1. Mixing the colors blue and red in equal proportion will produce which of the following hues?

A. maroon
B. violet
C. orange
D. brown

Answer

Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and
qualities of the elements and principles of art. Blue and red are primary colors. Mixing primary
colors results in secondary colors. Violet is the secondary color that results from mixing blue and
red in equal proportion.

Objective 0001
The Elements and Principles of Art (Standard 1)

2. Use the reproduction below to answer the question that follows.

The use of shape to represent the features of the mask is best described in which of the following ways?

A. naturalistic
 B. ornate
C. stylized
D. unbalanced

Answer

Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of ways in which the elements
and principles of art are used to achieve specific effects, communicate ideas, or solve problems
in given works of art. The mask appears to depict a human face but the face is not rendered in a
realistic manner. Rather, its shape is abstract and stylized, with a long face and nose, and tiny
eyes.

Objective 0001
The Elements and Principles of Art (Standard 1)

3. Use the reproduction below to answer the question that follows.

The use of line in the building's design achieves primarily which of the following effects?

A. creating a sense of dynamic movement

 B. drawing the viewer's eye toward the sky
C. communicating a sense of rigid formality
D. depicting a smooth implied texture

Answer

Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of ways in which the elements
and principles of art are used to achieve specific effects, communicate ideas, or solve problems
in given works of art. Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, features a long
gently curving contour line that creates a visual sense of movement. But the almost haphazard
steel lattice work that darts here and there along the body of the building creates a dynamic
sense of energy and movement.

Objective 0002
Media, Tools, Techniques, and Processes (Standard 2)

4. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), informational safety sheets
must be present in art rooms that contain which of the following safety risks?

A. bladed machinery
B. hazardous chemicals
C. loud noises
D. heat-producing tools

Answer

Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of safety and health issues
related to the use of media, tools, techniques, and processes in drawing, painting, printmaking,
ceramics, sculpture, architecture, fiber arts, mixed media, jewelry, electronic media, and
photography. According to OSHA, informational safety sheets must be present in art rooms that
contain hazardous chemicals.

Objective 0002
Media, Tools, Techniques, and Processes (Standard 2)

5. Use the reproduction below to answer the question that follows.

The strong contrast of dark and light in the work exemplifies which of the following painting techniques?

A. impasto
B. sgraffito
C. plein air
D. tenebrism

Answer

Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of ways in which particular
media, tools, techniques, and processes affect meaning or expression in drawing, painting,
printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, architecture, fiber arts, mixed media, jewelry, electronic media,
and photography. Bright light on parts of the figure's garments and skin contrasts strongly with
the dark background of the composition. Such contrast of light and dark is characteristic of
tenebrism, a technique introduced by Caravaggio during the Renaissance.

Objective 0002
Media, Tools, Techniques, and Processes (Standard 2)

6.Use the reproduction below to answer the question that follows.

The use of which of the following camera filters most likely contributed to the vivid color of the sky in the
photograph?

A. UV
B. diffusion
C. polarizing
D. neutral density

Answer

Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and uses of
media, tools, techniques, and processes in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture,
architecture, fiber arts, mixed media, jewelry, electronic media, and photography. Polarizing filters
are used to filter out reflections and glare. In the photograph, the blues in the sky are pure and
vivid because the polarizing filter diminished polarized light waves that would otherwise have
reduced the color saturation of the sky.

7. Use the reproduction below to answer the question that follows.

Which of the following aspects of the painting is most characteristic of paintings created in the Mannerist
style?

A. the elongated proportions of the central figures

B. the deeply saturated monochromatic hues
C. the figures crowded on the left side of the composition
D. the illusion of depth established by aerial perspective

Answer

Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of significant art movements and
their development throughout history. Mannerism was a style of painting during the late
Renaissance. The Mannerist style of painting featured eccentric treatment of subject matter and
themes, clashing colors, and elongated proportions of figures.

8. Italian Baroque art developed primarily for which of the following purposes?

A. stimulating interest in the church

B. communicating the need for social justice
C. entertaining wealthy merchants
D. celebrating the architectural styles of classical antiquity
Answer

Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of ways in which artworks from
various cultures of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, the Americas, and Europe relate to
their historical, political, social, and cultural contexts. Italian Baroque art developed during the
Counter Reformation period in Europe when the Catholic Church sought to regain influence and
constituents it had lost during the Protestant Reformation. The church tried to attract practitioners
through sensual, awe-inspiring artworks.

Objective 0003
Art in Context (Standard 3)

9. Use the reproduction below to answer the question that follows.

The artwork is most characteristic of art from which of the following cultures?

A. New England during the colonial era

B. Rome during the Roman Republic
C. England during the Middle Ages
D. Turkey during the Ottoman era

Answer
 Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of styles and distinguishing
characteristics of art from various cultures of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, the
Americas, and Europe. Turkish carpets created during the Ottoman era feature the floral designs
and patterns seen here that are characteristic of Islamic art throughout the world. The carpet also
features two floral columns within a central shape that forms the outline of a mihrab, a prayer
niche typical of mosques.

Objective 0004
The Integrative Nature of Visual Arts, and Visual Arts Careers (Standard 4)

10. Which of the following components of Gothic cathedrals would be useful to study in a physics class
because it was designed to support outward force?

A. flying buttress
B. portal
C. stained glass window
D. clerestory

Answer

Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the role of visual arts as a
critical element in learning across all disciplines. In Gothic architecture, flying buttresses are
exterior half arches that support the outward thrust of the roof or interior vaults of cathedrals.
Studying flying buttresses would help students understand concepts of physics such as thrust,
force, and mass.

Objective 0004
The Integrative Nature of Visual Arts, and Visual Arts Careers (Standard 4)

11. A student has a knack for communicating and working with people who have limited knowledge of art,
enjoys designing installations, and is skilled in the use of electronic databases. Which of the following
visual arts-related careers would best match the student's strengths and interests?

A. corporate curator
B. art librarian
C. auction house expert
D. art professor

Answer
 Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of skills and educational
requirements for various visual arts-related careers. Corporate curators acquire artworks and
display them in corporate offices. They also keep track of corporate collections. Because of these
job responsibilities, corporate curators need to have a knack for working with people who have a
limited knowledge of art, they need to be skilled at and enjoy installing art, and they need to have
skills in using electronic databases. The latter is important for keeping track of collections.

