Artists A-M Trivia

1. How many paintings are included in this series?

From Quiz The Black Paintings by Goya

Answer: Fourteen

There are fourteen official paintings in this series by Goya. Initially painted as murals directly on the walls of the house where he was living at the time, they were transferred from the walls of the two-storey house to canvas. Originally there were fifteen paintings; however, only fourteen were transferred to canvas and removed from the house.

From Quiz A Life Less Ordinary

Answer: Northumberland

John was born in 1789, at the family's simple one roomed home in a village called Haydon Bridge, in Northumberland. This county forms part of the border between England and Scotland, on the eastern side of Great Britain.

From Quiz Paintings of Caravaggio

Answer: Sick

Caravaggio here, interestingly, portrays the god of wine and merriment in very human terms as a sick young man. He is recognizable by his crown of vine leaves (slightly withered) and classical drapery, but his skin is a sickly yellow in hue, and he gazes over his shoulder at the viewer with a wan half-smile on his lips. In one hand, he clutches a bunch of grapes (a remedy against too much wine?). This painting contrasts sharply with Caravaggio's later painting of Bacchus (c. 1597), using another model, as the picture of blooming, voluptuous health, holding a brimming glass of wine and crowned with a splendid cockade of rather autumnal, but still vibrant vine leaves. Caravaggio's use of himself in his paintings is always interesting and somewhat revealing; in the "Sick Bacchus", he appears to beseech the viewer to pardon his human frailty.

From Quiz Dan Flavin

Answer: Served in the military

Flavin served in the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s. Upon his return home, he attended the New School for Social Research, and Columbia University.

From Quiz Basquiat, Part I

Answer: Haitian

Although Basquiat's background consists of Puerto Rican and Haitian descent, he recognized himself as a Black man in the American landscape, and his paintings reflect that plight.

From Quiz Salvador Dali and His Artwork

Answer: 8

The two main things people usually notice at first are the face and the philosopher reclining. The other things are the greyhound, mandolin, compotier, figs on a table, mythological beast, and the woman seen from the back mending a sail.

From Quiz Paintings of Giotto

Answer: A crucifix

The crucifix, which is nineteen feet high, is part of a choir screen. It has the same shape as the famous San Damiano crucifix, which was supposed to have spoken to St. Francis of Assisi. The figure of the dead Christ bears a strong resemblance to the depiction in the Arena Chapel in Padua, as well as the Rimini Crucifix. At the end of each arm of the cross are square panels depicting the Virgin and St. John, each of whom looks inward at the figure of Christ. There is evidence that the crucifix was attributed to Giotto even in his own time; the will of a Florentine nobleman, Ricuccio Pucci (drawn up in 1312) requests that funds be delegated for a lamp to burn perpetually before a crucifix "...by the illustrious painter, Giotto" in the chapel of Santa Maria Novella.

From Quiz Francis Barraud's 'His Master's Voice'

Answer: Nipper

Nipper was a fox terrier and the model for 'His Master's Voice'.

From Quiz The Art of Albrecht Durer

Answer: It is the first book both designed and published solely by an artist.

Durer is the first artist to design and publish his own book of text and illustrations without aid of an outside publisher. Though woodcuts had existed prior to Durer's lifetime, he is responsible for bringing an unprecedented tactile detail to his woodcuts. His Apocalypse woodcuts, unlike the coded words of Revelations, are a literal depiction of the Biblical account of the Apocalypse, and were designed with the common people, who could more easily understand such a visualization of the Biblican narrative, in mind. Durer's Apocalypse woodcuts reflect the eschatological concerns of the period-- the widespread fear that the final judgment would occur in 1500.

From Quiz The Black Paintings by Goya

Answer: Madrid

When Goya was seventy-two years old he moved to a two-story house just outside of Madrid called Quinta del Sordo (Deaf Man's Villa). The person who had lived in the house before Goya was deaf. The house was named for the previous owner; however, Goya also had hearing problems while living there. The paintings he created while living there at that time of his life are monstrous, dark, bleak and disturbing, and represent his state of mind at the time as a fearful and anxious old man.

From Quiz LOVE, Artistically

Answer: Red

Red, green, and blue were the original colors of the painting. Many versions have been made of the painting; new colors like orange, purple, lime, purple, pink, black, and sky blue have made the painting more vibrant than ever.

From Quiz Dan Flavin

Answer: The Judson Gallery, New York City

Judson Memorial Church has sponsored the Judson Gallery since the 1950s. Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, and Red Grooms, among other contemporary artists, also opened shows there.

From Quiz Basquiat, Part I

Answer: Drug overdose

The artist dealt with drugs during his entire career, and eventually fell victim to heroin in 1988.

From Quiz Salvador Dali and His Artwork

Answer: Dali

The boy in the sailor's suit is Dali as a young boy the man with the easel is Vermeer of Delft, and the woman beside Dali is his nurse.

