Deck 16: The High Renaissance in Italy

Question 1

Michelangelo's work included a portrait of himself

A) as David in the sculpture of that name.
B) as Jesus in his Pietà.
C) as Adam in the Creation of Adam.
D) on a flayed skin in his Last Judgment.

Answer 1

on a flayed skin in his Last Judgment.

Question 2

Which pope ordered Michelangelo to return to Rome and paint the Last Judgment for the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel?

A) Leo III
B) Julius II
C) Sixtus IV
D) Paul III

Answer 2

Paul III

Question 3

In paintings like Tempest, Giorgione demonstrated a fondness for

A) clear and simple iconography.
B) Christian allegory.
C) landscape.
D) imposing human figures.

Answer 3

landscape.

Question 4

The Renaissance artist best known for his anatomical drawings, including drawings of fetuses in wombs, is

A) Michelangelo.
B) Leonardo.
C) Titian.
D) Botticelli.

Question 5

The content of Titian's Pesaro Madonna demonstrates the artist's fondness for

A) rich, textured fabrics.
B) sweeping natural landscapes.
C) exact symmetry.
D) darkened settings.

Question 6

Michelangelo's David depicts the figure

A) poised tensely for battle against Goliath.
B) in the midst of slinging a stone at Goliath.
C) in a moment of private triumph after winning his battle against Goliath.
D) receiving accolades for his victory over Goliath.

Question 7

Which of the following terms best describes Raphael's work in comparison with that of Leonardo and Michelangelo?

A) contorted
B) anxious
C) ambiguous and mysterious
D) calm and restrained

Question 8

How does Michelangelo's depiction of hell differ from those of earlier Christian artists such as Giotto?

A) His depiction of hell is markedly more chaotic than his depiction of heaven and earth.
B) His depiction draws more on Classical imagery than medieval Christian imagery
C) His depiction shows hell across the entire bottom of the frame instead of just on the left.
D) His depiction of hell is filled only with monstrous and demonic forms, not human ones.

Question 9

Which artist used himself and his contemporary artists as models for the philosophers in his School of Athens?

A) Titian
B) Raphael
C) Gentile Bellini
D) Giorgione

Question 10

Titian's paintings are known for all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) daring compositional arrangements.
B) the psychological insight they show into their characters.
C) their warm colors, deepened by layers of glaze.
D) their limited range of subject matter.

Question 11

Bramante's plan for the New St. Peter's was

A) a Greek cross.
B) a Latin cross.
C) a combination of a Greek and Latin cross.
D) based on the basilica of Constantine.

Question 12

Which artist showed his taste for textures created by gradual shading in a famous portrait of Sultan Mehmet II?

A) Gentile Bellini
B) Titian
C) Raphael
D) Giorgione

Question 13

Each scene Michelangelo painted for the Sistine Chapel is surrounded by four nudes called

A) balustrades.
B) celli.
C) spandrels.
D) ignudi.

Question 14

The proportions of Michelangelo's David are best described as

A) Byzantine.
B) Classical.
C) Archaic.
D) Hellenistic.

Question 15

The Mona Lisa's nickname, La Gioconda, literally means

A) "the unknowable one."
B) "the private joke."
C) "the smiling one."
D) "the wife of Francesco del Giocondo."

Question 16

Which artist explored erotic themes in both the Rape of Europa and the Venus of Urbino?

A) Titian
B) Raphael
C) Gentile Bellini
D) Giorgione

Question 17

Which artist's use of soft light and chiaroscuro in works like the San Giobbe Altarpiece as well as the clarity of forms shown in works like his portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan put him at the forefront of the High Renaissance in Venice?

A) Raphael
B) Andrea Mantegna
C) Giorgione
D) Giovanni Bellini

Question 18

The San Giobbe Altarpiece provides the first example of what type of painting in Venetian art, which gets its name from the gestures of its figures?

A) sacra conversazione
B) pietà
C) balustrade
D) ignudi

Question 19

Which of the following statements about fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Venice is LEAST accurate?

A) It enjoyed a remarkable stretch of political stability and continuity when compared to other Italian states.
B) Its artistic style showed the influence of Gothic, Byzantine, and International styles.
C) Its location atop a body of water affected its artists' use of light.
D) It abandoned the tradition of the family-run artists' workshop much more quickly than Rome or Florence

Question 20

The painting Fête Champêtre has been attributed to both Giorgione and which other painter, who completed Giorgione's Sleeping Venus?