Objective 0005
Aesthetics and Art Criticism (Standard 5)

12. Use the critical reviews below of an Amy Sillman painting to answer the question that follows.

Review 1

Sillman incorporates rounded shapes and bright colors against a white background, giving the central
design the appearance of a baby rattle and the overall work a sense of lightheartedness.

Review 2

Sillman's imaginary world is refreshing and uplifting. She treats an earth shape like it's an inflated beach
ball. The work is unapologetically free of guile, a playful and delightful treat.

Compared with the first review, the second review places greater emphasis on which of the following
components of art criticism?

A. evaluation
B. analysis
C. interpretation
D. description

Answer

Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of describing, analyzing,
interpreting, and evaluating works of visual art. Art criticism generally consists of four stages:
description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation. Evaluation is the last stage. Evaluating
artworks means judging them for their artistic value. The evaluation stage of art criticism is most
likely to sound like a judgment or opinion. Review 2 evaluates Sillman's work positively, calling it
"refreshing and uplifting," and "a playful and delightful treat."
Objective 0005
Aesthetics and Art Criticism (Standard 5)

13. Definitions of art in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have gradually devalued primarily which of
the following concepts or ideas?

A. technical skill
B. beauty
C. artist agency
D. abstraction

Answer

Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of definitions of art. The rise of
Modernism in the early twentieth century ushered in a new approach to artmaking and art
criticism. Modernists sought new forms of expression and rejected the notion that art had to be
beautiful. Definitions of art have continued to devalue beauty for beauty's sake into the twenty-
first century.

Objective 0006
Visual Arts Instruction and Assessment (Standard 7)

14. According to the Indiana Academic Standards for Visual Arts, which of the following grades is most
appropriate for students to create tie-dye works of fiber art?

A. Kindergarten
B. Grade 2
C. Grade 5
D. Grade 8

Answer

Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the Indiana Academic
Standards for Visual Arts. According to the Indiana Academic Standards for Visual Arts, tie-dye is
a recommended medium and process "appropriate for a grade band of Grade 6 through Grade
8."

Objective 0006
Visual Arts Instruction and Assessment (Standard 7)
15. Which of the following instructional strategies would most help students understand that artworks are
often characteristic of the cultures in which they are created?

A. having students read about the history of ancient Greece before studying Mycenaean pottery
iconography
B. providing students with a photograph of the TajMahal and asking them to make a clay maquette
of it
C. having students paint with oil paints to better understand the media used by Renaissance
painters
D. providing students with a reproduction of an African mask and asking them to sketch their
emotional responses to it

Answer

Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of instructional strategies and
resources for promoting student understanding of concepts and skills related to visual arts.
Reading about the history of ancient Greece will give students a good foundational understanding
of that culture so that when they study Mycenaean pottery iconography they will better be able to
see the connection between art creation and the cultures in which art is created.
Q. What is art?
There is no accepted definition or meaning of the term "art". It involves concepts of beauty
and aesthetics that are highly subjective - both to individuals and different cultures. For a
basic classification of the different art forms, plus a discussion of the main issues, including
the importance of the Renaissance, aesthetics, the use of jargon in art-reviews, and
questions about abstract and traditional forms,

Q. When does "modern art" begin?

There is no exact meaning or definition of the term "Modern Art." Traditionally, it denotes
the period between approximately 1860 and the mid-to-late 1960s, during which artists
rejected past Renaissance-based traditions, in favour of new forms of artistic expression.

Q. What is "contemporary art"?

Although there is no universal definition of the term "contemporary art", most art historians
and critics use it to describe works produced after the mid-to-late 1960s, although some
disagreement persists as to the exact cut-off date. Museums and auction houses like
Sotheby's and Christie's use the term to denote art produced after 1945. For more,
see: Contemporary Art: Types & History.

Q. What is "avant-garde" art?

Avant-garde art means highly modernistic contemporary art. Derived from the French word
meaning "vanguard", the term originally expressed the notion that innovation by progessive
artists was beneficial for mainstream art (which evolves more slowly). Very quickly,
however, it was seen as a means of undermining the arts establishment - a role it performs
to this day.

Q. What is the most valuable art in the world?

In general, the most valuable artworks are owned by the major museums and galleries,
such as the Louvre (Paris), the Musee d'Orsay (Paris), the Uffizi Gallery (Florence), the
Hermitage (St Petersburg), the Tate Gallery (London) and the Pinakothek museums in
Munich, to name but a few. For a list of the most valuable paintings sold at auction or by
private treaty

Q. Where can I find the latest news about the art world?
For the latest sales auctions at Christie's/Sotheby's, plus new stories, events, and the latest
blockbuster museum exhibitions,

Q. Where can I find a list of the world's top art museums?

For a review of the most famous public galleries and museums in Europe, USA, South
America and Australia, covering antiquities, Old Master works, modern, contemporary and
avant-garde art,

Q. Where can I find a list of the best art schools, colleges and design courses?
For a selection of the leading art colleges in America and Britain,

.
 Q. Where can I find a list of the world's best sculptures?
For our list of the top 100 figurines, statuettes, statues and reliefs, in stone, marble, bronze,
wood, steel and contemporary media, by the best 3-D artists,

Q. Where can I find a list of the world's greatest sculptors?

For the top marble/stone sculptors, wood carvers and bronze artists,

Q. Who are the world's best artists of all time?

For a list of the Top 10 world's greatest artists, including the greatest painter and sculptor
ever,

Q. Who are the best history painters?

For the great figures in narrative "istoria" painting, including historical, allegorical, and
mythological works,

Top 10 History Painters

This list of famous "istoria" artists has been compiled by our Editor Neil Collins MA LLB. It represents his
personal view of the ten best exponents of history painting. Naturally, like any such compilation it reveals
more about the personal tastes of the compiler than the narrative painters being ranked. (See also our
articles: Art Evaluation and also How to Appreciate Paintings.) (See also: Famous Paintings Analyzed.)

