Questions 153–155 are based on the following reading passage.
Nineteenth century painter Albert Bierstadt’s view of his artistic skill
as a vehicle for self-
promotion was evident in his choices of style and subject matter. From
the debut of his career
with the exhibition of
Lake Lucerne
(1856), he developed a fixed style
that was most easily
recognizable for its size—the largest of the 636 paintings on display at
the exhibition, it was over
5 three meters wide. This, coupled with the artist’s ability to represent
the optimistic feeling in
America during the westward expansion, is what led to Bierstadt’s
explosive growth in popularity
during the 1860s. Bierstadt deliberately appealed to those rich patrons—
railroad tycoons and
financiers—whose nearest substitute to making the arduous journey out
West was to purchase a
hyperbolized replica of a Western vista.
10 But trends following the Civil War produced a drastic shift away
from the adventurous
optimism of the pre-war era and toward a more subdued appreciation for
the details of American
life. In this new social context, the paintings now seemed too decadent,
too gaudy, for the new
philosophy taking root in the country following the horrors of war. As
one commentator in 1866
put it, Bierstadt’s work “may impose upon the senses, but does not affect
the heart.” In a sense,
15 then, that same American pride upon which Bierstadt had capitalized to
advance his success was
now, in its fickleness, the source of his downfall.
153. According to the passage, the new philosophy taking root in America
after the Civil War would be best described as
(A)
justifiable pessimism
(B)
somber realism
(C)
restrained minimalism
(D)
prideful idealism
(E)
stubborn dogmatism
154. The passage quotes the commentator (lines 14–15) primarily in order to
(A)
challenge a prevailing thesis
(B)
point out an erroneous assertion
(C)
provide expert testimony
(D)
highlight a controversy
(E)
offer evidence supporting a claim
155. All of the following are mentioned as contributors to Bierstadt’s success
EXCEPT
(A)
the dimensions of his paintings
(B)
his ability to convey auspicious feelings
(C)
subdued appreciation for the details of American life
(D)
catering to the preferences of the wealthy
(E)
portrayals of exaggerated landscapes
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