Pictures at an Exhibition - War and Peace Quiz

Answer: The Condor Legion

"Guernica" is a large painting in black, white and greyscales. It features (among other subjects) a terrified bull, a woman mourning her dead child, the corpse of a soldier slain in battle, and a dying horse. The overall effect is to make the spectator feel the anxiety and the agony of citizens under enemy fire.
It was the German Condor Legion that bombed Guernica on April 26th, 1937. This war incident inspired Picasso for the mural he had to make for the World Exhibition in Paris in July 1937.
Officially, Germany was not involved in any fighting actions at the time. During the Spanish civil war, there were officially only Spanish units that did the fighting. However, German and Italian troops intervened (unofficially) at the side of Francisco Franco, while international volunteers supported the Spanish Republic. In the end, Franco and his troops defeated the Republicans and he established a dictatorship.
A few words on the other options I've provided for this question. The Screaming Eagles is the nickname for the American 101st Airborne Division, a unit of paratroopers founded in 1942. This division played an important role in Normandy (Operation Overlord, June 6th, 1944), in the Netherlands (Operation Market Garden, September 1944) and in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge, December 1944).
"Les Alouettes" is a French phrase meaning "the larks". The French company Aérospatiale developed a light helicopter called the Alouette. Many armies still use this helicopter for search and rescue missions.
"Las Golondrinas" is a Spanish phrase for the swallows. I have found no evidence for any air force unit called "Las Golondrinas". The only non-ornithological use of the name I've encountered was a sailing ship built in 1795 (La Golondrina, a brigantine).
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor. I won't bother you with his full name: that would take about two lines. For those interested, you'll find his full name on Wikipedia. He experimented with different art styles, but is best remembered for his Cubist period. In fact, Pablo was one of the "inventors" of Cubism.

Answer: Pieter Brueghel the Elder

All the artists I've mentioned here created one or more artworks named after a female person with an epithet referring to a small intellect. (The world was quite sexist at that time).
Martin Schongauer (1450-1491) was a German etcher and painter. He made an engraving entitled "The First Foolish Virgin" before 1483. This engraving and others are based upon Matthew 25:1-13: the parable of the five foolish virgins and the five wise virgins. Waiting for a bridegroom, the foolish virgins consumed all the oil to light their lamps, and didn't provide a spare jar of oil.
Parmigianino (Girolamo Mazzola, 1503-1540) was a prolific Italian painter. In 1531, he started a fresco entitled "Three Foolish Virgins Flanked by Adam and Eve". He completed the fresco in 1539. The foolish virgins depicted in the fresco are three of the five foolish virgins mentioned in Matthew 25:1-13. Parmigianino seems to depict these virgins on the precise moment they discover that they ran out of oil for their lamps.
Frans Hals (1580-1666), a Dutch painter known for his portraits, created in 1633 the image entitled "Malle Babbe" (Dutch for "Crazy Barbara"). The woman displayed in this portrait is clearly someone from the common people, not nobility. The singer Rob de Nijs made a song about the same woman, in which he depicts her as a waitress in an inn (annex brothel, for which she also worked according to this song). I could not find any reason why this woman is entitled "crazy".
The painting "Mad Meg" was made by the Belgian artist Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525-1569). Brueghel (nicknamed "The Peasant Brueghel") was the father of a famous painting family. Pieter Brueghel the Elder left us about fifty paintings, of which the best known are probably (besides "Mad Meg"): "The Tower of Babel", "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus", "Proverbs" and "The Peasant Wedding".

Answer: Minerva

The lovely family scene depicted to the left of the painting includes a basket of fruits, a playful leopard, and a mother having invented an original method of suckling her child: she presses on her breast and ejects the milk towards her child, sitting about one foot away... (Warning to young mothers: don't try this at home!)
On the background, the Roman god of war Mars is being pushed away by the Roman goddess Minerva.
Minerva is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Athena.
Rubens (1577-1640) was a prolific Belgian painter. He (and his workshop) left us over two thousand paintings.

Answer: Auguste Rodin

Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) was a Swiss sculptor. Typical of his artworks are the elongated figures.
Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) was a French sculptor in neo-classical style. His masterpieces include "Heracles archer" (1909), in which he refers to one of the works of Hercules.
Camille Claudel (1864-1943) was a female French sculptor. She worked with Auguste Rodin from about 1884 until about 1892. Her masterpieces include the "Bronze Waltz" (1893), "Age of Maturity" (1900) and "Deep Thought" (1905).
"The Burghers of Calais" was created by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), one of the most important French sculptors of the Nineteenth Century. Rodin made several sculptures for his unfinished project "The Gates of Hell". Rodin's most famous sculpture, "The Thinker" (1880) was to be incorporated in this project.