No 10. Eugene Delacroix (1798-63)

One of the most influential figures of French Romanticism, Delacroix was one of the greatest history painters
of the 19th century, whose narrative works encompassed classical mythology, medieval and modern history,
Biblical scenes, and numerous literary figures, including Faust and Hamlet. An avid student of Rubens and
the Venetian school, many of his works give pride of place to spontaneity, colour and action, rather than
compositional line and form. In this sense he represented the antithesis of the Poussin/Ingres academic
style, although he always considered himself part of the classical tradition of painting. Was one of the last
great artists to produce a significant body of history mural painting, with which he decorated the Salon du
Roi in the Palais Bourbon in Paris. For a contrast in styles, see Delacroix's Parisian colleague Paul
Delaroche (1797-1856), the populist history painter and engraver.

Famous History Paintings by Eugene Delacroix

- The Death of Sardanapalus (1827) Louvre, Paris
- Liberty Leading the People (1830) Louvre, Paris

No 9. Francisco de Goya (Spanish, 1746-1828)

One of the great early-modern exponents of history painting, Goya was also a celebrated portraitist and
principal painter to the Spanish king, Charles IV. His interest in narrative painting blossomed following the
Napoleonic invasion of Spain, resulting in his innovative series of etchings entitled The Disasters of War,
and later, his two masterpieces 2 May and 3 May 1808. In his later years, he produced fourteen large
history or narrative murals on mythological subjects, known as the Black Paintings. This intense series of
works were painted almost entirely in blacks, greys and browns, and featured mythical nightmarish scenes
of enormous intensity.

Famous History Paintings by Francisco Goya

- The Colossus (1810) oil painting, Museo del Prado, Madrid
- The Third of May 1808 (1814) oil on canvas, Prado Museum, Madrid
- Saturn Devouring his Son (1823) oil on canvas, Prado Museum, Madrid

No 8. Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748-1825)

A deputy in the French parliament during the Revolution, later "Dictator of the Arts", and later still an
ardent supporter of Napoleon, Jacques-Louis David was the foremost history painter of the neoclassical
movement, which sought to reimpose classical gravitas and heroicism on the whimsical, decadence of
decorative rococo, and finally cauterize the influence of the baroque. A great admirer of Raphael and
Poussin, his contribution to history painting includes masterpieces like The Oath of the Horatii, The Death
of Socrates, and the Death of Marat, each one exuding a heroic dignity aptly presented in an exact but
understated academic style. The complete opposite of Tiepolo. Was a great influence on other French
painters like Gerard, Girodet, Gros, Navez and Jean-Auguste-Domique Ingres. See also: Neoclassical
Painting.

Famous History Paintings by Jacques-Louis David

- Oath of the Horatii (1785) oil on canvas, Louvre
- Death of Marat (1793) oil on canvas, MuseeRoyaux des Beauxarts, Brussels
- Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801) oil on canvas, Louvre, Paris

For another successful 19th century French history painter, who was also interested in Napoleon,
see: Ernest Meissonier (1815-91).

No 7. Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770)

The greatest fresco history painter of the 18th century, renowned for his rapid flickering painting
technique, Tiepolo was one of the best Venetian decorators in the classical Renaissance tradition. His most
famous work, executed in the rococo style, was the Wurzburg Residence frescoes (1753) he completed (in
collaboration with the architect Balthasar Neumann) for the palace of the Prince-Bishop of Wurzburg in
1750. Other glorious examples of his history painting in situ, can be seen in Vienna and Madrid), where
ceilings and walls are awash with Gods, Goddesses, horses, chariots, and allegorical or mythological
figures, all shimmering in a spectacle of luminous colour, action and drama. One of the most vivid and
dramatic of all visual artists since the Renaissance. The last great figure in Venetian painting.

Famous History Paintings by Tiepolo

- Ceiling Frescos (Apollo/Europe/Asia/America/Africa) (1753) Wurzburg Palace
- Ceiling Frescos (c.1756) Palacio Real, Madrid
- Rachel Hiding Idols from her Father (1729), fresco, PlazzoPatriarcale, Udine

No 6. Caravaggio, Michelangelo Merisi da (1573-1610)

One of the most original and influential painters of the early 17th century, his unique contribution to art in
general and history painting in particular rests on the revolutionary realism of his religious works (many of
which were rejected for reasons of indecorum), which featured Apostles cast as coarse peasant types
instead of the customary noble forms. In addition to this rejection of idealism, Caravaggio made full use
of chiaroscuro (light and shadow) to add drama and dramatic lighting to his scenes. The absence of any
surviving drawings or sketches has lent weight to claims that he painted directly onto the canvas. A
tempestuous, loutish and short-lived artist - dubbed an "evil genius" by some contemporaries -
Caravaggio was instrumental in downgrading the importance of "gracefulness" in history painting, in
favour of increased reality and effect. His reputation endures to this day.

Famous History Paintings by Caravaggio

- Judith and Holoferns (1599) oil on canvas, Palazzo Barberini, Rome
- The Calling of Saint Matthew (1600) Contarelli Chapel, Rome.
- The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1600) San Luigi deiFrancesi.
- Supper at Emmaus (1601) National Gallery, London.
- Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1601) Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.
- Conversion of Saint Paul on the way to Damascus (1601) Rome.
- Death of the Virgin (1601-6) Louvre Museum, Paris.
- The Entombment of Christ (1601-3) Vatican Museums, Vatican City.

No 5. Titian (c.1477-1576)

Painstakingly methodical in his slow build-up of paint on the canvas, and in his repeated
revisions, Titian was the greatest of all Venetian painters, exceeding even Giovanni Bellini, and one of the
finest history painters throughout Italy. The first artist to demonstrate the full colour-potential of oil paint,
his outstanding contributions to narrative art include the massive altarpiece of The Assumption of the
Virgin, and the altarpieces Virgin and Child with Saints and Members of the Pesaro Family, and Death of St
Peter Martyr (since destroyed), as well as countless other allegorical paintings such as Danae, and the
Venus of Urbino. In 1533, he became court painter to Emperor Charles V, and later the latter's son Phillip
II of Spain commissioned a series of erotic mythological paintings including Perseus and Andromeda, and
the Rape of Europa, and other works, among which are some of Titian's most sublime creations.

