While art historians do not necessarily agree on the date of the birth of modern art, they do agree that mid-nineteenth century French art shows a clear and distinct break from tradition. Pressed to point to a single picture that represents the vanguard of the modern art movement, art historians will often point to Courbet’s The Painter’s Studio.

The peculiar subtitle of Courbet’s work, “Real allegory summing up a seven-year period of my life” confirms that Courbet was striving to do something strikingly original with his work. The argument has been made that the painting struck a blow for the independence of the artist, and that since Courbet’s work, artists have felt freed from the societal demands placed upon their work. Paintings prior to Courbet’s time were most often focused on depicting events from the Bible, history, or literature. With his singular painting, Courbet promulgated the idea that an artist is capable of representing only that which he can experience through his senses of sight and touch; the true artist will then be compelled to make his representation as simply and directly as possible.

Which of the following would most effectively replace the word promulgated as it is used in the context of the passage?

A) Displayed
B) Disseminated
C) Proclaimed
D) Concealed
E) Secreted



Select the sentence in the passage that best explains the effect of Courbet’s work on other artists.





The effect that Courbet had on painting is most analogous to which situation?

A) An avant-garde writer who subverts novelistic conventions
B) A machinist who tinkers and improves his invention
C) A watercolor painter who paints in the same style as his peers
D) A scientist who comes up with a unified theory of several discordant scientific ideas
E) A seamstress who makes a ball gown using several different types of fabric