Final answer:
In the sentence given, 'us' is an indirect object as it is the recipient of the direct object 'the new paintings' which are being shown by the gallery owner. The direct object receives the main action of the verb directly.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the sentence "The owner of the art gallery showed us the new paintings on display," the word in bold (us) is an indirect object. An indirect object is the recipient of the direct object. In this case, it is the people (us) who are shown something. The verb in the sentence is 'showed' which is a transitive verb, and it requires an object to receive the action.
The direct object in this sentence is 'the new paintings,' because this is what is being shown directly. It receives the direct action of the verb 'showed.' We know this by asking what the owner showed — the answer is the paintings, making it the direct object of the verb.
In art, the use of lighting, as mentioned in the reference information, is crucial in creating emphasis and focus within a painting. Indirect lighting can create a sense of mystery or drama in a painting by emphasizing the object against a dark background, which is a technique often used by artists to guide the viewer's eye within the work. However, this concept of lighting in art is not directly related to identifying grammatical objects within a sentence structure, but it can be seen as a metaphor for how indirect objects (like us in the sentence) can play a supportive role to the main subject or direct object (the new paintings) within the structure of a sentence.