Famous History Paintings by Titian

- Assumption of the Virgin (1516-18) S. Maria GloriosadeiFrari, Venice
- Bacchus and Ariadne (1522) oil on canvas, National Gallery, London
- Bacchanal of the Andrians (1523-5) Prado, Madrid.
- Venus and Adonis (1553) oil on canvas, Prado Museum, Madrid
- The Rape of Europa (1562) oil, Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, Boston

No 4. Roger Van der Weyden (1400-1464)

A pupil of the renowned Robert Campin (1378-1444) the shadowy Master of Flemalle, Roger van der
Weyden was the greatest Flemish artist of the mid-15th century. His reputation as one of the best history
painters rests on his great religious paintings like the Descent from the Cross (The Deposition), one of the
supreme works of the Northern Renaissance. In contrast to the dispassionate realism of other masters
like Jan Van Eyck, Weyden injected almost tangible poignancy and emotion into his pictures. Highly
revered in Flanders (as well as in France, Germany, Spain and Italy) during his lifetime, he then faded into
comparative obscurity before being rediscovered in the 19th century.

Famous History Paintings by Roger Van der Weyden

- Descent from the Cross (1435-40) oil on panel, Prado Museum, Madrid
- Lamentation Before the Tomb (1450) oil on panel, Uffizi Gallery, Florence

No 3. Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

A virtuoso painter, court artist, draughtsman, designer and Flemish diplomat, Rubens was the undisputed
master of the Baroque art of the Counter-Reformation, producing some of the greatest masterpieces of
religious and mythological history painting. A student of the High Renaissance, his works were strongly
influenced by Caravaggio, and facilitated by the efforts of pupils such as Anthony Van Dyck, Jordaens
and FransSnyders. His prolific output encompassed narrative history pictures (as well as portraits and
landscapes) in all media and formats, including ceiling paintings, altar-pieces, panels, easel oils, and
textiles. Not for nothing was he dubbed the "Prince of painters and the painter of princes."

Famous History Paintings by Peter Paul Rubens

- Samson and Deliah (1609) oil on wood, National Gallery, London
- Descent from the Cross (1611-14) oil on wood, Cathedral Our Lady, Antwerp
- Rape of the Daughters of Eluccipus (1618) oil, AltePinacothek, Munich

No 2. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Unlike the much younger Michelangelo who much preferred fresco to oils, Leonardo was a pioneer of oil
painting, which he used to create the celebrated portrait of the Mona Lisa. In fact, his immortal history
painting - The Last Supper - was executed using a mixture of plaster and oil paint, instead of fresco, as a
result of which the work had already deteriorated significantly by the time of his death. Even so, this is the
first work of the High Renaissance, and exemplifies Leonardo's focus on drawing out the psychological
elements of a composition: an approach which perfectly illustrates his reputation as an artist-intellectual
and one of the great contributors to the artistic theories underpinning Renaissance art. The countless
meanings attributed to the painting, notably those in the best-selling book The Da Vinci Code, provide
clear evidence of its masterful composition and enduring popularity.

Famous History Paintings by Leonardo da Vinci

- The Last Supper (1495-98) Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

No 1. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564)

Considered by many art critics to be the greatest artist of all time (in both painting and sculpture),
Michelangelo's reputation rests on his two huge Sistine Chapel frescoes painted on the ceiling and altar
wall of the Pope's own chapel. The first work, the Genesis fresco commissioned by Pope Julius II, took four
years to complete (1508-12). Working mainly alone, leaning backwards to paint under appalling
conditions, Michelangelo depicted scenes from Genesis - from the Creation to the Drunkenness of Noah -
which are now regarded as one of the unique masterpieces of history painting. Two decades later, he
accepted the commission to paint the altar wall, originally instigated by Pope. This second narrative
painting, the Last Judgment fresco, was also a biblical painting, but stands in total contrast to the
optimistic divinity of Genesis. Its menacing forms and mood of wrathful desolation - no doubt reflecting
the turbulent historical events of the period (the sack of Rome and the conflict between Protestantism and
Counter-Reformation) - effectively repudiated the artistic ideals of the High Renaissance, and presaged
the coming style of Mannerism. As a work of art, however, The Last Judgment remains one of the most
powerful examples of history painting ever seen.

Q. What is the meaning of "aesthetics"?

Aesthetics (or esthetics) - a term derived from the Greek word aisthesis, meaning
"perception" - is the branch of philosophy devoted to the study of art and beauty. It seeks
to provide answers to questions such as: "what is art?", "what is the value of painting or
sculpture?", "how to assess a work of art?", "what is the purpose of art (if any)?" and so on.

Q. What are the fine arts?

Traditionally, fine art includes drawing, painting, sculpture and architecture. The term stems
from the 18th century, when it was first employed to distinguish between these 'higher'
forms and the 'lower' forms of applied or decorative arts.

Q. What is visual art?

The category of visual art is a modern umbrella term embracing fine art, some applied art
ans some contemporary forms.

Visual Art: Definition & Meaning

"Visual Arts" is a modern but imprecise umbrella term for a broad category of art which
includes a number of artistic disciplines from various sub-categories. Its wide ambit renders
meaningless any attempt at definition, so rather than define or compose some diluted
meaning for it, here is a list of its constituent disciplines

What Does Visual Art Include?

Definitions of visual art usually encompass the following:

1. Fine Arts
All fine art belongs to the general category of visual arts. These include activities such
as: Drawing, Painting, Printmaking and Sculpture, along with associated activities
like Graphic art, Manuscript Illumination, Book Illustration, Calligraphy and Architecture.

2. Contemporary Arts
The visual arts also include a number of modern art forms, such as: Assemblage, Collage,
Mixed-media, Conceptual Art, Installation, Happenings and Performance art, along with
film-based disciplines such as Photography, Video Art and Animation, or any combination
thereof. This group of activities also includes high tech disciplines like computer graphics
and giclee prints. Another modern visual art, is the new environmental or Land art, which
also includes transitory forms like ice/snow sculpture, and (presumably) graffiti art.

