LSAT Explanation PT 20, S4, Q10: Curator: The decision to restore the
LSAT Question Stem
The art critic's response to the curator would provide the strongest support for which one of the following conclusions?
Logical Reasoning Question Type
This is a Most Strongly supported question.
Correct Answer
The correct answer to this question is C.
LSAT Question Complete Explanation
This LSAT problem presents a dialogue between a curator and an art critic discussing the decision to restore the cloak of the central figure in Veronese's painting from red to green. The curator argues that the red pigment was added after the painting's completion and was not mixed in Veronese's workshop, suggesting that another artist tampered with the painting. The art critic counters by mentioning a red-cloaked copy of the painting made shortly after Veronese's death, arguing that it is unlikely a copyist would have made such a significant change so soon after the artist's passing.
The question type for this problem is Most Strongly Supported (MSS). Our task is to identify which of the answer choices is most strongly supported by the art critic's response.
Answer Choice (A): The art critic's response does not provide strong support for the idea that the copy is indistinguishable from the original. We only know that the cloak in the copy is red, but we have no information about the overall quality or other aspects of the copy.
Answer Choice (B): The curator's argument relies on technology, while the art critic's response does not mention technology at all. As such, the critic's response does not provide support for the idea that paintings should be tested with sophisticated equipment before restoration.
Answer Choice (C): This is the correct answer. The art critic's response suggests that the cloak was likely red at the time of Veronese's death. If the proposed restoration changes the cloak from red to green, it would not restore the painting to the appearance it had at the end of Veronese's lifetime.
Answer Choice (D): The art critic's response does not provide enough information to make a value judgment about whether an artist's work is compromised when tampered with by later artists. The critic's argument focuses on the color of the cloak, not the value of the painting.
Answer Choice (E): This answer choice may seem tempting, but it is not supported by the art critic's response. The critic's statement focuses on the color of the cloak at the time of Veronese's death, not the artist's original intent for the cloak's color.
In conclusion, the art critic's response provides the strongest support for Answer Choice (C), which states that the proposed restoration will fail to restore Veronese's painting to the appearance it had at the end of the artist's lifetime.