生物學和藝術是托福聽力的重點考察學科，而因為藝術對大多數同學來說都相對比較陽春白雪，涉及很多藝術流派或文化背景的相關詞匯往往會在聽力材料中給大家帶來困擾。藝術可以分為美術，音樂，舞蹈，建筑，文學，戲劇，攝影，藝術史，等諸多分支，繪畫是藝術話題領域最高頻考察類別之一，我們來了解一下繪畫類必不可少的詞匯和背景知識。
遠古時期我們的祖先會在巖洞中作畫，在TPO聽力練習中，TPO3 Lecture3 Chauvet Painting就有文章涉及到巖洞畫，這篇聽力文章整體難度不是很大，文章介紹了巖洞畫的創作時間是在stone age(石器時代)，而石器時代可以分為Paleolithic和Neolithic兩個時期，作畫的工具通常是charcoal(木炭)，畫描繪的對象往往是一些大型的herbivore(食草動物)，這里同學們也可以了解一下同詞根的另外兩個詞，carnivore(食肉動物)和omnivore(雜食動物)，遠古人特別善于利用巖石的形狀來描繪動物，但是他們幾乎不畫人類，而他們為什么會選擇畫特定的動物，又為什么要將畫畫在漆黑沒有人居住的巖洞中，文中教授也沒有給出明確的解釋。
除了巖洞藝術我們的聽力練習中還涉及到油畫，這是一個比較重要也相對較難的點，如果你細心觀察會發現這些文章除了文章背景知識和詞匯有所重合之外，在考察方向上也有一些相似的點，例如TPO1 lecture1 Rose Frantzen和TPO19 lecture4 Cecilia Beaux 以及TPO21 lecture4 Alice Neel，下面我們就以一些具體的題目分析一下他們在考點方面的共性。
首先文章中都會涉及一些常見的藝術流派，而這些藝術流派的定義通常會在文章中進行解釋，并在具體的作品中體現該藝術流派的特點，所以我們最好能夠聽懂文中對于藝術流派的具體描述，因為畫家在繪畫當中往往會受到這些繪畫風格的影響或者將幾種風格融合在作品中，例如在TPO21 lecture4 中Alice Neel就融合了Realism和Expressionism，在文中對于realism的描述是It's like painting something exactly how it is, so an artist would try to make it as accurate, um... and objective as possible.即準確客觀的描繪，另外文中還提到了Expressionism即The artist is depicting subjective emotions, showing the inner reality as interpreted by the artist rather than the outward form.So the image itself might be distorted or exaggerated in some way. The expression overrides objective representation.這種流派的特點就是畫家在描繪主觀的情感，通過作品來表現出內在的實質而不是外在的形式。所以畫出的形象可能會在某種程度上變形或者夸張化。表現主義就掩蓋了客觀的呈現。在文中就有第3題考察了. Expressionism表現主義：
According to the professor, what two aspects of Neel's work are characteristic of Expressionism? Click on 2 answers.
A. The depiction of unusual object
B. The way the subjects' faces are portrayed
C. The shape of the subjects' bodies
D. The use of color in the paintings
原文中的描述是First, Neel’s use of bold color. All right? You’ll see she uses color to convey emotion and feeling, like the subjects’ clothing for instance, it appears brighter than it really is. And the subjects, the people being portrayed, Neel paid special attention to faces. The way she paints the eyes and how the faces are portrayed, these are quite realistic, like the realists’ work. But another thing Neel did was use elongated, sort of stretchy figures. Neel擅長使用非常大膽的顏色去表現感情和感受，例如像被畫對象的衣著看起來比實際的要更明亮，而她所畫的人更注重臉部，畫人比較寫實，這是realism的體現，但是對于身材的描述又會畫的比較修長，這又體現了表現主義，所以可以看出特點分別是use of color對應選項D和elongated, sort of stretchy figures。對應選項C
除此之外在TPO1lecture1Rose Frantzen中也提到了Realism，而在這篇文章中畫家是將Impressionism印象派和Realism進行了融合，首先文章中對于印象派的藝術風格進行了描述，Impressionism started in the late 19th century. Um…the basic impressionist style was very different from earlier styles. It didn’t depict scenes or models exactly as they looked. Um…Impressionist painters tended to apply paint really thickly, and in big brushstrokes, so the texture of the canvas was rough.從文中的描述我們可以得到一些印象派作畫技巧方面的特點，如：不是對對象進行如實的描繪，作畫時著墨很厚，常用大刷子，畫布的質地比較粗糙，而在這段描述中的很多詞匯也是在藝術類文章中反復出現且一定需要掌握的，例如：Impressionism印象派，depict描繪，brushstroke畫筆的一筆，canvas畫布，除此之外，文中還介紹了Realism現實主義，對于現實主義的描述是 real honest depictions of subject matter, pretty unidealized stuff, and pretty everydaysubject matter, too.也就是會如實描繪被畫的對象，而常常畫的通常也是一些日常物品和場景。
在文章中常常會考察到作品如何體現了一些具體的藝術流派：如文中第四題：
What does the professor imply about the painting of the young woman surrounded by pumpkins?