Q. What is "plastic" art?

The term "plastic art" describes artforms involving materials that can be "plasticised"
(shaped or moulded), notable sculpture and pottery.

Q. What is decorative art?

The traditional category of decorative art includes artforms (eg. tapestry, metalwork) which
have never been considered fine arts, and most crafts.

Q. What is applied art?

Emerging during the Industrial Age of the 19th century, the term "applied art" essentially
refers to commercial designwork, such as industrial design or fashion design.

Q. What are the liberal arts?

This term derives from Renaissance times (and ultimately Classical Antiquity), when a
distinction was drawn between "art which was worthy of a free man" ("homo liber" means
free man in Latin), and other "vulgar" arts ("vulga" means common people in Latin). The
first visual art disciplines to be deemed liberal arts (around 1500), after much persuasion
by Leonardo Da Vinci and others, were painting and sculpture.
Q. What is folk art?
The term folk art essentially denotes "art made by the people", as distinguished from elite
or professional works which typically comprise the main type of art in developed societies. It
includes crafts, decorative artworks, fabric designs, sculpture (commonly wood-based),
wood block prints, painting (though not usually fine art products), furniture, toys, dolls and
metalwork, to name but a few areas. For more, see: Folk Art.

Q. What is junk art?

The term junk art is usually used to describe sculpture, assemblage or installations made
from urban rubbish, or any other type of banal, everyday material. Exemplified by
Duchamp's readymades, Picasso's cubist collages and Schwitters' "Merzbau" constructions,
junk art coalesced into a movement during the 1950s, led by Robert Rauschenberg. For
more, see: Junk Art.

Q. What is naive art?

The term naive art is commonly used by critics and historians to describe paintings
produced by societies (or individual artists) lacking in conventional representational skills.
For instance, landscape paintings by the elderly Tory Island painter James Dixon (1887-
1970), jungle scenes and the famous "Sleeping Gypsy" by Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) and
marine works by Alfred Wallis (1855-1942) have been labelled as naive art. In
contradistinction, the terms "pseudo naïve", or "faux naif" mean contrived naivity - as in
works by sophisticated artists that deliberately use primitive methods of composition and
representation.

Q. What is primitive art?

This term is sometimes used misleadingly as a synonym for naive art. More accurately,
primitive art denotes works produced in less civilized societies - such as cave paintings from
the Stone Age, wooden sculpture from Native-American Indians, Aboriginal engravings,
tribal African art, and so on. See also: Ancient Art.

Q. What is Tribal Art?

Tribal Art is a rather vague term which generally refers to traditional arts and crafts created
by indigenous natives belonging to tribal societies of ancient origins. It commonly denotes
tribal arts from the continent of Africa, the South Pacific Island, Indonesia, Australia, the
Americas and Alaska. It is also known as Primitive Native Art. for more, see: Tribal art.

Q. What is Oceanic Art?

This term describes traditional arts and crafts created by indigenous tribes or differing
ethnic groups who live on islands in the Pacific Ocean. Ethnologists typically separate
Oceania into three different zones: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Oceanic art has
strong associations with the native cultures of South-East Asia. For more, see: Oceanic art.

Q. What is Renaissance Art?

The term Renaissance art commonly encompasses all art produced during the period of the
Italian and Northern Renaissance: in Italy, roughly 1400-1530; in Northern Europe, roughly
1450-1580. Some art historians include 14th century Italian art - like the paintings
produced by Giotto (1270-1337) - others don't. For a comprehensive guide,
see: Renaissance Art.

Q. What is religious art?

This is a vague popular term which refers to any architecture, painting, sculpture, ceramics,
stained glass, or illuminated texts (to name but a few forms), with a religious content.
Movements with a particularly high percentage of religious art, include: Gothic Art
(associated with the post-Dark Ages religious revival), Renaissance Art (the Church of
Rome), and Baroque Art (Catholic Counter-Reformation). See also: History of Art.

Q. What is Islamic art?

This is a general term for artworks created in regions that follow the religion of Islam,
usually by Muslim artists. Two of the greatest Moslem art forms are: architecture and
Qur'anic calligraphy. For more details, see: Islamic Art. For a list of the world's greatest
library and museum collections, see: Museums of Islamic Art.

Q. What exactly is "representational art"?

In sculpture or painting, the term "representational art" describes pictures that are clearly
recognizable, such as a human figure, a banana, a car, a donkey and so on. These pictures
need not be true to life - a banana may be painted red, or a car might have 10-feet high
wheels - but they must be clearly recognizable as bananas or cars. In contrast, "non-
representational" or "abstract art" refers to images that have no clear identity, and must
therefore be "interpreted" by the spectator. For more, see: Representational Art.

Q. What is "street art"?

The term street art commonly refers to forms of 20th and 21st century contemporary art
produced, staged or performed in public places, such as streets, parks or other similar
urban spaces. Typically, it denotes unofficial, even illicit, events or creations. Seen mainly in
the United States, popular forms include: wheatpasting and street poster art, stencil graffiti,
flash mobbing and street installations.

Q. What is Art Nouveau?

Rooted in the 19th century Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain, Art Nouveau was an
elaborate design style in the decorative and applied arts, as well as painting, drawing and
illustration. It started in the 1890s, reached its peak in 1905-6 and declined with the advent
of World War I. For more, see: Art Nouveau.

Q. What is Art Deco?

The term Art Deco refers to a fashionable style of design and interior decoration during the
1920s and 1930s, influenced by the garish colours of Fauvism, the geometry of Cubism and
the machine-like forms of Constructivism. The actual name wasn't coined until the 1960s.
For more, see: Art Deco.

Q. What was the Bauhaus?

The Bauhaus was an avant-garde German art school founded in Weimar by the architect
Walter Gropius (1883-1969). For details, see: Bauhaus Design School.

Q. What is Art Brut?

The term Art Brut was invented by the wine-merchant-turned-painter Jean Dubuffet (1901-
85), to refer to amateur works of art - created by psychotics and other marginalised
individuals - of which he was an avid collector.

