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Test Your Knowledge of Art Appreciation

Knowledge of Art AppreciationHow much do you know about art appreciation? Test your knowledge of art appreciation by taking this simple 40-question quiz. Write your answers on paper, then check them at the end of the quiz. Don’t peek!

1. __________ is the expression of human creative skill and imagination.

A.    Emphasis
B.    Contour
C.    Art
D.    Dominance

2. In what way is art important in daily life?

A.    It has personal significance.
B.    It reflects our society.
C.    It records history.
D.    It is used for marketing and advertising.
E.    It is a form of self-expression.
F.    All of the above.

3. The way to do an art critique is to __________.

A.    describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the piece
B.    talk to the artist
C.    decide if it’s good
D.    write an artist statement

4. A person learning a trade or an art from a skilled worker is called __________.

A.    an apprentice
B.    a mentor
C.    a foreman
D.    a laborer

5. A rule used by artists when planning a good composition.

A.    “Rule of Sketch”
B.    “Rule of Placement”
C.    “Rule of Perspective”
D.    “Rule of Thirds”

6. Andy Warhol, an American painter and filmmaker, is best known for his depiction of what grocery store item?

A.    Apples
B.    Bacon
C.    Tomato Soup
D.    Onions

7. Andy Warhol’s work can best be classified as __________.

A.    realism
B.    pop art
C.    splatter paint
D,    cubism

8. A style of artwork created using many geometric shapes, often not resembling any object.

A.    Surrealism
B.    Favauvism
C.    Cubism
D.    Baroque

9. An art style where the artist tries to paint a picture exactly how it looks in real life, with as many details as possible.

A.    Impressionism
B.    Pointillism
C.    Realism
D.    Favauvism

10. A style of art where the artist attempts to convey as much of their emotion into the artwork as possible, often using distortion and emphasis.

A.    Expressionism
B.    Surrealism
C.    Cubism
D.    Impressionist

11. The way artwork is arranged is called __________.

A.    emphasis
B.    contour
C.    composition
D.    stylus

12. Surrealism is an art movement that used dream-like images.

True | False

13. An art style where artwork is extremely detailed and ornate.

A.    Surrealism
B.    Baroque
C.    Favauvism
D.    Expressionism

14. Pablo Picasso is from the country of __________.

A.    Germany
B.    Italy
C.    Spain
D.    The United States of America

15. What is the title of the style of painting that Picasso invented?

A.    Realism
B.    Impressionism
C.    Cubism
D.    Art Nouveau

16. Where is the “Mona Lisa” hanging in France?

A.    Gargoyle square
B.    The Louvre
C.    The Eiffel Tower
D.    Chartres Cathedral

17. Van Gogh’s most famous work of art to this day is __________.

A.    “Mona Lisa”
B.    “The Scream”
C.    “Starry Night”
D.    “Poppies”

18. What country was Van Gogh born in?

A.    Holland
B.    France
C.    Spain
D.    The United States of America

19. Georgia O’Keeffe was an __________ artist.

A.    English
B.    Italian
C.    American
D.    Australian

20. O’Keeffe is best known for her paintings of  __________.

A.    the sea and marine animals
B.    enlarged flowers and New Mexico landscapes
C.    native American Indians
D.    the Australian Outback

21. Salvador Dali is considered a Surrealist artist.

True | False

22. Salvador Dali was born in India.

True | False

23. Rembrandt is known as an artist of what style?

A.    Impressionists
B.    Baroque
C.    Modern
D.    Prehistoric

24. Rembrandt, considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art, was born in what country?

A.    The Netherlands
B.    Switzerland
C.    France
D.    Spain

25. Monet is the father of which movement?

A.    Realism
B.    Impressionism
C.    Cubism
D.    Art Nouveau

26. Where did Monet grow up?

A.    Holland
B.    England
C.    France
D.    The United States of America

27. Georges Seurat, the artist who created the painting “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” used which method of art?

A.    Cubism
B.    Pointillism
C.    Abstract
D.    Dadaism

28. What does a color wheel show?

A.    Complementary colors
B.    Analogous colors
C.    Primary colors
D.    All of the above

29. Movement in art where hundreds of dots are used to create a picture or painting.

A.    Pointillism
B.    Impressionism
C.    Realism
D.    Abstract

30. The artist Edgar Degas was best known for his paintings of waterlilies.

True | False

31. Edward Degas was a nineteenth-century French artist famous for his paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings.

