Engraving evolved from a highly skilled craft to a major art form in the 1400s. Engraving encompasses several techniques developed over time. Line engraving, dry point, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, and sugar aquatint are among the established engraving methods. Engravers use a sharp, wedged metal tool, a burin, to gouge the plate, or acid to burn in the lines and furrows. The metal plate is then used to make multiple prints of either an original artwork or a reproduction of another artist's work. Some of the earliest engravings were produced in Germany in the 1430s. Plaques were made by gouging lines into small plates of silver or gold and then filling the furrows with a dark substance. By the 1470s, the skill had developed into an art form capable of producing prints almost as detailed as oil paintings. At this time, a German artist, Martin Schongauer, created engraved original works notable for their contrasts and textures. He used deeply engraved lines in a variety of strokes, long and sinuous, short and sharp, and crosshatched, to produce realistic looking scales and fur on his figures. At the same time, in Italy, Andrea Mantegna was experimenting with varying the width of lines to produce shading. He discovered that by using an assortment of thicker and thinner lines he could produce a three-dimensional effect in his engravings.

Question

By the early 1500s, artist Albrecht Durer had improved on these early techniques. His engravings introduced a richness in depth and detail not seen in earlier works. In the mid 1500s Cornelis Cort developed a technique that involved using lines that varied in width. The line became thicker in some areas and then tapered down in other areas. This flexible line made it possible for engravers to achieve shading in their work while gouging fewer lines. In the late 1500s, Hendrick Goltzius, a Dutch engineer, improved on Cort's technique. His polished use of long thickening and tapering lines produced highly artistic and technically sound original works and earned him admiration among the art patrons of the time. Goltzius trained many other engravers who were among the last to use engraving primarily to produce original works. By the 1600s, the trend in engraving shifted to highly skilled engravers reproducing other artists' works.

Question
The passage begins with a term-and-definition organizational pattern and then shifts to a chronological organizational pattern.



How does this organizational shift affect the passage?

Answer options with 4 options
1.
The shift disrupts the flow of information in the passage.

2.
The shift makes it difficult for readers to see how engraving evolved.

3.
The shift supports two different main ideas about the evolution of engraving.

4.
The shift clarifies and builds upon information in the beginning of the passage

Answer 1

4. The shift clarifies and builds upon information in the beginning of the passage.

By shifting to a chronological organizational pattern, the passage is able to provide a timeline of how engraving evolved over time, building upon the initial definition and techniques described at the beginning. This allows readers to see the progression and development of engraving as an art form in a clear and structured way.