Q. What is Outsider Art?

This term was invented by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English translation of Art
Brut. However, Dubuffet's term is more specific, referring only to artworks created by
institutionalised patients, whereas Outsider Art (also known as "Visionary" or Intuitive" art)
also includes works by self-taught artists with highly unconventional ideas, or complex
fantasy worlds, unconnected with the general art world. Very often, Outsider artists remain
"undiscovered" until they die.

Q. What is Art Informel?

A French term meaning "formless art", which was invented by the critic Michel Tapie in his
1952 book "An Autre Art", when referring to the European equivalent of the American style
of painting known as Abstract Expressionism. For more, see: Art Informel.

Q. What's the difference between arts and crafts?

Craft is traditionally distinguished from art on account of the fact that (supposedly) a
craftsman can predict what he is going to create, whereas an artist can't. Although this
might be true for certain crafts (eg. candle-making, chair-making, felt-making etc.), it is
quite untrue for others (eg. ceramics). For a discussion of this issue, plus lots more
information about craftwork in general, see: Crafts: History & Types.

Q. What are Fabergé Easter Eggs?

They were masterpieces of artistic jewellery (truly a form of visual art) - made out of gold,
silver and gemstones - which were commissioned by Tsar Alexander III and Tsar Nicholas II
of Russia's Romanov dynasty from the House of Fabergé, as gifts for their family and
members of the Royal Court. For more details, see: Fabergé Easter Eggs.

Q. What is the Bayeux Tapestry?

This was an Anglo-Saxon embroidery depicting the events surrounding the Norman
Conquest of England. For more details, see: Bayeux Tapestry.

Q. What is "animation"?
Animation (derived from the Latin word, "animare", to breathe life into) is the art of making
a film from a series of still drawings. For more, see: Animation Art.

Q. What are the main styles of architecture?

Early civilizations - like Egyptian, Sumerian, Minoan, Greek, Roman and Byzantine - had
their own unique styles of architecture. Thereafter, the main architectural styles usually
include Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical. In the 19th
century, we see a number of repeats of old styles, including: The Greek Revival and the
Gothic Revival, as well as a Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Romanesque Revival, plus the
Second Empire style (1850-80) in France. In the 20th Century, the principal architectural
schools and movements include: 1900-1920 Art Nouveau; 1900-1925 Early Modernism;
1900-1925 Continental Avant-Garde (De Stijl, NeueSachlichkeit); 1900-2000 Steel-frame
Skyscraper Architecture; 1919-1933 Bauhaus (Walter Gropius); 1925-1940 Modernism and
Art Deco; 1928-1940 Totalitarian Architecture (Germany, USSR); 1945-1970 Late
Modernism; 1945-2000 High Tech Corporate Design Architecture; 1960-2000
Postmodernism; 1970-2000 Minimalism; 1980-2000 Deconstructivism; 1990-2000
Blobitecture. For more, see: Architecture History, Movements and Styles.

Q. What is "assemblage"?
Assemblage is a type of 3-D art composed from everyday objects which are typically 'found'
by the artist (objetstrouvés).

What is Assemblage?
Popularized in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s by artists like Robert
Rauschenberg (b.1925) and Jim Dine (b.1935), Assemblage is a form of three-
dimensional visual art whose compositions are formed from everyday items, usually called
"found objects"

The term 'assemblage' dates from the early 1950s, when the French faux naif artist Jean
Dubuffet (1901-85) referred to his collages of butterfly wings, as
'assemblagesd'empreintes'. Sometimes referred to as bricolage, collage and construction,
Assemblage was a stepping stone towards other contemporary art forms such as Pop-
Art and Installation art.

Q. What is "calligraphy"?
Originating in China, calligraphy is the art of stylized writing, requiring the correct formation
of characters, the ordering of the various parts, and general harmony of proportions. The
two leading forms of calligraphy derive from the Arabic and Oriental languages.

What is Calligraphic Art?

First seen in Chinese art, calligraphy is the fine art of stylized writing (viz. the art of
converting Chinese characters into expressive images using responsive rice paper and the
pressure of a tapered brush), which verges on a form of drawing. It requires the correct
formation of characters, the ordering of the various parts, and general harmony of
proportions.

Calligraphy requires decades of dedicated study to achieve mastery. For example, an

aspiring student will practice inscribing the Chinese "yong" character hundreds (if not
thousands) of times in order to produce the eight essential strokes which together make up
the character.

The two great forms of calligraphy derive from the Arabic and Oriental languages (Chinese,
Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean), although it has been regularly practised in the
languages of India, Tibet, Persia, Latin and others.

Q. What's the difference between ceramics and pottery?

In art, there is no difference between ceramics and pottery. Both involve shaping, firing and
glazing/decorating clay bodies. Pioneered by craftsmen in China and ancient Greece,
ceramic art is one of the most difficult artforms to master. For a full explanation,
see: Ceramic Art. For details of classical ceramics, see: Greek Pottery; for more about clay
sculpture in China, see: Chinese Pottery.

Q. What is "collage"?
The word "collage" denotes a composition of assorted materials - usually things like
newspaper clippings, photographs, pieces of textile or fabric, and perhaps solid objects -
affixed to a sheet of paper or board or canvas. First used by Georges Braque and Pablo
Picasso during their synthetic Cubism phase.

Q. What is the meaning of "conceptual art"?

Conceptualism is a modern form of contemporary art which accords greater priority to an
idea presented by visual means, than the actual work itself. Originating with Marcel
Duchamp (1887-1968), the term was first used by Edward Kienholz, in the late 1950s.

Q. What are the main types of drawing media? Which artists were best at
sketching?
In ancient Greece, artists used a metal stylus to draw on papyrus. During the Renaissance
period, the stylus was used with a variety of different metallic alloys to create other dry
media like metalpoint and silverpoint. Apprentice artists typically used an empty stylus to
practice sketching by making easily removable indentations on wax tablets. Nowadays,
draughtsmen use charcoal, chalks, pastels, and pen and ink. Other alternatives are wax or
conte crayons, markers, graphite sticks, and various types of inked pens. The world's best
sketchers include such masters as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Albrecht Durer,
Rembrandt, Edgar Degas, EgonSchiele, and David Hockney.