True | False

32. Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement that mainly focused on the __________.

A.    study of geometric form
B.    study of negative and positive space
C.    study of light on the surface of an object
D.    study of value

33. Art that emerged in the mid-1950s that used imagery from popular culture is termed __________.

A.    Impressionism
B.    Realism
C.    Minimalism
D.    Pop Art

34. A twentieth-century non-representational painting style in which artists applied paints freely to express feelings and emotions.

A.    Abstract Expressionism
B.    Fauvism
C.    Pop Art
D.    Cubism

35. Jackson Pollock’s paintings were classified as what?

A.    Realism
B.    Grotesque
C.    Surreal
D.    Splatterpaint

36. Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter and a central figure in what movement?

A.    American Modernism
B.    Pop Art
C.    Abstract Expressionist
D.    Minimalism

37. An English landscape painter of the late eighteenth century, known for his pastoral scenes.

A.    John Constable
B.    Willem de Kooning
C.    Pablo Picasso
D.    Vincent van Gogh

38. Cityscapes, or as it is sometimes called Urban Landscapes, are paintings whose subject matter is the physical aspects of the city and urban life.

True | False

39. A collection of meaningless shapes, textures, and colors that are thrown haphazardly onto a canvas. Its purpose is to let the viewer interpret its meaning for him/herself.

A.    Still Life
B.    Grotesque
C.    Collage
D.    Abstract

40. Naïve Art is art characterized by a childlike simplicity that possesses minute detail, bright saturated colors, disproportionate figures, and a lack of perspective.

True | False

Additional Reading

Know Your Art Painting Styles: 7 Most Popular

What Is Art Appreciation?

Classification Of Fine Art Paintings By Genre

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Can You Name These Famous Paintings From History?

Do You Know The Definition Of These Art Terms?

Test Your Knowledge of Art Appreciation — You are here.

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Test Your Knowledge of Fine Art: Elements and Principles of Design

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New Quiz! — Who are the Artists of These Famous Paintings?

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Thanks for taking this quiz!

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Answers: 1C, 2F, 3A, 4A, 5D, 6C, 7B, 8C, 9C, 10A, 11C, 12T, 13B, 14C, 15C, 16B, 17C, 18A, 19C, 20B, 21T, 22F, 23B, 24A, 25B, 26C, 27B, 28D, 29A, 30F, 31T, 32C, 33D, 34A, 35D, 36C, 37A, 38T, 39D, 40T

UPDATED: 23 April 2022

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Classification of Fine Art Paintings by Genre

The most common method for classifying fine art paintings is by genre (or theme). Genre is a French word that means “type” or “kind.” It’s the type of image a painting has as its subject. For instance, the classification of fine art paintings by genre means a painting is categorized as a landscape, portrait, still life, seascape, wildlife, or other themes.

Common Painting Themes

classification of Fine Art paintings
Abstract Art

Abstract Art is artwork that looks like a two-year-old did it. It has no defined meaning. It seeks to break away from the traditional representation of physical objects in real life. More often than not, abstract art is a collection of meaningless shapes, textures, and colors thrown haphazardly onto a canvas. Its purpose is to let the viewer interpret its meaning for themselves.

cityscape urban landscape
Cityscape

Cityscapes, often known as Urban Landscapes, are paintings that depict the physical characteristics of a city, urban life, sections of a town (such as a city block, street corner, outdoor café, rooftops, etc.), or other metropolitan areas. A Townscape is similar to a cityscape; only it is of a township with a smaller population and perhaps less modern architecture. See the example of a cityscape.

classification of Fine Art
Genre Scene Art

Genre Art is scene art of everyday life. It depicts real life in action with ordinary people at work or in recreational situations. These artworks include intimate scenes of daily life, costumes, domestic settings, interiors, celebrations, tavern scenes, markets, and other street situations. It could also show a busy street, a beach party, a dinner gathering, or anyplace where living goes on. The subject is frequently represented in a realistic manner.

history painting
Historical

History Paintings or Historical Paintings feature subject matter borrowed from classical history and mythology, as well as the Bible. A wide range of historical issues and topics can be shown in history paintings. It frequently depicts a scene from a story or a significant event from the past. It should not be mistaken with genre paintings that reflect events from ordinary life.

