单选题 When you first saw a piece of African art, it
impressed you as a unit; you did not see it as
a collection of shapes or forms. This, of
Line course, means that the shapes and volumes
(5) within the sculpture itself were coordinated so
successfully that the viewer was affected emo-
tionally.
It is entirely valid to ask how, from a purely
artistic point of view, this unity was achieved.
(10) And we must also inquire whether there is a
recurrent pattern or rules or a plastic language
and vocabulary that is responsible for the
powerful communication of emotion which
the best African sculpture achieves. If there is
(15) such a pattern of rules, are these rules applied
consciously or instinctively to obtain so many
works of such high artistic quality?
It is obvious from the study of art history
that an intense and unified emotional experi-
(20) ence, such as the Christian credo of the
Byzantine or 12th or 13th century Europe,
when espoused in art forms, gave great unity,
coherence, and power to art. But such an inte-
grated feeling was only the inspirational ele-
(25) ment for the artist, only the starting point of
the creative act. The expression of this emo-
tion and its realization in the work could be
done only with discipline and thorough
knowledge of the craft. And the African sculp-
(30) tor was a highly trained workman. He started
his apprenticeship with a master when a child,
and he learned the tribal styles and the use of
tools and the nature of woods so thoroughly
that his carving became what Boas calls
(35) "motor action." He carved automatically and
instinctively.

The information in the passage suggests that a mature African carver might best be compared to a
A. chef following a recipe
B. fluent speaker of English just now beginning to study French
C. batter who hits a home run the first time at bat
D. veteran fiddler expertly varying a traditional tune
E. senior editor correcting the prose of an unidiomatic author