Answer: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes

Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926) was not a painter, but a Spanish architect. His masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, was still unfinished up to the time this quiz was written in 2008.
Joan Miro (1893-1983) worked as a painter, sculptor, ceramic artist and graphic artist. When I overlooked a partial list of his works, I found that Miro has depicted several birds. Some examples: "Femmes et Oiseau la Nuit" ("Women and Bird at Night"); "Famille d'Oiseleurs" ("Family of Bird Spotters"); "Personnage et Oiseau" ("Person with Bird").
Francisco De Zurbaran (1598-1664) was a Spanish painter who worked most of his life in Sevilla. His remaining paintings (many were lost) mostly portray saints and monks.
The paintings "The Second of May 1808: The Charge of the Mamelukes" and "The Third of May 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid", as well as the etchings "The Disasters of War" were all created by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828). This Spanish painter worked for the Royal Court in Madrid, but made also some works that the court was not pleased with (for example "La Maya Desnuda" - "The Unclothed Maya").

Answer: The Oath of the Horatii

All the paintings I've mentioned describe an event out of Roman history. But only one of these was painted by Jacques-Louis David.
"The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis", also known as "The Conspiracy of the Bataves" (1662) is a famous painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). This work shows us a banquet where an old crowned man has unsheathed his sword. Two younger men have their swords also unsheathed and the three blades are joined over the table. It describes a conspiracy of the Bataves (a Dutch tribe) against the Roman oppressor.
"The Triumph of Titus and Vespasian" is a painting by Giulio Romano (born Giulio Pippi, 1499-1546). It shows us a procession entering a triumphal arch. All the attention is drawn to the chariot with the triumphant officer Titus and his father, Emperor Vespasian. The painting commemorates the triumph of the Roman Empire over the Jewish revolt in 70 AD.
There are several artists who have depicted "The Continence of Scipio". Let's discuss here the version by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665): a bright coloured scene taking place (so it seems) before the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome. (This is in fact an anachronism: Scipio lived in the Third Century before Christ, while Hadrian lived in the Second Century after Christ). It shows us a man of middle age, seated on a throne, granting some bequest to a young man kneeling. There are no swords depicted in the painting; only two guards carry a spear.
"The Oath of the Horatii" by Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) refers to an event of the earliest Roman history (although it might be a very early urban legend as well). During the reign of Tullus Hostilius, the third King of Rome, war broke out between Rome and the neighbouring town Alba Longa. In order to minimise the bloodshed, the two kings agreed to decide the war by a duel between two sets of triplets. The Roman triplet brothers were the Horatii, and the Alba Longa triplet brothers were the Curiatii.
David shows us the preliminary phase: the Horatii brothers swear to fight the best they can. The old man holding the swords is probably their father. The three Curiatii are wounded, but two of the three Horatii are killed almost instantaneously. The remaining Horatius flees and is chased by the Curiatii, who are split by this manoeuvre. Then the remaining Horatius finishes off the three Curiatii one by one.
A detail adding to the drama is that Horatius' sister (depicted to the right of the scene) was engaged to one of the Curiatii. When she mourns her fiancé, her brother kills her as well because she doesn't act patriotically.

Answer: HMS Téméraire (the second ship with this name)

All these British ships have played their part in history.
"HMS Victory" was Lord Horatio Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. The ship, launched in 1765, is still extant, thanks to massive restoration efforts. Nowadays it is used as a moored flagship of the Second Sea Lord.
There have been several ships with the name "Prince of Wales". In this question, I refer to the most famous of those ships: a battleship launched in 1939 and sunk off the coast of Singapore by the Japanese air force in 1941, together with the "Repulse".
The "Beagle" I refer to was a brig-sloop launched in 1820. Its most famous trip was the second voyage, on which a passenger named Charles Darwin sailed. The "Beagle" stayed in use until 1870, when it was sold to be broken up.
The "Téméraire" was a warship equipped with 98 guns, launched in 1798. She fought at the Battle of Trafalgar, where she was severely damaged. She continued service until 1838, when she was sold to be broken up. Turner added the epithet "Fighting" to the official designation.

J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) was a British painter who specialised in seascapes and landscapes. His paintings evolved into what I would call "pre-impressionist" tableaux: paintings in which the effects of light prevail over the actual subject. If this description is not clear to you, please check out the paintings "The Fighting Téméraire" and "Rain, Steam and Speed" at Wikipedia.