Fine Art paintings
Landscapes

Landscape paintings showcase the natural beauty of the great outdoors with its mountains, valleys, meadows, trees, rivers, woods, sky, and weather. It can even include the countryside, farms, and structures that one would expect to find there, such as fencing, bridges, barns, windmills, or farmhouses. See the example of a landscape painting. Title: The Grand Teton Mountains

example of marine maritime art
Maritime Art

Marine Art or Maritime Art derives its inspiration from the sea. This genre of art depicts life on the open seas, boats and ships, fishermen, etc. It includes art showing shipping on rivers and waterways and all art showing boats and ships.  It almost always consists of some element of a seafaring vessel. Ship portraits are a style of maritime art that is still popular today and depicts a single vessel.

example of naive art
Naïve Art

Naïve Art is characterized by its childlike simplicity, which includes minute detail, vibrant colors, disproportionate figures, and a lack of perspective. It depicts basic, easy-to-understand situations of ordinary life that are frequently romanticized. The absence of perspective often creates the illusion that figures within naïve paintings are weightless or floating. Naïve artists are frequently self-taught. They have very little or no formal art training.

Portrait Painting of Tera
Portrait of Tera by Teresa Bernard

Portraits are artistic representations of a person, especially the face. Besides the likeness, the essence of a portrait also captures the mood and personality of the subject. A portrait of an individual may be of the face-only, or it may be head and shoulders, or the full-body. Portraits usually portray the person in a still position, and often the subject is looking directly at the painter. Included in this genre are Group Portraits (consisting of more than one individual), Self Portraits (one in which the artist does an artwork of him/herself), and Pet Portraits (a beloved pet, however, animals usually fall into the wildlife category).

Communion Table still life
Religious Art

Religious Art, also known as Sacred Art, is a kind of visual expression that draws on religious inspiration to convey a message intended to improve the morals of those who view it. The subject can be either a sacred story or a profession of the artist’s faith. Religion means any set of individual beliefs, either Christian or non-Christian, regarded as sacred, holy, spiritual, or divine. Shown is an example of religious art and is titled The Communion Table.

OR coast south of the sea lion caves
Seascapes

Seascape paintings are much like landscapes; only this genre of art depicts the sea with marine landscapes, beach scenes, fish and marine animals, or views of the ocean itself. Fish and other marine animals can also be categorized as wildlife.  Seascapes are not to be confused with Maritime Art which depicts life out on the open sea. The example shown is titled: Oregon Coast Looking South of the Sea Lion Caves.

lunar footprint painting
Space Art

Space Art also referred to as Astronomical Art, is a genre of art that attempts to communicate ideas and appreciation related to the infinite variety and vastness of outer space. It often depicts interstellar and interplanetary elements as its subject. Since the invention of telescopes, artists can now depict the grandeur and majesty of our universe by rendering what they see out there. Planets, stars, constellations, spacecraft, astronauts, black holes, moons, comets, and other heavenly bodies can be found in space art. Some additional art terms related to this category include lunar landscape, moonscape, moonset, etc. The sample shown is a commission painting titled: First Footprint On The Moon.

classification of paintings

Still Life paintings feature an arrangement of everyday inanimate objects laid out on a table or similar surface. The objects used can be either natural or man-made. Examples of natural objects are flowers, food, wine, rocks, seashells, dead animal skulls, etc. Examples of manufactured items are drinking glasses, books, bottles, pottery, coins, dishes, musical instruments, and so forth. The sample shown is titled: Still Life With Fruit and Candle.

african wildlife painting
Wildlife Art

Wildlife Art depicts the natural world and the wild or domesticated animals that live there. It dates back to prehistoric cave paintings as one of the earliest forms of art. Portraits of animals or fish (whether wildlife or family pets) would fit into this genre. The wildlife art sample shown is titled Raging African Elephant.

Additional Reading

Know Your Art Painting Styles: 7 Most Popular

What Are The Classifications of Art?

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