial artist in the fashion world; his films and silkscreen images of Marilyn Monroe came later. It was his fascination with Marilyn Monroe that led Warhol to his development of silkscreen reproduction in an era of Pop art.
3. D: Choice c can be ruled out because Paris was spared during WWII. Abstract Expressionism preceded the Pop art movement which popularized silk-screening and other methods. American Abstract Expressionism examined the values and techniques of Impressionism with its own avant-garde focus.
4. B: Leo Castelli was a seminal art collector and gallery owner who influenced taste in the art world. Clement Greenberg is a noted art critic, whereas Rothko and Newman are Abstract Expressionist artists. The German Max Ernst is considered a foundational figure in the development of Abstract Expressionism in America, as is Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky.
5. D: The Dada movement experienced its heyday in the period between the two World Wars. It thrived from 1916 to 1920 in Germany, France, and Switzerland. It was neither orderly nor figurative and ran contrary to general societal values. Dada preceded the later Surrealist movement and featured some of the same artists, making choice d the best answer.
6. B: Warhol and Lichtenstein were prominent Pop artists; eliminating choice d. Dada was in no way connected to Romantic art. B is the best answer because Dada was anarchical, disorderly, and cynical about previous notions of beauty and composition.
7. D: Two artists who contributed to the understanding of Abstract Expressionism were Henry Motherwell and Barnett Newman, by bringing the movement’s values to print media where they could be disseminated. Both men shared a common literary and philosophical background. All of the answers apply to these two highly respected artists and art critics; the correct choice is d.
8. B: Since all art grows out of prior periods, it is impossible to say precisely when one period ends and another begins. Artistic, political, and social movements are always overlapping. Some art critics point to earlier centuries for the origins of Modern art, but the widely accepted view is that the Modern art movement began in the 19th century and extended into the 1970s. The best answer is b.
9. D: Some of the statements contain one component of Impressionisms, but there is only one answer where the characteristics mentioned are all correct. D mentions three primary Impressionist concerns, making it the correct choice. Answer c is misleading because bowls of fruit and nude figures may have been the subjects of Impressionist painters but were not central to the style. Answer a is incorrect because Impressionists favored open composition and portraits of ordinary people. B is also incorrect in that it describes a realistic style of painting.
10. C: Mary Cassatt was an American who painted in France, and Alfred Sisley was an Englishman who also spent much of his life in France. Suzanne Duchamp was a Dadaist, as were Tristan Tzara and Jean Brown. The correct answer is c. Duchamp, Tzara, and Jean Brown do not fit the painting manners of Impressionism.