A member of the Otomi, an Indigenous people in Central Mexico, Octavio Medellín immigrated to the United States as a...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
A member of the Otomi, an Indigenous people in Central Mexico, Octavio Medellín immigrated to the United States as a child, and his sculpture bears the impress of traditions on both sides of the border: US-based modernist sculpture, Mexican modernist painting, Otomi art, and the ancient sculpture of other Mexican Indigenous peoples, including the Maya. In his 1950 masterpiece History of Mexico, Medellín fuses these influences into a style so idiosyncratic that it resists efforts to view his work through the lens of nationality or cultural identity. Artists, he insisted, should strive for individual expression, even as they draw inspiration from their heritage and the communities where they live and work.
Which quotation from an art critic most directly challenges the underlined claim in the text?
Although a number of ancient Indigenous artistic traditions pictured human forms in profile, the forms populating the surface of A History of Mexico suggest a specifically Maya influence.
In A History of Mexico, the synthesis of ancient and modernist traditions functions as a stylistic parallel to the work's subject matter: a survey of centuries of Mexican history.
Many critics focus on Indigenous influences in A History of Mexico and other key works by Medellín to the exclusion of influences from non-Indigenous art.
While A History of Mexico features modernist motifs, it relies primarily on angular human forms in profile—a staple of Maya sculpture—and thus invites classification as Indigenous art.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'A member of the Otomi, an Indigenous people in Central Mexico, Octavio Medellín immigrated to the United States as a child' |
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| 'and his sculpture bears the impress of traditions on both sides of the border: US-based modernist sculpture, Mexican modernist painting, Otomi art, and the ancient sculpture of other Mexican Indigenous peoples, including the Maya.' |
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| 'In his 1950 masterpiece History of Mexico, Medellín fuses these influences into a style so idiosyncratic that it resists efforts to view his work through the lens of nationality or cultural identity.' |
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| 'Artists, he insisted, should strive for individual expression, even as they draw inspiration from their heritage and the communities where they live and work.' |
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Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Octavio Medellín created art so uniquely individual that it cannot be easily categorized by nationality or cultural identity, despite drawing from multiple cultural traditions.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Medellín's multicultural background and artistic influences, then argues that his masterpiece 'History of Mexico' synthesizes these influences in such an individual way that it defies cultural classification. The passage concludes by reinforcing this theme with Medellín's own philosophy about balancing individual expression with cultural heritage.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to find a quotation from an art critic that challenges the underlined claim in the text.
What type of answer do we need? A critic's statement that contradicts or disputes the specific claim that Medellín's work 'resists efforts to view his work through the lens of nationality or cultural identity.'
Any limiting keywords? 'Most directly challenges' means we need the choice that most clearly contradicts the underlined claim, and 'the underlined claim' focuses us specifically on the assertion about resistance to cultural classification.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The underlined claim says Medellín's work 'resists efforts to view his work through the lens of nationality or cultural identity.'
- So a critic who challenges this would need to suggest that his work CAN be viewed through cultural/national identity, argue that cultural classification IS appropriate for his work, or directly contradict the idea that it 'resists' such categorization.
- The right answer should present a critic saying something like 'this work invites cultural classification' or 'this clearly belongs to a specific cultural tradition' - essentially the opposite of 'resists efforts to view through cultural lens.'
Although a number of ancient Indigenous artistic traditions pictured human forms in profile, the forms populating the surface of A History of Mexico suggest a specifically Maya influence.
- Claims the work shows 'specifically Maya influence' in human forms
- While this identifies a cultural influence, it doesn't directly challenge the resistance claim
- The passage already acknowledges Maya influence - the claim is about resisting classification, not about having influences
In A History of Mexico, the synthesis of ancient and modernist traditions functions as a stylistic parallel to the work's subject matter: a survey of centuries of Mexican history.
- Discusses how synthesis of traditions parallels the historical subject matter
- This actually supports the idea of complex fusion rather than challenging resistance to classification
Many critics focus on Indigenous influences in A History of Mexico and other key works by Medellín to the exclusion of influences from non-Indigenous art.
- Says critics focus on Indigenous influences while excluding non-Indigenous art
- This describes what critics do but doesn't challenge whether the work resists classification
While A History of Mexico features modernist motifs, it relies primarily on angular human forms in profile—a staple of Maya sculpture—and thus invites classification as Indigenous art.
- States the work 'invites classification as Indigenous art'
- This directly contradicts 'resists efforts to view his work through the lens of nationality or cultural identity'
- Uses the word 'invites' which is the opposite of 'resists' - if work invites cultural classification, it cannot resist such classification