ACT
Practice Test 15

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HUMANITIES: Colorful Reflections on Fairfield Porter

My first encounter with the international artist and art critic Fairfield Porter was actually through the poetry of his wife, Anne (Channing) Porter. While both grew to become quite celebrated in their crafts,

Line 5 Fairfield’s story is unique. Born into an affluent, artistic family in 1907, the boy who was to one day become a renowned artist and respected art critic showed a comparative lack of artistic ability when seen next to his siblings. While

10 his older brother Eliot took to photography, Fairfield Porter, despite being remarkably intelligent, appeared to be lacking any natural artistic talents. It seemed that, although a member of a family full of artists, his true skill lay in the critiquing of others’ artistry. This

15 was evidenced in his second year at Harvard by Fair- field’s decision to pursue art history as his major field of study. After studying at Harvard under Arthur Pope and then traveling briefly through Europe, Fairfield came back to the United States to further his education at

20 the Art Students League in New York City. There he became acquainted with the famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz—the work of whom is said to have positively influenced Fairfield’s paintings to some degree. Between the years 1931 and 1932, Fairfield spent

25 the majority of his time in Italy learning to appreciate and critique the works of the great Renaissance painters. His training came from both direct study under world-famous art historian Bernard Berenson, and from countless hours spent in museums and

30 galleries observing the greatest pieces of Italian art. Following his marriage to Anne upon his return from Italy, Fairfield spent the better part of the next two decades developing his skills as a painter while caring for his autistic son. During this period his meetings with

35 the French Intimist painter Willem De Kooning would prove to have a profound effect on his later works. Porter was the first to publicly acclaim the work of Kooning. In fact, what made Porter so famous was his knack

40 for responding directly to an artist’s work. He found fault with the common “talk based” criticism that spoke to art only in reference to its past or to some vague theoretical framework; such criticism attempted to shape the future of art and was far too biased for Porter.

45 His time as an art critic for such publications as Art News and The Nation ended, however, in 1961 when he decided to pursue a full-time painting career. The other side of his fame, his uncommon approach to painting, is just as important to the

50 understanding of Fairfield Porter’s contributions to the world of art. His personal philosophy comes from a blending of two views; art should be personal, emotional, and representative of its subject, while at the same time be boldly colorful, expressive, and generally

55 abstract. Drawing on his vast knowledge of art history, especially the styles of French Intimism, Porter fused these two feelings to create a powerful, emotive collection of paintings about families, individuals, and the home, as well as moving nature scenes such as

60 The Door to the Woods (1971) and Maine – Toward the Harbor (1967). When he died in 1975, on a morning walk along the ocean, he left the world as one of the most respected art critics in the past century. On top of that, his work

65 as a painter is still viewed within the art community as amazingly distinctive and especially representative of his life. It is sad to say that now, however, some thirty years after his death, he is still virtually unknown outside of art circles. This remarkably insightful, articulate,

70 creative individual needs to be discovered by the common man and revered for his continuing influence on the artists of today. The words of this intellectual were some of the best and most honest critiques of art ever spoken.

The main purpose of the passage can best be described as an attempt to:

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. Although the passage discusses Porter’s renowned ability to candidly address artists’ works, illustrates the influence that several famous artists had on his works, and assesses his unusual methods of painting and critiquing artwork, none of these are the main focus of the passage. Therefore, answer choices A, B, and C can be eliminated. The passage gives a brief summary of Porter’s life and discusses all of the above topics as points that shaped his career. This best supports answer choice D.

The author’s attitude towards the subject of the passage can best be characterized as:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. At the end of the passage, the author states that it is sad that Porter “is still virtually unknown outside of art circles,” and that “This remarkably insightful, articulate, creative individual needs to be discovered by the common man and revered for his continuing influence on the artists of today.” Clearly, the author thinks very highly of Porter and his works and believes that he deserves to be honored (“revered”) for his influence on today’s artists. These details best support answer choice H. Answer choice F is incorrect because the author is clearly not “detached,” or indifferent. Answer choice G is incorrect because the author is not merely “tolerant,” or just able to withstand Porter. Answer choice J is incorrect because the author obviously does not “abhor,” or hate, Porter and his works.

As described in the passage, Porter’s method of criticizing art can best be summarized by which of the following statements?

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. As stated in the passage, “what made Porter so famous was his knack for responding directly to an artist’s work.” Answer choices B and D are incorrect because the passage states that those are the things that Porter did NOT do, for he found criticisms based on those criteria to be insignificant and meaningless. Answer choice C is beyond the scope of the passage; Bernard Berenson’s influence on Porter’s art critiques is not discussed.

Porter’s painting style can be described by all of the following EXCEPT:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. Porter’s personal philosophy regarding his paintings was that they should be “personal, emotional, and representative of its subject, while at the same time be boldly colorful, expressive, and generally abstract.” This description of his works supports all of the answer choices except “trite,” answer choice H, which means “ordinary or dull.”

Without the first paragraph, the passage would lose:

  • Solution

    The best answer is B. The first paragraph of the passage simply tells how the author first came to meet Fairfield Porter, and provides a smooth transition into the life of Fairfield Porter. Answer choice A may appear to be correct; however, the author simply tells the reader how he came across Porter; there is no overview of what is to come in the passage. Answer choices C and D are not supported by information found in the passage.

In line 11, the statement “despite being remarkably intelligent” is intended to:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The passage states that, “Fairfield Porter, despite being remarkably intelligent, appeared to be lacking any natural artistic talents.” Therefore, his high intelligence level was not correlated at all to his level of artistic ability. This best supports answer choice H. Porter’s intelligence is not discussed in terms of the criteria listed in answer choices F, G, and J.

The word revered in line 71 most nearly means:

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. The author states that, “This remarkably insightful, articulate, creative individual needs to be discovered by the common man and revered for his continuing influence on artists today.” The author is clearly praising Porter and his continuing influence. It makes the most sense that the author believes that Porter should be “honored” for his continuing influence on artists today. The other answer choices do not make sense in the context of the paragraph.

According to the passage, when did Fairfield Porter become serious about becoming an artist?

  • Solution

    The best answer is J. It is stated in the passage that Porter was primarily an art critic until “1961, when he decided to pursue a full time painting career.” This was approximately 30 years after he returned from Italy, as he spent time between the years 1931 and 1932 in Italy learning to appreciate and critique artworks. The other answer choices are not supported by details in the passage.

The third paragraph states that, during 1931 and 1932, Fairfield Porter was:

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. As stated in the passage, “Between the years 1931 and 1932, Fairfield spent the majority of his time in Italy learning to appreciate and critique the works of the great Renaissance painters. His training came from both ...” This suggests that Porter was continuing his training as an art critic, answer choice A. The other answer choices are outside the scope of the passage.

The author uses the phrase “other side of his fame” (line 48) most likely in order to:

  • Solution

    The best answer is G. The passage preceding this phrase discusses Porter’s fame as an acclaimed art critic. The passage then goes on to state that, “The other side of his fame, his uncommon approach to painting, is just as important to an understanding of Fairfield Porter’s contributions to the world of art.” This contrast indicates that Porter was famous both for his criticisms of art, as well as his artwork itself–answer choice G. Answer choice F may appear to be correct, however, the passage does not ever define Porter’s level of fame as an artist versus his level of fame as an art critic.

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