Q. What is figure drawing?

The term "figure drawing" commonly refers to the Life class taught in most academies and
schools of fine art, during which students draw a live model sitting in front of them. This
classical instructional method is seen as the best way to acquire the skill of drawing the
human body and mastering its line, shape and depth. Perhaps the single greatest example
of figurative drawing is the series of pictures created by Michelangelo for the ceiling and wall
of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

Q. What is Figurative Painting?

This term is commonly used to describe a general category of paintings in which the human
form is a dominant feature. The category includes: portraiture, subject-paintings,
"conversation pieces", and genre-pictures.

Q. What does "disegno" mean?

Derived from the Italian for fine art drawing, "disegno" also includes the notion of "design".
Very simply, it refers to the entire intellectual process of composing and executing the
drawing or painting. In contrast, "colorito" refers to the less important art of "colouring" or
"painting".

Q. What is "graphic art"?

The term 'graphic art' (from the German "Graphik", originating from graphikos, the Greek
for drawing) refers to those forms of visual expression that depend for their effect on line
and tone, rather than colour.

Q. In contemporary art, what is a "happening"?

A happening is a type of "performance art", usually a carefully planned entertainment
during which the artist performs (or manages) a theatrical artistic event. The difference
between performance art, happenings and theatre, is sometimes quite unclear, and can
depend entirely on context.

Q. What is "installation"?
Installations are a new genre of contemporary art. Typically, they incorporate a range of 2-
D and 3-D materials arranged so as to influence the way we experience or perceive a
particular space, and to provoke questions about our attitude to aspects of life.

Definition & Characteristics

Installation art is a relatively new genre of contemporary art - practised by an increasing
number of postmodernist artists - which involves the configuration or "installation" of
objects in a space, such as a room or warehouse. The resulting arrangement of material and
space comprises the "artwork".

Because an installation usually allows the viewer to enter and move around the configured
space and/or interact with some of its elements, it offers the viewer a very different
experience from (say) a traditional painting or sculpture which is normally seen from a
single reference point. Furthermore, an installation may engage several of the viewer's
senses including touch, sound and smell, as well as vision.

Because of its flexibility and three-dimensionality, installation art is influenced by

developments in computer art - such as software developments in video and film projection
- as well as techniques used in avant-garde theatre and dance. Architectural and interior
design are other influences.

Above all, installation is a form of conceptual art - a genre in which "ideas" and "impact" are
regarded as being more important than the quality of a finished "product" or "work of art".
(Remember, an installation is a purely temporary work of art. Unless it is photographed or
documented in some way, there will be no evidence of its existence.) If a traditional work of
art allows us to appreciate the craftsmanship of the artist, an installation allows us to
experience the "artwork" and perhaps even rethink our attitudes and values.

As in all general forms of conceptual art, installation artists are more concerned with
the presentation of their message than with the material used to present it. However, unlike
'pure' conceptual art, which is supposedly experienced in the minds of those introduced to
it, installation art is more grounded and remains tied to a physical space. Conceptual and
installation art are two of the most popular examples of postmodernist art, a general
tendency noted for its attempts to expand the definition of art. Both forms are widely
exhibited in many of the world's best galleries of contemporary art.

Q. What is "environmental or land art"?

Sometimes called "earthworks", this is a contemporary art form which appeared in America
during the 1960s, when a number of artists (like Robert Smithson [1938-73]) - determined
to heighten public awareness of the natural world by intervening in the landscape. It was
also seen as a way to evade the commercialism of galleries and dealers.

Q. What is Mosaic Art?

Mosaics are a form of surface decoration - typically applied to walls or floors - made from
stone, glass or ceramic tesserae (small pieces).

Q. Is photography considered to be an art?

Yes, photography is now regarded as a form of visual art, in which images are captured on
photographic film as an alternative to the traditional 2-D media of canvas, paper or board.
Although it achieved this status thanks to pioneering work by creative photographers
including Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Man Ray, the medium is often employed
as part of mixed-media compositions in the area of assemblage, collage, and installation.

Q. What is "printmaking"?
The term "printmaking" refers to the replication of images onto paper, parchment, fabric or
other supports. The resulting prints, though not 'original' in the sense of a fine art painting
or drawing, are considered nevertheless to be works of art in their own right. Forms of
printmaking include: woodcuts, engraving, etching, mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint,
lithography, screen-printing, digital prints and foil imaging.

What are Giclee Prints?

These are digital prints produced by ink-jet printers.

Q. What is "public art"?

In effect, the term 'Public Art' describes all works of art purchased with public funds,
irrespective of where it is situated in the community, or who sees it. Usually, however, the
artwork is site-specific and is commissioned by municipal authorities for public display.
Examples include "The Spike" in Dublin, designed by Ian Ritchie. Recently, a number of
European countries have introduced public art funding regulations such as the Percent for
Art Scheme.

Q. What are the main types of sculpture?

Pre-dated only by cave painting, sculptures traditionally have been carved or chiseled from
a variety of natural materials, including animal bones, clay, stone, wood, and precious
metal. New tools and technology enabled sculptors in China and ancient Greece to begin
casting in bronze. Today, contemporary artists use a huge range of materials, including:
car-parts, stainless steel, plastics, stained glass, foam rubber, concrete, sand and ice.

Q. What's the difference between freestanding sculpture and reliefs?

A freestanding sculpture, as the name suggests, stands by itself - so viewers can walk
around it and see it from a variety of angles. By contrast, relief sculpture is part of the
background surface to which it is attached.

Q. How is stained glass made?

Coloured/stained glass is made by adding certain chemicals (eg. metallic oxides) to the
regular glass mixture of sand, limestone and sodium carbonate. For example, the addition
of copper gives blue and/or green, while lead produces pale yellow.

Q. What is "video art"?

Like installation, with which it is often associated, this genre is another new form of
contemporary art, pioneered by the likes of Wolf Vostell, Andy Warhol and Nam June
Paik (1932-2006). Typically the video artist creates and edits film sequences in order to
convey social messages.

Q. What is "encaustic painting"?

A common painting method of the ancient world, used by painters in Egypt, Greece, Rome
and Byzantium, encaustic paint contains hot beeswax as a binding medium to hold coloured
pigments and to facilitate their application to a surface, usually wood panels or walls.

