Final answer:
The excerpt focuses on the impact of European artist migration to the U.S., particularly to New York City, and the rise of Abstract Expressionism, signifying a shift to abstract and nonrepresentational art in American art culture during the post-war period.
Step-by-step explanation:
The central idea of the excerpt from "The Americanization of Irving Berlin" is best captured by option D: the excerpt is about the process of moving and how to pack efficiently. This passage looks at the physical and metaphorical packing that comes with migration and cultural shifts. The excerpt mentions artists from Europe migrating to the United States, particularly New York City, which became a new center for art as a result of these movements. It delves into the influence of mass communication in spreading culture and ideas globally, the impact of the American economy on immigration patterns, the rise of New York City as an art hub, and the emergence of American abstract expressionism, which stressed the expression of emotion and the unconscious. Abstract Expressionism represented individual freedom and was monumental in scale. The passage also touches on a shift in artistic precepts, moving from recognizable subjects to abstract or nonrepresentational art forms, possibly referencing the packing away of old styles and traditions and the emergence of new ones in response to the experiences of the era.