Reading Comprehension

PT103 · S4 · P2 · Q9 James Porter

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James Porter (1905–1970) was the first scholar to identify the African influence on visual art in the Americas, and much of what is known about the cultural legacy that African-American artists inherited from their African forebears has come to us by way of his work.

Topic

James Porter’s pioneering scholarship on the African influence in African-American visual art

Framework

Highlight Noteworthy

Main Point

James Porter was the first major scholar to document and analyze the African roots of African-American art, making fundamental contributions that integrated African-American visual arts into the broader context of American art history. ()

P1: Porter's Foundational Research and Discoveries

Porter broke new ground by connecting West African artistic traditions to African-American crafts from the 18th and 19th centuries, recognizing distinct influences in ordinary, everyday items. He went further to map out the cultural legacy inherited by future generations of African-American artists.

P2: Porter's Impactful Publications and Approach

He set the record straight on artists like Duncanson and Johnston, proving their African heritage, and published an influential history that for the first time truly explored the influence of African art, unlike earlier works by Locke. Porter’s personal art reflected his deep awareness of these African ties.

P3: Porter's Ongoing Scholarship and Legacy

Porter continued to refine his work, correcting earlier errors and making discoveries about notable African-American artists. Even after his death, his unfinished research and notes continue to offer valuable insights for scholars today, especially regarding the broader impact of African art on Western art overall.

Given the information in the passage, Porter's identification of the ancestry of Duncanson and Johnston provides conclusive evidence for which one of the following statements?

Some of the characteristics defining
Out of Scope: definitive traits
We know that Duncanson and Johnston were of African ancestry, and they were part of the Hudson River school. But that's all we know. We never talked about any defining characteristics of the Hudson River school, and we can't connect this school to West African artisanship.
7% picked this
Some of the works of
Out of Scope: not in style
We know that Duncanson and Johnston were of African ancestry, and they were part of the Hudson River school. But that's all we know. We never talked about any of their work not being in the style of the Hudson River school.
1% picked this
Some of the work of
Not Euro-American
We know that Duncanson and Johnston were of African ancestry, and they were part of the Hudson River school. People thought they were Euro-American, but they weren't. Porter identified them as having African ancestry. So Porter's identification has nothing to do with the work of any Euro-American painters.
8% picked this
Correct
Some of the works of
Why this is right
We know that Duncanson and Johnston were of African ancestry, and they were part of the Hudson River school. So fusing those two ideas together, we can support that some works from the Hudson River school were done by African-American painters. We might be thinking, "Hey, we know that Duncanson and Johnston created works for the Hudson River school movement, and that they are of African ancestry. But how can we say African-American? Maybe they live in Canada? How should we know?" The passage overall is about African-American art. The sentence after Porter's identification says that, "Porter published this finding and thousands of others in a comprehensive volume tracing the history of African-American art." So that heavily implies that D and J were African-American artists.
Skill tested: Locate Detail · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
72% picked this
Some of the works of
Out of Scope: West African influence
We know that Duncanson and Johnston were of African ancestry, and they were part of the Hudson River school. But that's all we know. We never talked about whether any of their work was influenced by West African artifacts.
12% picked this

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