JAMB Fine Art 2025
Questions & Answers

Action painting, a subset of Abstract Expressionism from the 1950s, emphasizes the physical act of painting, as seen in Jackson Pollock’s drip works like *No. 5, 1948*, where the process itself is central.

El Anatsui, a Ghanaian-Nigerian artist, is renowned for mixed media installations using materials like bottle caps, as in *Dusasa I* (2007), transforming everyday objects into monumental art.

Land art uses natural materials like leaves, twigs, and soil, often in situ, to create site-specific works, as in Robert Smithson’s *Spiral Jetty* (1970), blending art with the environment.

Dadaism, emerging during World War I, used found objects and images to challenge art norms, as in Marcel Duchamp’s *Bicycle Wheel* (1913), a readymade that redefined artistic creation.

Auguste Rodin created *The Gates of Hell* (1880-1917), a bronze sculpture inspired by Dante’s *Inferno*, incorporating figures like *The Thinker* to depict human suffering and emotion.

Identity politics explores how art reflects identity, including race, gender, and culture, as in Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits, which address her Mexican heritage and personal struggles.

Constructivism uses bold colors and geometric shapes in abstract, functional art, often tied to industrial aesthetics, as in Vladimir Tatlin’s *Monument to the Third International* (1919).

Kolawole Oshinowo (1948-2022) depicted everyday Nigerian life, such as market scenes in *Market Scene* (1980s), using vibrant colors to capture social vibrancy.

New media art encompasses digital technology-based artworks, including video and interactive installations, as in Nam June Paik’s *Electronic Superhighway* (1995).

Expressionism prioritizes emotional expression through distorted forms and vivid colors, as in Edvard Munch’s *The Scream* (1893), conveying inner turmoil.

Cultural studies examines how art reflects or challenges power dynamics, as in Soviet propaganda posters that reinforced political authority.

Rembrandt’s *The Night Watch* (1642) is a Baroque masterpiece, using chiaroscuro to dramatize the militia company led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq.

Found object art uses recycled or pre-existing materials to create new works, as in Robert Rauschenberg’s *Combines* (1950s), critiquing consumer culture.

Photorealism mimics photographic precision, using techniques like airbrushing, as in Chuck Close’s *Big Self-Portrait* (1967-68), blurring art and photography.

Lamidi Fakeye (1928-2009) carved wooden sculptures of Yoruba deities, blending traditional iconography with Christian motifs, as in his doors for Ibadan’s Catholic Cathedral.

Kinetic art incorporates movement, often through mechanical or wind-driven elements, as in Alexander Calder’s mobiles like *Lobster Trap and Fish Tail* (1939).

Pop art uses popular culture imagery, like advertisements, as in Andy Warhol’s *Marilyn Diptych* (1962), reflecting mass media’s influence.

Auguste Rodin’s *The Thinker* (1880), part of *The Gates of Hell*, symbolizes philosophical contemplation through its introspective pose.

Fauvism, led by Henri Matisse, uses bold colors and energetic brushstrokes for emotional impact, as in *The Joy of Life* (1905-06), prioritizing expression over realism.

Pablo Picasso’s *Guernica* (1937) is an anti-war Cubist painting depicting the bombing of Guernica, using monochrome tones to convey chaos and suffering.

Art sociology examines how social structures shape art, as in Diego Rivera’s murals, which reflect Mexican social struggles and cultural identity.

Fantasy art depicts mythical or imaginary creatures, as in John Howe’s illustrations for Tolkien’s *The Lord of the Rings*, creating otherworldly narratives.

Nok culture (500 BCE-200 CE) is known for terracotta sculptures, such as human and animal figures, significant for their early artistic sophistication in West Africa.

Constructivism uses industrial materials to create socially functional art, as in Alexander Rodchenko’s posters, reflecting technological and revolutionary ideals.

Constantin Brancusi’s *The Kiss* (1908) is a minimalist sculpture abstracting two embracing figures into a single block, symbolizing unity and simplicity.

Art anthropology studies how art reflects cultural beliefs, as in African masks, which embody spiritual and social roles in Yoruba or Igbo ceremonies.

Edvard Munch’s *The Scream* (1893) is an Expressionist icon, depicting existential anxiety through a distorted figure and vibrant colors.

Pointillism, developed by Georges Seurat, uses dots of color to form images, as in *A Sunday on La Grande Jatte* (1884-86), relying on optical blending.

Yusuf Grillo’s paintings, like *Drummer* (1964), depict Yoruba culture with elongated forms and vibrant colors, celebrating traditional themes.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings, like *Black Iris* (1926), use vibrant colors to depict flowers and the American Southwest, emphasizing form and emotional resonance.

Impressionism captures light and color in daily life, as in Claude Monet’s *Impression, Sunrise* (1872), using loose brushwork to convey transient effects.

Tempera mixes pigment with a binding agent (e.g., egg yolk) and is applied to dry surfaces, used in works like Botticelli’s *Primavera* (1482).

Bruce Onobrakpeya’s printmaking, like his plastographs, depicts Nigerian cultural themes, blending traditional motifs with modern techniques, as in *Erebe* (1970s).

Cubism, pioneered by Picasso, rejects perspective for flat, two-dimensional forms, as in *Les Demoiselles d’Avignon* (1907), showing multiple viewpoints.

Collage assembles materials like paper and fabric on a flat surface, a technique popularized by Picasso in works like *Still Life with Chair Caning* (1912).

Vincent van Gogh’s *Starry Night* (1889), a Post-Impressionist work, depicts a swirling night sky, reflecting his emotional and spiritual state.

Surrealism depicts the subconscious through irrational scenes, as in Salvador Dalí’s *The Persistence of Memory* (1931), with its surreal melting clocks.

Visual analysis studies elements like line, shape, and color to interpret an artwork’s composition, as applied to analyzing Monet’s use of color in *Water Lilies*.

Mark Rothko’s color field paintings, like *No. 61 (Rust and Blue)* (1953), use large-scale hues with soft edges to evoke emotional and spiritual depth.

Futurism, an Italian movement, celebrated speed and technology, as in Umberto Boccioni’s *Unique Forms of Continuity in Space* (1913), embodying modernity.