单选题 To facilitate entry into fine art thinking and avoid being misled in fundamental ways, archaeologists must understand the principles that define and govern each art category, whether utilitarian, fine or decorative. The traditional intent of a craft like ceramics is to serve a utilitarian function and its ability to act in this capacity is essentially dependent upon the skill of properly shaping a vessel to correspond to its task, so neither its exact manner of construction (by hand or wheel, coil or slab) nor the significance of imagery glazed on its surface changes its primary role "to contain", though it may add to its value. While ceramicists must think and construct art according to certain patterns of utilitarian form, following a prototypal model that relates to the artwork"s purpose, fine art has no such requirement.
Fine artists often work in mixed or new media, evidenced by the example of vases created during the Greek Archaic period, which were an anomaly to the paradigm of earlier vases because the later ones not only served "to contain", but also to communicate ideas. An examination of this apparent inconsistency reveals both the Greek"s high regard for aesthetics and the explanation that fine artists usually created the paintings on the vases made by potters. Though Greek vase painting differs greatly from the work of modern artist Pablo Picasso, he too painted on ceramic objects made by others. Contrasting ancient fine art forms such as paintings and stone or metal sculptures with contemporary fine art forms such as computer art, video imagery, and holograms, it is possible to see that as the culture"s technology transforms, its changes are visible in the structural forms of fine art.
At the same time, changes in fine art indicate its mandate to both reflect and create new perceptions of the culture, but form alone is insufficient to classify objects into art categories. Frequently, art that serves a decorative function is confused with both utilitarian and fine art because of its similar appearance, but the function of decorative art is the form itself, it is not compelled to fulfill either a utilitarian task or address concepts that exemplify its historic period. Communication would appear redundant if fine artists, like utilitarian and decorative artists, were to produce unlimited numbers of the same object. Once an idea is assimilated into the culture there is no longer a need to discuss it unless artists are more clearly defining or redefining it. Therefore, archaeologists should be aware that an artifact produced in any way by formula is not fine art. The fine artist"s process is continuous from the moment of conception until a piece is complete, and thus everything is though of in terms of context, so that, as a general guide, archaeologists should consider no mark within a work unimportant and only define its meaning in relation to the whole piece.

单选题 In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with ______.

单选题 According to the passage, the "earlier vases" mentioned in the second paragraph constitute which of the following?

单选题 According to the passage, the form which fine art takes at any given historical moment is often dictated by ______.

单选题 Which of the following best states the author"s view of the argument that fine art may be distinguished as a category by its physical form?

单选题 Which of the following statements about fine arts production is best supported by the information presented in the passage?