Life Casting and Art Reading Answers

Jan 27, 2023

Life Casting and Art Reading Answers contains a write up about the importance of art. Life Casting and Art Reading Answers contain a total of 6 paragraphs. Related to the paragraphs are 13 questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. The paragraphs contain information about the method of art used to cast life. The pictures made the gift of art lively. The importance of arts has also been mentioned.

Life Casting and Art Reading Answers is an IELTS Reading passage which comprises three types of questions: True/ False and not given, choose the correct option and associate the paragraph. Candidates are required to read each paragraph attentively and thoroughly. The interpretation of each paragraph is must. An overall theme of the paragraph is required to answer the questions. The important information must be remembered. Some information might not be given in paragraphs which must be marked as not given. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Life Casting and Art Reading Answers

Julian Bames explores the questions posed by Life-Casts, an exhibition of plaster moulds of living people and objects which were originally used for scientific purposes

Art changes over time and our idea of what art is changing too. For example, objects originally intended for devotional, ritualistic or recreational purposes may be recategorised as art by members of other later civilisations, such as our own, which no longer respond to these purposes.
What also happens is that techniques and crafts which would have been judged inartistic at the time they were used are reassessed. Life-casting is an interesting example of this. It involved making a plaster mould of a living person or thing. This was complex, technical work, as Benjamin Robert Haydon discovered when he poured 250 litres of plaster over his human model and nearly killed him. At the time, the casts were used for medical research and, consequently, in the nineteenth-century life-casting was considered inferior to sculpture in the same way that, more recently, photography was thought to be a lesser art than painting. Both were viewed as unacceptable shortcuts by the ’senior 1 arts. Their virtues of speed and unwavering realism also implied their limitations; they left little or no room for the imagination.
For many, life-casting was an insult to the sculptor’s creative genius. In an infamous lawsuit of 1834, a moulder whose mask of the dying French emperor Napoleon had been reproduced and sold without his permission was judged to have no rights to the image. In other words, he was specifically held not to be an artist. This judgement reflects the view of established members of the nineteenth-century art world such as Rodin, who commented that life-casting ‘happens fast but it doesn’t make Art’. Some even feared that ‘if too much nature was allowed in, it would lead Art away from its proper course of the Ideal.
The painter Gauguin, at the end of the nineteenth century, worried about future developments in photography. If ever the process went into colour, what painter would labour away at a likeness with a brush made from squirrel-tail? But painting has proved robust. Photography has changed it, of course, just as the novel had to reassess narrative after the arrival of the cinema. But the gap between the senior and junior arts was always narrower than the traditionalists implied. Painters have always used technical back-up such as studio assistants to do the boring bits, while apparently lesser crafts involve great skill, thought, preparation and, depending on how we define it， imagination.
Time changes our view in another way, too. Each new movement implies a reassessment of what has gone before. What is done now alters what was done before? In some cases this is merely self-serving, with the new art using the old to justify itself. It seems to be saying, look at how all of that points to this! Aren’t we clever to be the culmination of all that has gone before? But usually, it is a matter of re-alerting the sensibility, reminding us not to take things for granted. Take, for example, the cast of the hand of a giant from a circus, made by an anonymous artist around 1889, an item that would now sit happily in any commercial or public gallery. The most significant impact of this piece is on the eye, in the contradiction between unexpected size and verisimilitude. Next, the human element kicks in. you note that the nails are dirt-encrusted, unless this is the caster’s decorative addition, and the fingertips extend far beyond them. Then you take in the element of choice, arrangement, art if you like, in the neat, pleated, buttoned sleeve-end that gives the item balance and variation of texture. This is just a moulded hand, yet the part stands utterly for the whole. It reminds us slyly, poignantly, of the full-size original
But is it art? And, if so, why? These are old tediously repeated questions to which artists have often responded, ‘It is an art because I am an artist and therefore what I do is art. However, what doesn’t work for literature works much better for art works of art do float free of their creators’ intentions. Over time the “reader” does become more powerful. Few of us can look at a medieval altarpiece as its painter intended. We believe too little and aesthetically know too much, so we recreate and find new fields of pleasure in the work. Equally, the lack of artistic intention of Paul Richer and other forgotten craftsmen who brushed oil onto flesh, who moulded, cast and decorated in the nineteenth century is now irrelevant. What counts is the surviving object and our response to it. The tests are simple: does it interest the eye, excite the brain, move the mind to reflection and involve the heart. It may, to use the old dichotomy, be beautiful but it is rarely true to any significant depth. One of the constant pleasures of art is its ability to come at us from an unexpected angle and stop us short in wonder.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-5:
Reading passage has 6 sections A-F
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-F in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
(You may use any letter more than once)