Answer: Kaethe Kollwitz

All the options I've given were German sculptors. However, only one of them experienced the First World War (at that time known as "The Great War").
Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531) is the oldest of the sculptors mentioned in this question. His masterpiece is the Heiligblutaltar ("Altar of the Sacred Blood") in Rothenburg, Germany. His style is classified as Late Gothic.
Balthasar Permoser (1651-1732) is best known for decorating the Zwinger Place in Dresden, Germany. He worked in a Baroque style.
Iganz Gunther (1725-1775) was a Rococo sculptor. Gunther left us (among other works) the altar and choir of the Dom in Freising, Germany.
Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945, born Käthe Schmidt) was a German painter and sculptor, who worked in Naturalist and Expressionist style. "Grieving Parents" (1932) was made a memorial for her youngest son Peter, who died in battle in 1914. By the way, her grandson also was killed in action, in 1942 (during the Second World War).
"Mourning Parents" consists of two figures: a kneeling mother on the verge of crying out, and a desperate kneeling father who apparently finds no way to utter his grief. The statue is placed at the end of the cemetery. Just in front of the statue, you'll find a tombstone with the name of Peter Kollwitz and about nineteen of his fellow soldiers. Incidentally, the tombstones in the cemetery all list about twenty victims, arranged according to the date of death.

Answer: Rotterdam

Zadkine (1890-1967) was a Cubist sculptor and graphic artist. You'll find a large number of his statues, drawings and tapestries in the eponymous museum in Paris, France.
Oradour-sur-Glane was not the scene of a bombardment during the Second World War, but of a German reprisal for an action by the French resistance. On June 10th, 1944, units of the German SS tried and killed 642 inhabitants of this village and then burnt it down. Only six inhabitants survived this crime against humanity.
The bombing of Dresden (February 13-15, 1945) is the most debated classical bombardment out of the history of the Second World War. Only with regard to the dropping of the atomic bombs is there even more controversy. Several historians support the point of view taken by military instances immediately after the bombardment, namely that the bombing was tactically and strategically justified. Other historians allege that this bombing was not necessary and thus superfluous. Some even accuse the allied commanders of the raid with war crimes. Whatever the different point of views, it is a fact that the military objectives posed for this bombardment were not met (I might add, not at all). The Supreme Head Quarters wanted to destroy the train communications and the various military plants in the outskirts of Dresden, but all bombs fell on the city centre.
Tokyo was bombed several times by the US Air Force. The first attack on Tokyo (the famous "Doolittle Raid") took place in April 1942 and did little to no harm to the industrial and military capacity. It was in fact intended merely to boost the American moral, for at that time the Pacific fleet had not enough means to hit hard. In 1945, Tokyo was the target of over a dozen air attacks.
Rotterdam was bombed by the Germans on May 14th, 1940. This bombardment persuaded the Dutch government to surrender quickly. The number of victims is not exactly known, but estimates range from 650 to 1000 killed and up to 80,000 homeless. Zadkine wanted to commemorate this brutal (but undisputed) bombing with his statue "Destroyed City", which looks like a desperate man crying out to heaven.

Answer: Trajan's Column

Apollodorus was probably born in Damascus. Little is known of his private life: there are no reliable sources for his birth year or the year he died. Our knowledge of Apollodorus is limited to his achievements for Emperor Trajan (born 53 AD, Emperor from 98 until his death in 117).
Apollodorus completed Trajan's Column in 113 AD. It is a free standing column of about 30m (98ft) high, situated on a pedestal of over 8m (27ft). This column is decorated with a winding frieze depicting the history of Trajan's two campaigns against Dacia. The identity of the sculptor who executed this frieze is not ascertained.
The other constructions I've mentioned were built several centuries later.
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris was built by the French architect Jean Chalgrin (1739-1811) to commemorate soldiers who bravely fought in Napoleon's army. Napoleon commissioned the Arc (erected in 1806) after the Battle at Austerlitz.
The Statue of Liberty (New York) was a gift from the French Republic to the United States. The iron framework supporting this huge statue was made by Gustav Eiffel (born Bonickausen, 1832-1923) and the statue itself was designed by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904). It was intended to be dedicated in 1876 (for the Centennial celebration), but took another ten years to complete.
"The Gherkin" is the most popular nickname for a building in London housing the head office of Swiss Re in the UK. It is established in London, at St. Mary Axe 30 (and this address is also the official name of the construction). The nickname is derived from the peculiar design of the building, resembling a 180 m (591 feet) high gherkin standing upright - although some Londoners don't compare the building to a vegetable, but to a certain male body part... "The Gherkin" was designed by Lord Norman Foster (born 1935), Ken Shuttleworth (born 1952) and Arup engineering company (founded 1946). "The Gherkin" was completed in 2003.

