In many cultures people make a distinction between fine art and folk art. Although telling

the difference between these two types of art is not always easy, each has certain general characteristics that help to identify it. One characteristic of folk art, for example, is that it is the product of ordinary people, the folk. Furthermore, folk art is often traditional in composition and subject matter. Fine art, in contrast, is usually the product of professionals who have studied art. These professional artists are usually more strongly influenced by the contemporary world and modern composition than by tradition.

Another difference between folk and fine art is that folk art is often created to decorate a functional object. For example, a person who decorates his or her home by sculpting the wooden beam that holds up the roof is creating folk art. Fine art, on the other band, is usually purely decorative. Its only function is to its environment.

A third distinguishing characteristic of folk art is that it is "participatory". This means that the art is created through the active involvement of the participants in the artistic project. For instance, a work song is created when a group of workers with one job to do sing together. By singing together, they make their work easier and also create a song that is considered to he folk art. In addition, paintings on the walls of churches are sometimes considered folk art since many people are involved in the endeavor, not only painters. The participants who are not skillful at drawing or painting, mix colors or clean up spilled paint. Fine art, such as music, how ever, seldom involves participation of any one besides the artist. Other people are usually not involved in the production. People at a music concert are only listeners, not participants. In the same way, a fine-art painting is primarily the work of one known artist, not a group. Folk art is characterized by anonymity; the folk artist is rarely, if ever, known.

A final distinctive characteristic of folk art is that it tends Io become rarer as a society becomes more industrialized. When machines produce all of the objects that people are likely to need in their everyday lives, people are likely to stop producing and decorating household objects at home. Likewise, when most people have radios, they tend to listen to the songs on the radio while they work rather than to sing traditional work songs. However, the quality and quantity of fine art do not decrease with industrialization. In fact, the amount may increase if industrialization raises the standard of living, thus creating a larger number of people who can afford to buy fine art.

Which of the following statements about folk art is true？

A．Folk art is the product of professionals who have studied art.

B．Decorating a wooden beam is folk art.

C．Paintings on the walls of churches are usually considered folk art.

D．People at a music concert arc creator of folk art.