An example of a craftsman’s unsuccessful claim to ownership of his work.

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: In an infamous lawsuit of 1834, a moulder whose mask of the dying French emperor Napoleon had been reproduced and sold without his permission was judged to have no rights to the image.
Keyword: unsuccessful claim, ownership, no rights
Key Location: Section C, 2nd line
Explanation: As per paragraph C, it has been mentioned that in a notorious court case from 1834, it was decided that a molder had no legal claim to a mask of the ailing French emperor Napoleon that had been copied and sold without his consent. In other words, it was explicitly believed that he was not an artist. So, the correct answer is CX as per the explanation provided.

An example of how trends in art can change attitudes to an earlier work.

Answer: E
Supporting sentence:Take, for example, the cast of the hand of a giant from a circus, made by an anonymous artist around 1889, an item that would now sit happily in any commercial or public gallery.
Keyword:trends, change, attitudes, earlier work
Key Location: Section E, 4th line
Explanation:As per paragraph E, it has been stated that for instance, the cast of a colossal circus performer's hand was done by an unknown artist around 1889; this object would now be at home in any shop or public gallery. The piece's eye-catching contrast between unexpected scale and realism has the greatest visual impact. So, the correct answer is E.

The original function of a particular type of art.

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: the casts were used for medical research and, consequently, in the nineteenth century life-casting was considered inferior to sculpture
Keyword: particular type, original function, art
Key Location: Section B,5th line
Explanation: As per paragraph B, it has been mentioned that because the casts were being utilized for medical study at the time, life-casting was viewed as less of an art form than sculpture in the nineteenth century, much like photography was in the twentieth. The "senior 1 arts" rejected both as unacceptable short cuts. So, the correct answer is B as per the explanation provided.

Ways of assessing whether or not an object is art.

Answer: F
Supporting sentence: But is it art? And, if so, why?|
Keyword: assessing, object, art
Key Location: Section F, 1st line
Explanation: Section F, which focuses on defining what constitutes art and provides a number of solutions as well as tests for it, contains this material. The author provides simple criteria for judging art, such as whether it catches the eye, engages the brain, moves the heart, and elicits reflection, by offering a series of questions. So, the correct answers F as per the explanation provided and the line of paragraph F.

How artists deal with the less interesting aspects of their work

Answer: D
Supporting sentence:Painters have always used technical back-up such as studio assistants to do the boring bits, while apparently lesser crafts involve great skill, thought, preparation and, depending on how we define it, imagination.
Keyword: artists, less interesting, technical back-up, lesser crafts
Key Location: Section D, last line
Explanation: As per paragraph D, it has been mentioned that the distinction between senior and junior arts was never as wide as traditionalists suggested. While seemingly less important skills need significant ability, thought, planning, and, depending on how we define it, imagination, painters have always relied on technical support, such as studio assistants, to handle the tedious tasks. So, the correct answer is D as per the explanation provided and the line of paragraph D.

Questions 6-11:
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage?
In boxes 6-11 on your answer sheet, write
YES- if the statement agrees with the information
NO- if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN- if there is no information on this

Nineteenth-century sculptors admired the speed and realism of life-casting.

Answer: No
Supporting sentence: At the time, the casts were used for medical research and, consequently, in the nineteenth century life-casting was considered inferior to sculpture
Keyword: admired, life-casting, nineteenth century sculptors, inferior.
Key Location: Selection B, 5th line
Explanation: As per paragraph B, it has been mentioned that because the casts were being utilized for medical study at the time, life-casting was viewed as less of an art form than sculpture in the nineteenth century, much like photography was in the twentieth. The "senior 1 arts" rejected both as unacceptable short cuts. So, the question statement is contradictory to the actual information provided in paragraph B. Hence, the correct answer is No.