Answer: Sala della Pace (Room of Peace)

Lorenzetti (1290-1348) was one of the first to paint landscapes during the early Renaissance. He chose the best illuminated wall of the "Room of the Nine" for his fresco "Allegory of Good Government" (quite well conserved), leaving the opposite wall for the "Allegory of Bad Government" (needing thorough restoration).
In the "Allegory of Good Government", the personifications of Justice, Security and Peace are key figures. There is no personification of Prosperity, although the whole atmosphere breaths an air of prosperity. Nobles go out to a wedding ceremony or to a hunting party, craftsmen produce nice and useful objects, peasants bring loads of agricultural products to the market.
The personification of Security holds the same place as does Terror in the "Allegory of Bad Government": seated on a throne a bit remote of the centre of the city.
Justice is seated also a bit eccentrically, leaving the centre spot for the personification of Peace. The latter reclines on some obsolete armour. (Does this mean armour is not needed any more? I have found neither confirmation nor refutation of this personal point of view).
The "Room of the Nine" is also called the "Sala della Pace" ("Room of Peace"), after the central key figure in the "Allegory of Good Government".
Ambrogio Lorenzetti and his brother Pietro (1280-1348) were prominent painters in Siena during the Trecento. They both died during the epidemic Plague of 1348.

Answer: La Marseillaise

In 1792, the French army had to face an Austrian invasion. Volunteers from all over France marched to Paris and henceforth to the threatened fortifications near the Belgian-French border (for Belgium was at that time part of the Austrian Empire). Volunteers from the Marseille region chanted a song newly composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle (1760-1836): "Allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé" ("Arise, children of the Fatherland, the day of Glory has arrived!"). François Rude (1784-1855) depicted these same volunteers from Marseille in his statue. That's why the statue is called "La Marseillaise", just like the song (which was declared the French national anthem in 1795).

Answer: Antoine-Denis Chaudet

Michel Colombe (1430-1513) was a French sculptor. Those of you who ever heard of him will certainly remember that he specialised in tombs and funerary monuments. He built tombs for Francis II of Brittany, for Philibert II of Savoy and for King Charles VIII's children.
Gilles Guérin (1606-1678) was a French Baroque sculpture. He created (among others) the roof caryatids of the Louvre in Paris.
Barye (1796-1875) was a French Romantic sculptor. He left us several bronze animal statues, for example "Tiger Devouring a Crocodile" (1831) and "Jaguar Devouring a Hare" (1852).
The statue of "Peace" I've mentioned in this question was made by Antoine-Denis Chaudet (1763-1810), who worked in a Neo-Classical style. If you like to get acquainted with this sculptor, you can visit the Louvre in Paris to see "Cupid Offering a Rose to a Butterfly".

Answer: Tuscany

The three paintings by Uccello (1397-1475, born Paolo di Doni) were made between 1438 and 1455. They were destined to decorate three walls of one and the same room. However, nowadays the paintings are scattered over three museums: the National Gallery in London, the Uffizi in Firenze and the Louvre in Paris.
The painting in the London museum is entitled "Niccolo Mauruzi da Tolentino at the Battle of San Romano". It shows us the aforesaid nobleman leading a cavalry charge at dawn.
In the Uffizi, you can see the painting "Niccolo Mauruzi da Tolentino unseats Bernardino della Ciarda at the Battle of San Romano". Tolentino, the leader of the Florentine cavalry, here defeats the enemy commanding officer - probably at the end of the battle (near dusk - the battle took all day).
The Louvre painting shows us "The Counterattack of Michelotto da Cotignola at the Battle of San Romano". This phase of the fighting might have happened around noon.
San Romano in Garfagnana is a small village on the seashore of Tuscany, north of Pisa, and probably the site of this battle. The battle opposed the cities of Firenze and Siena (both situated in Tuscany, Firenze being the capital city).
Lombardy is an Italian Region with capital city Milan.
Calabria is situated at the far south of the Italian peninsula, with its capital city at Catanzaro. Emilia-Romagna (capital city Bologna) is a region west of Tuscany. Some of the major cities of Emilia-Romagna ring a bell for lovers of Italian cuisine: Parma (ham and cheese), Modena (balsamic vinegar) and Bologna (sausages, tomato sauce with minced meat).

Answer: War and Peace

Jean Goujon (1510-1566) is best known for his "Fountain of Innocents" near the Louvre. He worked as a sculptor and an architect, first in Rouen and Paris, later in Bologna. He was one of the few French Mannerist sculptors.
However, I chose another of his decorations for the Louvre, because it fits remarkably well in this quiz.
Did you find the exact answer? Congratulations: you know that sometimes the title of a quiz can come up in one of the questions...
Sources for this quiz include: "World History" by Carl Grimberg, "7000 Years of World History" edited by Christoph Columbus Verlag AG, "Verschueren Groot Encyclopedisch Woordenboek", "Le Petit Larousse", the Encarta Encyclopedia on CD-ROM, the Catholic Encyclopedia (www.newadvent.org/cathen ), the Web Gallery of Art (www.wga.hu ), the Webmuseum (www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth ), Artnet (www.artnet.com ), and Wikipedia (http:/en.wikipedia.org ).