What is "fresco"?
The word Fresco (Italian for 'fresh') describes a form of painting in which pigments are
mixed solely with water (no binding agent used) and then applied directly onto freshly laid
lime-plaster ground (surface) - usually a plastered ceiling or wall or ceiling. The liquid paint
is absorbed by the plaster and as the plaster dries the pigments are retained in the wall.
Frescoes were common throughout Classical Antiquity, especially in Greece - although few
remain - and in Southern Europe up to and including the Renaissance. However, due to the
damper climate of Northern Europe, fresco art never gained the same popularity among
Dutch or German artists.
What is "ink and wash" painting?
The term ink and wash painting describes an Oriental painting method, also called "brush
painting," which employs black ink, commonly applied with long-haired brushes onto paper
or silk. The work is then usually mounted on scrolls, which are hung or rolled up.

Q. What is "panel painting"?

The term "panel painting" usually denotes a picture painted on a single wooden panel (or a
diptych [two panels] or triptych [three panels]). It was the most popular type of portable
painting media until superceded by canvas in the fifteenth century.

Q. What is tempera painting?

Tempera (sometimes known as egg tempera) superceded the encaustic method, and was
itself superceded by oil paints. Derived from the Latin word temperare, meaning 'to mix in
proportion', tempera contains a binding agent composed of a mixture of water, egg yolks or
whole eggs.

Q. What are the advantages of using oil paints?

Oil paint (typically a mixture of pigments and vegetable oils like linseed, walnut, poppyseed)
is used mainly for its flexibility and depth of colour. It can be applied in many different
ways, from thin glazes to thick impasto, and being very slow to dry, artists can continue
working oils for much longer than other types of paint. Oils also produce greater richness
and tonal variety of colour.

Q. What are the benefits of using watercolours?

Watercolours are cheaper, easier (historically) to obtain, dry faster and are easier to use
than oils. Modern watercolour painting began with Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and reached
its apogee under Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). Unfortunately, watercolour
paint tends to fade with time..

Q. What sort of painting method is gouache?

Gouache refers to a type of paint consisting of pigment combined (like watercolour paints)
with gum arabic. Unlike watercolours, however, gouache contains chalk to make it opaque
and more reflective.

Q. What is "acrylic paint"?

Acrylic paints emerged during the 1940s and have since been adopted by many modern
artists, in all painting genres. Unlike oils, acrylic paint doesn't crack and it dries very
quickly. And unlike watercolours it doesn't fade. Furthermore, improvements in the quality
and range of acrylic pigments have improved the colour quality. Even so, oils remain
superior in both gloss and tonality.

Q. What is "plein-air painting"?

En plein air is a French term meaning "in the open air", so plein air painting means working
outdoors directly from nature. The tradition started with the Romantics in the late 18th,
early 19th century: an early pioneer was John Constable (1776-1837). The genre was
developed by French artists at Barbizon, Grez-sur-Loing, Pont-Aven, Louveciennes, St. Malo
and Concarneau, and by Impressionists like Claude Monet, Pierre Renoir and Camille
Pissarro..

Q. In painting, what is perspective?

Perspective is a method of depicting three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface, as in
drawing or painting: viz, the process of creating "depth" or background. Benefiting from the
medieval study of optics, Renaissance artists like Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446)
and Pierodella Francesca (1420-92) initiated a number of rules of perspective governing
recession and diminution in a picture. Most types of linear perspective are based on the
illusion of parallel lines at right angles to the picture plane meeting at a "vanishing point" in
the distance.

What is Quadratura?
This is a trome l'oeil painting technique which helps to create the illusion of extra
architectural space. Usually seen in ceiling frescoes, it was pioneered by artists like Andrea
Mantegna and Correggio, but taken to extraordinary heights by Andrea Pozzo and Pietro da
Cortona during the High Baroque in Italy..

Q. What are genres?

The term "genres" is a fancy name for "types/subjects of paintings". The main genres are:
history painting, portraiture, everyday scenes (confusingly called genre-paintings),
landscape and still life.

Q. What is meant by the "Hierarchy of the Genres"?

This term refers to the ranking-system (based on traditions of Greek and Roman art)
adopted by the great European Academies, such as the Academy of Art in Rome, the
Academy of Art in Florence, the French Académie des Beaux-Arts, and the Royal Academy in
London. Devised in 1669, by the art-expert Andre Felibien, Secretary to the French
Academy, it ranked the genres in the following order: (1) History Painting; (2) Portraits; (3)
Genre Painting; (4) Landscapes; (5) Still Life.

Q. What type of picture is a genre-painting?

Genre-paintings are smaller-scale pictures depicting scenes from everyday life: a street
scene, a tea party, a wedding feast, people going about their normal business, and so on. A
genre work must include people, thus a street scene without people would be an urban
landscape.

Q. What's the difference between a landscape and a genre painting?

Some landscapes containing people are almost impossible to distinguish from genre
paintings. As a rule of thumb, if people are included in a scenic view merely as "staffage"
(accessories), and are in no way integral to the picture, the work is a landscape.

Q. What is portraiture?
Portraiture describes portrait paintings or drawings of people: commonly executed as full-
length, threequarter-length, head and shoulders, or head and neck. Portraits were an
important source of patronage for artists, at least until the advent of photography.

Q. What are still-life paintings?

The term still-life commonly refers to a picture portraying an arrangement of objects
(usually flowers or kitchen utensils, but almost any object may be included) laid out on a
table. It derives from the Dutch word Stilleven, employed from the mid-17th century
onward, to describe paintings previously called simply 'Fruit' or 'Flower Pieces', or 'Breakfast
Pieces', Bancket (banquet) or Pronkstilleven pieces, or, if with religious overtones - Vanitas.

Q. What is a history painting? Must it depict a historical scene?

The term "history painting" is rather misleading, as it does not necessarily mean the
painting of 'historical situations'. It actually comes from the Italian word "istoria", meaning
narrative - one which typically involves several figures in action and emotionally engaged.
Thus any such scene from mythology, or literature, qualifies as a history work.