MFA (MFA) Random 4

Question 1

What is a 'vanitas' still life?

Accepted Answer

A still life incorporating symbols of mortality and the transience of earthly life

Answer

Vanitas still lifes include symbols such as skulls, hourglasses, and wilting flowers to meditate on mortality and the futility of worldly pursuits.

Question 2

Which avant-garde movement, founded in Zurich in 1916, embraced nonsense, chance, and anti-rational aesthetics?

Accepted Answer

Dadaism

Answer

Dada was founded in Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire in 1916 as a reaction to World War I, embracing irrationality, provocation, and anti-art gestures.

Question 3

In ceramics, what is 'bisque firing'?

Accepted Answer

An initial firing that hardens unfired clay without applying glaze

Answer

Bisque firing is a first firing that removes moisture and organic material from clay, creating a porous but durable piece ready for glazing.

Question 4

What does 'chiaroscuro' refer to in painting?

Accepted Answer

The use of strong contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional form

Answer

Chiaroscuro is the Renaissance technique of using dramatic contrasts of light and shadow to create the illusion of volume and depth.

Question 5

Which seminal text by Clement Greenberg argued that modern painting should emphasize its inherent flatness?

Accepted Answer

'Avant-Garde and Kitsch'

Answer

'Avant-Garde and Kitsch' (1939) and subsequent essays by Greenberg argued that modernist painting should acknowledge and foreground its flatness and medium specificity.

MFA - Master of Fine Arts Practice Test

MFA - Master of Fine Arts Practice Test

MFA (MFA) Random 4