PrepTest 140, Section 4, Question 2
African American painter Sam Gilliam (b.(436 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(15 more words not shown)
- Aa brightly colored(16 more words not shown)
- Ba large, wrinkled(15 more words not shown)
- Ca painted abstract(10 more words not shown)
- Da long unframed(20 more words not shown)
- Ea folded and(15 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Predict a work that combines nonrepresentational color with experimentation in the canvas itself. Gilliam pours paint, folds the surface, and eventually lets the canvas occupy three-dimensional space. We shouldn't stop at a choice that matches only one of those features.
What we’re looking for
In particular, a hanging canvas can sound right while still depicting the recognizable objects his described approach moves away from.
Working the answers
- A
Bright color fits, but the carefully portrayed man and shovel are representational subjects. That central feature misses the kind of abstraction described here.
- B
The wrinkled canvas may be tempting. But the newspaper photographs depicting war scenes resemble the literal collage approach used as a contrast to Gilliam's work. They don't become a good match merely because the surface is unusual.
- C
“Abstract” is not enough by itself. We can still identify the figures as jazz musicians, so the caricature remains representational. The relevant description is totally nonrepresentational work, not simply any departure from realism.
- D
Hanging the unframed canvas gives this a physical resemblance to Gilliam's experiments. But the painted sea and clouds still supply recognizable images. One matching feature doesn't remove that mismatch.
- ECorrect
Folded, crumpled canvas and layers of colorful poured or splashed paint combine the physical experimentation with nonrepresentational color. We aren't told that the paint depicts people, scenery, or an explicit political scene. This fits the collection of characteristics we predicted.
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