Question
In the early 1960s, museums and art galleries, began61
to enthusiastically present the paintings of Roy Lichenstein.
Many critics celebrated these paintings and were hailing62
Lichenstein’s bold inventiveness. General audiences, more
accustomed to carefully rendered portraits and painstakingly
realistic landscapes, lamented the childishly juvenile63 and
seemingly inaccessible direction that Lichenstein seemed to
be taking.
Why did Lichenstein’s work draw such disparate
reactions? The answer lies on64 his subject matter: Lichenstien’s
paintings intentionally mimicked comic book illustrators65.
When Lichenstein began painting in this new style, cultural
observers regarded comic books as an intellectually empty
form of entertainment. Lichenstein felt invigorated by the66
challenge of creating art inspired by a medium that was66
scorned by so-called intellectuals.66
Like actual 1960s comic book illustrations,
Lichenstein used "Ben-Day" dots to form his paintings67.
(Ben-Day dots are the pixel-like dots used by comic book
printers to produce varying shades of color.) However,
Lichenstein executed his works on canvases rather68 than
comic book panels. In fact, many of his canvases measured
dozens of square feet in area. To match these enormous
canvases, Lichenstein used enlarged Ben-Day dots, giving69
his paintings a comic-book-like appearance.
Whaam! is the name of one of Lichenstein’s most
well-known and popular70 comic-book-style paintings. Modeled
on an actual comic book illustration found in All-American
Men of War by DC Comics, Whaam! consisted71 of two joined
panels that measure nearly six feet in height and over fourteen
feet in total width. The panel on the left depicts a fighter
plane that has fired rockets at another fighter plane, which is
shown exploding in the right panel. Of the two panels, the
one on the left is the most graphic72. The title of the painting
appears in large yellow letters above the flaming plane.
Many viewers vigorously contend that Whaam! is
not art, it is73 a childish cartoon at best or plagiarism at worst.
Critics counter that Whaam! shares an important character-
istic with more traditional masterpieces: the ability to provoke
many interpretations. 74 Whatever a viewer's interpre-
tation, Lichenstein has clearly challenged the definition of art
through his unorthodox style and subject matter.
Question 75 asks about the preceding passage
as a whole.
Suppose the writer had intended to write a brief essay that
dicussess how Ben-Day dots are used to create color
variations. Would this essay successfully fulfill the writer’s
goal?
A.
Yes, because the essay includes a description of Ben-
Day dots.
B.
Yes, because the essay discusses how Lichenstein used
large Ben-Day dots to create his provocative paintings.
C.
No, because the essay simply never explains how Ben-
Day dots are used to create color variations.
D.
No, because the essay does not cover the practical
aspects of comic book printing.
to enthusiastically present the paintings of Roy Lichenstein.
Many critics celebrated these paintings and were hailing62
Lichenstein’s bold inventiveness. General audiences, more
accustomed to carefully rendered portraits and painstakingly
realistic landscapes, lamented the childishly juvenile63 and
seemingly inaccessible direction that Lichenstein seemed to
be taking.
Why did Lichenstein’s work draw such disparate
reactions? The answer lies on64 his subject matter: Lichenstien’s
paintings intentionally mimicked comic book illustrators65.
When Lichenstein began painting in this new style, cultural
observers regarded comic books as an intellectually empty
form of entertainment. Lichenstein felt invigorated by the66
challenge of creating art inspired by a medium that was66
scorned by so-called intellectuals.66
Like actual 1960s comic book illustrations,
Lichenstein used "Ben-Day" dots to form his paintings67.
(Ben-Day dots are the pixel-like dots used by comic book
printers to produce varying shades of color.) However,
Lichenstein executed his works on canvases rather68 than
comic book panels. In fact, many of his canvases measured
dozens of square feet in area. To match these enormous
canvases, Lichenstein used enlarged Ben-Day dots, giving69
his paintings a comic-book-like appearance.
Whaam! is the name of one of Lichenstein’s most
well-known and popular70 comic-book-style paintings. Modeled
on an actual comic book illustration found in All-American
Men of War by DC Comics, Whaam! consisted71 of two joined
panels that measure nearly six feet in height and over fourteen
feet in total width. The panel on the left depicts a fighter
plane that has fired rockets at another fighter plane, which is
shown exploding in the right panel. Of the two panels, the
one on the left is the most graphic72. The title of the painting
appears in large yellow letters above the flaming plane.
Many viewers vigorously contend that Whaam! is
not art, it is73 a childish cartoon at best or plagiarism at worst.
Critics counter that Whaam! shares an important character-
istic with more traditional masterpieces: the ability to provoke
many interpretations. 74 Whatever a viewer's interpre-
tation, Lichenstein has clearly challenged the definition of art
through his unorthodox style and subject matter.
Question 75 asks about the preceding passage
as a whole.
Suppose the writer had intended to write a brief essay that
dicussess how Ben-Day dots are used to create color
variations. Would this essay successfully fulfill the writer’s
goal?
A.
Yes, because the essay includes a description of Ben-
Day dots.
B.
Yes, because the essay discusses how Lichenstein used
large Ben-Day dots to create his provocative paintings.
C.
No, because the essay simply never explains how Ben-
Day dots are used to create color variations.
D.
No, because the essay does not cover the practical
aspects of comic book printing.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is **C. No, because the essay simply never explains how Ben-Day dots are used to create color variations.**
While the passage mentions Ben-Day dots and their usage in Lichtenstein's paintings, it does not provide a detailed explanation of how these dots are specifically used to create variations in color. The focus of the passage is more on Lichtenstein's artistic style and the reactions to his work rather than the technical mechanics of color creation through the use of Ben-Day dots.
While the passage mentions Ben-Day dots and their usage in Lichtenstein's paintings, it does not provide a detailed explanation of how these dots are specifically used to create variations in color. The focus of the passage is more on Lichtenstein's artistic style and the reactions to his work rather than the technical mechanics of color creation through the use of Ben-Day dots.