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The demand for portrait painting gave steady
employment to surprisingly many artists in colonial
North America. The nature of the work gave them
a crucial economic advantage over the engraver,
composer, or writer.  rints, musical scores, novels,
or plays could be imported cheaply; personal
portraits could not. Because portrait painting served
the purpose of commemoration in a society without
other visual means of preserving the memory of its
ancestors, and because ideals of interior design
considered massively framed portraits to be essential
home furnishings, painting in the eighteenth century
was a flourishing profession.
Only the preeminent painters, however, managed
to establish themselves for long in one place. Once
a painter completed all the available customers'
portraits, there was usually no further demand for
the work. Most painters belonged to the large band
of traveling artists, actors, and musicians who roamed
the colonies. Usually they announced their arrival
and period of stay in the local newspaper, telling
where specimens of their work could be seen -- a
coffeehouse, private residence, or the printer's
office. Universally, painters advertised two selling
points: cheap rates and a good likeness. Most
offered to accept no payment if the person who sat
for the portrait found the likeness unpleasing.
The relative costliness of the work and the demand
for it made painting in colonial America a competitive
and prestigious profession, a possible source of
economic independence and social
advancement. Some painters obviously could not
survive the considerable competition. Most became
neither rich nor destitute, but earned a comfortable
living between painting and engaging in related work.
Some painters also ran shops selling brushes, glass,
turpentine, varnish, canvas, carved frames. Other
painters offered lessons in drawing or music.
Success depended not only on the painter's skill but
also on the kind of painting offered. Landscape
painting, for instance, did not serve the purposes for
which most colonists bought paintings. For provincials
anxious to mark their social level, declare their taste,
display their recent material gains, and record their
success for posterity, painting meant portrait painting.
177. Which of the following statements
can be inferred about engravers,
composers, and writers in the
colonies?
A. Their work was of poor quality.
B. They could easily become rich.
C. Their work was in great demand
even though it was expensive.
D. They competed with people
abroad who provided similar
services.
这一题感觉很困惑, 我选C,可答案是D.
我选C的理由有两个出处：1，在第一段：The nature of the work gave them
a crucial economic advantage over the engraver,
composer, or writer.
2, 在第三段：The relative costliness of the work and the demand
for it made painting in colonial America a competitive
and prestigious profession, a possible source of
economic independence and social
advancement.
真是感觉答案很牵强，还望哪位高人能否指点一下， 谢谢了  | 
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发表于 2005-6-25 00:40:00
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