Art at the Joslyn - A Secret of the Plains Quiz

Answer: Art Deco

Architects John and Alan McDonald originally presented plans to build the Joslyn in a renaissance style, and the symmetrical arches and classical columns still survive from that concept. Midway through construction, the architects convinced patron Sarah Joslyn to switch to art deco, characterized by an aspiration to modernity and characteristic "stepped" design elements.

These motifs anchor the original building in its time and place, while the addition, opened in 1994, features the less decorative, spare lines and the impression of open spaces that are markers of postmodern architecture.

Answer: American Indian custom and dress

Bodmer's work was drawn from his travels in the 1830s American West. His depictions of American Indians before the assimilating influence of Euro-American civilization stand as some of the outstanding documents of native culture.

Answer: Edgar Degas

Degas' foray into sculpture is reminiscent of his paintings, many of which (such as "Ballet Rehearsal" and "Dancers at the Bar") also feature young dance students. Though Degas did his original work in wax, the Joslyn plaster of "Little Dancer" is usually considered superior to the original, as the wax has deteriorated over time.

Many bronze copies have been struck using the Joslyn plaster, most of which are displayed adorned with real tutus and ribbons per Degas' wishes.

Answer: Jackson Pollock

"Galaxy" features a layer of underpainting covered by Pollock's characteristic paint drippings. It is further adorned with the waste of the artist's life, including cigarette ashes and broken glass. Alas, you may not see the piece if you visit the Joslyn, as it is often lent to other institutions.

Answer: It was attacked and damaged by a viewer offended by its content

"Le Printemps" (literally "Spring", often translated as "The Return of Spring") depicts the Greek goddess Persephone who was doomed to spend six months in the underworld each year while her mother, nature goddess Demeter, pined away for her. Her return heralded springtime, and the painting captures her ecstasy at being released.

She is nude, and it attended by nine cherubs. Though the academic-style painting is more idealized than explicit (it is hardly comparable to Courbet's "The Origin of the World"), it has still managed to raise the ire of some viewers. Most notoriously, a chair was thrown through it in 1890. Thankfully, its restoration has been impeccable.

Answer: A human skull

Born Domenikos Theotokopoulos, El Greco trained in the post-Byzantine Venetian style that prevailed in his native Crete. His work, which departed from the romantic realism of most of his peers in favor of more expressive depictions, is often seen as a precursor to more modern styles of painting.

Answer: Titian

Titian enjoys a reputation as a Renaissance giant whose work reflects immense personal growth as well as the development of his era. Perhaps his best-known work is the altarpiece "Assumption of the Virgin" at Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice.

Answer: Bob Ross

Monet's works "The Meadow" (1879) and "Small Country Farm at Bordighera" (1884) are fine examples of his earlier work that helped establish his singular style. Renoir's "Young Girls at the Piano" is likewise typical of his celebration of feminine grace and beauty--though the colors are more subdued than in his best-known work. Pissaro's 1893 "Haymakers, Evening, Eragny" is a later addition to his oeuvre, but also fits in well with his body of work celebrating the rural ethic. Ross was the host of PBS' "The Joy of Painting" and is not usually numbered among the great impressionists.

Answer: Twins Seven Seven

Missouri-born Thomas Hart Benton was one of the founders of the Regionalist school of painting. He painted in marked opposition to the increasingly abstract work of the modernists, creating a poetic style emphasizing motion and expression. His 1940 piece "The Hailstorm" at the Joslyn shows the panic of rural farmers fleeing the wrath of nature.

If anything, Iowan Grant Wood is even more associated with the Regionalist aesthetic. His best-known work, "American Gothic", is perhaps the emblematic painting of the American West. His 1930 piece at the Joslyn, "Stone City Iowa", shows a stylized rolling prairie and the well-kept remains of a town decimated by the Great Depression.

Pennsylvania-born Cassat, on the other hand, was not a Regionalist. Her work is more evocative of Impressionist painters like Renoir or Degas. Her Joslyn contribution, 1879's "Woman Reading", characteristically captures the gentle beauty of the everyday.

Twins Seven Seven is a Nigerian artist designated by UNESCO as an "Artist for Peace".

Answer: The stele recording Hammurabi's Code

Joslyn's collection also includes a fine collection of ancient Greek pottery, an assortment of Japanese decorative art, and a select collection of Spanish colonial painting. The stele recording Hammurabi's Code currently resides at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Alas, it will probably not be making its way to Omaha any time soon.