A It was painted at an art fair
B It combines Impressionism with Realism
C It convinced Frantzen that she was a good illustrator
D It was originally meant to be used in an advertisement
因為文中對這幅作品進行了非常細致的描述：首先是作品反映realism的部分：One other painting I really want you to look at is of a young woman surrounded bypumpkins. You will notice that the woman’s face is so realistic looking that it’s almost like aphotograph. The woman’s nose is a little less than perfect and her hair is kind of messed up. Thisis realism. But then, the background of the painting, this woman with the pumpkins is wrappedin a blanket of broad thick brushstrokes, and, it’s all kinds of zigzagging brushstrokes and lines,kind of chaotic almost when you look at it close. And there are vibrant colors. There’s lots oforange, with little hints of an electric blue peeking out.對于女性的容貌描繪比較寫實，但是對于背景的處理使用了印象派的手法,所以第四題的答案應該是B It combines Impressionism with Realism，作品融合了現實主義和印象派的雙重風格。
在TPO19 lecture4 Cecilia Beaux其中也有類似的考點，考察到畫家作品中反應了什么相應的藝術流派，例如，文中第六題：
Why does the professor mention the French Impressionists?
A.To identify other artists who often painted women and children
B.To point out one of the influences on Cecilia Beaux's work
C.To question the importance of Impressionism in portraiture
D.To contrast their view of art with Cecilia Beax's vision
原文當中的描述是Yes, the unclear background definitely contributes to that dreaminess. It is meant to show a sense of isolation I think. With the woman is deep in a daydream and not really aware of anything else. This painting shows how insightful Cecilia Beaux was as a portrait artist. Besides her excellent technical skills, like her use of brush strokes and color to make an impression, both respective come through. Her portraits reveal her own interpretation of her subject’s state of mind. This is what it is all about, not just likenesses.Now, the undefined background also shows how Cecilia Beaux was influenced by the French Impressionists, who believed, like Beaux, in a personal rather than conventional approach to their subject matter. Beaux used some impressionist techniques and share much of their phylosophy, but her style, it was all her own.文中明確指出Cecilia Beaux在畫筆和顏色的使用方面體現了印象派，文中還強調她雖然受到了印象派的影響，但是她仍然有自己的風格。所以該題的答案應該是B To point out one of the influences on Cecilia Beaux's work
其次，這一段內容當中還有另外一道題，體現了繪畫類講座常考的另外一個考點，就是教授對于作品和作家以及藝術創作的態度，如文中第五題：
Based on the discussion, what is the professor's attitude Inward portraiture?
A. The artist's technical skill is the most important aspect of a portrait.
B. An artist is seldom able to create an exact likeness of a subject.
C. A good portrait portrays the subject in are informal setting.
D. A good portrait portrays more than a physical image.
前文中強調Her portraits reveal her own interpretation of her subject’s state of mind. This is what it is all about, not just likenesses.也就是說Beaux雖然受到了印象派的影響但是她在作品中體現了自己對于被畫對象神態狀態的理解，畫出了神韻而不僅僅是畫的像。
最后，文中常常會考察畫家生平的一些經歷，因為他們的經歷可能會對作品產生一定的影響，或者對于他們個人在藝術發展史中的地位有一定影響，例如TPO1lecture1Rose Frantzen考察的第三題：
Why did Frantzen go to the Sales Barn?
To study human form and movement
To earn money by painting portraits
To paint farm animals in an outdoor setting
To meet people who could model for her paining
文中相應的描述是：One interesting thing I read about Franzten isthat when she first moved back to Iowa after living abroad, she often visited this place in hertown called the Sales Barn. And the Sales Barn, it was basically this place where the local farmersbought and sold their cattle, their farm animals. And the reason Frantzen went there, and shelater on would visit other places like dance halls, was to observe people and the ways that they moved. She really found that this helped her work---that it gave her an understanding of bodymovements and actions, how humans move, and stand still, what their postures were like, too.也就是說她去Sales Barn的原因在這些地方能夠觀察到很多人，這對于她了解人們的姿態動作和行為都非常有好處。
在TPO19 lecture4 Cecilia Beaux中也考察到了Beaux的經歷，而她的個人經歷證明了她當時杰出的地位：文中考察了第二題：
2 What evidence does the professor cite to illustrate Cecilia Beaux's reputation as an artist? Click on 2 answers.
A. The instructors that she studied art with
B. Her role in professional art organizations
C. Her connection with an important politician's family
D. The features of her work that the Impressionists imitated
原文的描述是：①Beaux became known as one of the best portrait painters in the United States. She was very successful. She even had portraits of the wife and children of Theodore Roosevelt, while he was president. Some did not get much more prestige than that.即她曾經畫過羅斯福總統的夫人和孩子，很少有畫家能享有如此殊榮，該部分內容對應C選項。②In fact, she was the first full-time female instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and she was a full member of the National Academy of Design. These are pretty important institutions, so, yeah, she definitely made headway for women artists.另外她曾任職于一些非常重要的機構，如：她是賓夕法尼亞藝術學術中心的第一個全職女性講師，也是國家學術設計中的會員，對應選項B這些內容都是她卓越地位的體現。
綜上，托福聽力中對于繪畫的考察通常比較高頻率的涉及藝術流派對作品和作家的影響，以及畫家們是如何將各種藝術流派完美的融合在一起的，另外閱讀材料會經常考察教授對于畫家生平的經歷的描述，而他們的這些經歷往往會影響到她們的作品和在藝術史上的地位，最后大家要注意在聽力文章中可能會考察到教授對于畫家作品和藝術風格的態度。繪畫與藝術相比于傳統學科的考察更為抽象高深，希望各位童鞋結合自身實際備考需要，有的放矢進行藝術類托福聽力內容的專項復習，積累重點詞匯，熟悉學科要點。