A) Andrea Mantegna
B) Titian
C) Giovanni Bellini
D) Pietro Aretino

Question 21

According to Plato, the most divine shape was the circle.

Question 22

All the following artists contributed substantially to the new St. Peter's in Rome EXCEPT

A) Bramante.
B) Michelangelo.
C) Raphael.
D) Leonardo.

Question 23

In the marble Pietà Michelangelo carved between 1498 and 1500, Mary is depicted as significantly older and smaller than Jesus.

Question 24

The landscape of Leonardo's Mona Lisa is depicted through sfumato, a technique at which the painter was particularly skilled.

Question 25

Influenced by Classical antiquity, High Renaissance artists adopted what layout for buildings such as St. Peter's in Rome?

A) Romanesque
B) central plan
C) basilica
D) Gothic

Question 26

Which of the following adjectives LEAST accurately describes Leonardo's artistic nature?

A) investigative
B) experimental
C) practical
D) preliminary

Question 27

Leonardo's Last Supper contains all the following elements EXCEPT

A) depictions of each apostles' psychological reaction to Jesus' news.
B) a figure of Judas indicated by his isolated location.
C) the symbolic use of light.
D) the symbolic use of geometry and numerology.

Question 28

Which highly influential pope initially commissioned the rebuilding of St. Peter's in Rome to restore the majesty of the papacy?

A) Julius II
B) Leo III
C) Paul III
D) Sixtus IV

Question 29

Who was the dominant High Renaissance artist in Venice?

A) Titian
B) Leonardo
C) Bramante
D) Raphael

Question 30

The style of columns Bramante chose for the Tempietto in honor of St. Peter was chosen because it was associated, in Classical antiquity, with active male gods, and St. Peter was said to have been hot-tempered.

Question 31

Because of Leonardo's meticulous process, his Last Supper quickly began to decay, and has had to be restored numerous times.

Question 32

Of the six greatest artists of the High Renaissance, only two, Titian and Michelangelo, lived past 1520.

Question 33

The painterly technique of sfumato could best be defined as the practice of

A) bringing figures into sharp relief through stark contrasts in color.
B) defining figures through delicate gradations of light and shade.
C) incorporating symbolic elements of geometry and numerology into the composition and subject matter of a painting.
D) interrelating figures into their architectural or natural surroundings.

Question 34

Bramante's Tempietto exhibits all the following features EXCEPT

A) a sculptured wall motif.
B) an expansive interior.
C) a hemispherical dome.
D) Doric columns.

Question 35

Michelangelo's David was commissioned by the city of Florence as a symbol of its republicanism.

Question 36

The High Renaissance was a period of remarkable political calm and stability.

Question 37

The frescoes Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel alternate between Old and New Testament scenes and figures.

Question 38

Unlike the brooding Raphael, Michelangelo was known for being easygoing and affable.

Question 39

Leonardo's Madonna and Child with Saint Anne exhibits all the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) Jesus portrayed with adult proportions.
B) a triangular composition.
C) the interrelation of the figures and the landscape behind them.
D) the use of chiaroscuro and sfumato.

Question 40

Which city served as the center of the Italian art world during the High Renaissance?

A) Florence
B) Naples
C) Rome
D) Venice

Question 41

Describe the evolution of the New St. Peter's. How is it different from the original building? Which architects made which contributions to the final product?

Question 42

Leonardo is often considered to be the exemplar of the "Renaissance man." Using specific artistic works, explain how he earned his reputation.

Question 43

What were the general characteristics of High Renaissance architecture? What Classical ideas did Renaissance architects adopt, and what new innovations did they develop?

Question 44

Compare and contrast Giorgione's Sleeping Venus with Titian's Venus of Urbino. What characteristics do they share, and how do they differ?

Question 45

How does High Renaissance Venetian painting compare with that of Rome?

Question 46

Compare the artistic careers of Michelangelo and Leonardo. Could one be said to have surpassed the other in terms of artistic productions?

Question 47

Who were the chief patrons of High Renaissance artworks? How did their patronage affect the art of the High Renaissance?