Rodin believed the quality of the life-casting would improve if a slower process were.

Answer:No
Supporting sentence: Rodin, who commented that life-casting ‘happens fast but it doesn’t make Art’.
Keyword: Rodin, life-casting, improve, slower process
Key Location:Section C, 3rd line
Explanation: As per paragraph C, iit has been clearly stated that conclusion echoes the opinions of prominent figures in the nineteenth-century art world like Rodin, who said that life-casting "happens quickly but it doesn't make Art." Some even believed that "allowing too much nature in" would cause art to veer off its intended direction and lose its connection to the Ideal. So, the question statement is contradictory to the actual information provided in paragraph B. Hence, the correct answer is No.

The importance of painting has decreased with the development of colour.

Answer:No
Supporting sentence: painting has proved robust.
Keyword: importance, painting, colour, development
Key Location:Section D, 3rd line
Explanation: The paragraph D mentions worries about how photography would develop in the future. Painter Gauguin thought that adding color would diminish the value of paintings, but this wasn't the case. The meaning of painting hasn't changed at all despite how photography has affected it. As a result, the assertion conflicts with the paragraph. So, the question statement is contradictory to the actual information provided in paragraph B. Hence, the correct answer is No.

Life-casting requires more skill than sculpture does.

Answer:Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information provided in the paragraph associated with the question statement. Thus, the correct answer is Not Given.

New art encourages us to look at earlier work in a fresh way.

Answer: No
Supporting sentence: In some cases this is merely self-serving, with the new art using the old to justify itself.
Keyword: new art, encourages, earlier work, old art
Key Location: Section E, 3rd line
Explanation:As per paragraph E, it has been mentioned that sometimes just be self-serving, where the new art uses the old to support it. See how everything points to this, it seems to be saying. But most of the time, it only involves reawakening our senses and reminding us not to take anything for granted. So, the question statement is contradictory to the actual information provided in paragraph B. Hence, the correct answer is No.

The intended meaning of a work of art can get lost over time.

Answer: Yes
Supporting sentence:works of art do float free of their creators’ intentions. Over time the “reader” does become more powerful.
Keyword: intended meaning, art, time
Key Location: Section F, 3rd line
Explanation: As per paragraph F, it has been mentioned that it doesn't work for literature, nevertheless, works far better for art since works of art actually float free of the intents of their creators. The "reader" does increase in strength with time. Few of us have the ability to view a medieval altarpiece as the artist intended. We reinvent and discover new pleasures in art because we think too little and know too much about aesthetics. So, the question statement is correct. Tus, the correct answer is Yes.

Questions 12-13:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet.

The most noticeable contrast in the cast of the giants hand is between the

dirt and decoration
size and realism
choice and arrangement
balance and texture

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: The most significant impact of this piece is on the eye, in the contradiction between unexpected size and verisimilitude.
Keyword: giant’s hand, noticeable, cast, size, verisimilitude
Key Location:Section E, 8th line
Explanation: As per paragraph E, it has been clearly mentioned that the piece's eye-catching contrast between unexpected scale and realism has the greatest visual impact. The human factor then comes into play. The nails are covered in filth, unless the caster added this as a decorative touch, and the fingertips reach well beyond the nails. So, the correct answer is B.

According to the writer, the importance of any artistic object lies in

the artist’s intentions
the artist’s beliefs
the relevance it has to modem life
the way we respond to it

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: What counts is the surviving object and our response to it.
Keyword: importance, artistic object, respond
Key Location: Section F, 8th line
Explanation:As per paragraph F, this is the greatest option since the significance of the piece of art is in the way we respond to it, which can be easily measured by asking a series of questions. The author emphasizes the importance of which items survive and how we respond to them when determining what may be deemed art. So, the correct answer is D, as per the lines of paragraph F and the explanation provided.

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