From Quiz Paintings of Giotto

Answer: The Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi

Giotto's authorship of the Assisi frescoes was accepted as fact up until the late 18th century, when a Franciscan art historian named Guglielmo della Valle suggested that Giotto might not have painted all of the frescoes. Della Valle noted that there were numerous stylistic discrepancies among the frescoes, and theorized that more than one artist had worked on them. Since then, a debate has ensued as to whether Giotto was solely responsible for the frescoes, whether he was one of several artists who had a hand in their painting, or whether he had painted at Assisi at all (the friary records of the time, which could have settled the matter, were lost or stolen during the Napoleonic invasion of 1809). Some have noted certain discrepancies from Giotto's typical style; others have argued that Giotto, like any artist, was human, and that these discrepancies are merely indications of his evolving style and sensibilities. There are several details in the Assisi frescoes that seem consonant with Giotto's unique style. An architect as well as a painter, Giotto's skill at rendering architectural detail can be noted in such panels as "The Expulsion of the Demons From Arezzo". His skill at expressing human emotion through facial expression can also be noted in the faces of the mourners surrounding the dead knight of Celano, and those surrounding the dead St. Francis himself in the scene of his death and the "Lament of the Poor Clares". The figure of a young man climbing a tree in the latter fresco also bears a resemblance to two similar figures in the "Entry of Christ into Jerusalem" in the Arena Chapel. However there are also certain stylistic incongruities, such as the excess of extraneous details in such scenes as "The Celebration of Christmas at Greccio" and "The Death of the Knight of Celano" which detract from the central figures. In the latter half of the last century, restorer Leonetto Tintori and art historian Millard Meiss conducted an analysis of the Assisi frescoes and determined that they had been painted over a period of well over a year, and that it seemed likely that at least three artists had worked on them. Assuming that Giotto was one of the three, this theory would explain both the similarities and discrepancies which can be seen in the Assisi frescoes. Portions of the frescoes were damaged in a devastating earthquake in 1997 (which also claimed several lives), but a restoration is underway.

From Quiz Frida Kahlo Gone Mad!

Answer: A bus accident

When Frida was involved in this accident, doctors believed she would not live, let alone walk, again. Although she did, the accident would plague her for the rest of her life.

From Quiz Paintings of Matisse

Answer: The hands

In most of Matisse's paintings of people, the subjects either hide their hands behind their backs, in their pockets, or elsewhere. When the hands are shown, they are often blurred and unformed. Some of his paintings show that Matisse could paint the hand quite gracefully (and, in fact, considered the ability to paint hands to be the proof of an artist's talent), but he either found this difficult or simply did not wish to be bothered. Although some of Matisse's figures are faceless ("visages vides"), this was done purely for artistic reasons.

From Quiz Francis Barraud's 'His Master's Voice'

Answer: Mark Barraud

Nipper belonged to Mark Barraud who was an artist for Prince's Theatre in Bristol. After Mark died, the dog was given to his brother, Francis, a painter. Kruesi was the inventor of the phonograph, and Herriot was the author of 'All Creatures Great And Small'.

From Quiz The Art of Albrecht Durer

Answer: His Hand.

Durer's self portraits (his silverpoint drawing at age 13, for example) always prominently display the artist's hand, most likely as an emphasis on the creative powers of the artist. In his writings, Durer expresses the need for a recognition of painting as one of the liberal arts, and for a corresponding rise in the status of the artist.

From Quiz A Life Less Ordinary

Answer: Heraldic coats of arms

John was sent to work for a firm of coach builders, and set to learn all about the various coats of arms and heraldic devices. These were emblazoned on the coaches themselves, and often embroidered on the livery of the household staff of aristocratic families at the time. John never completed this apprenticeship, and his indentures were cancelled. He was then taken on as an apprentice by an Italian artist named Musso, who took him to London in 1806.

From Quiz LOVE, Artistically

Answer: Indianapolis

The sculpture was fabricated in 1970, and displayed outside the newest building of the Indianapolis Museum of Art for its opening. This was followed by a year outside Boston's city hall, before it was sent on loan to New York City for the 1971 holiday season. That became the resting place for the original sculpture until 1975, when it was acquired by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, where is has been on display since that time. Soon after, cities around the world had sculptures in their parks, including New Orleans, Philadelphia, Lisbon, Vancouver, Tokyo, Jerusalem, and Singapore.

From Quiz Paintings of Caravaggio

Answer: Medusa

Medusa was one of three sisters known as the Gorgons. Once a beautiful nymph, she profaned the temple of Athena and aroused the goddess's wrath. Athena turned her beautiful hair into hissing, deadly serpents and made her face so hideous that anyone who gazed upon it turned to stone. She was ultimately beheaded by the hero Perseus, who managed to avoid turning to stone by looking at her reflection in his shield. He presented her head to Athena, who placed it on her aegis. Caravaggio's depiction was painted on a shield, appropriately enough, which was presented to the Grand Duke of Florence, who displayed it in his armory (it was, obviously, never intended to be used in combat). A precursor of the artist's many memorable depictions of scenes of violence, Caravaggio's "Medusa" eschews classical restraint; we can almost hear the death scream of the monstrous creature, and the horror of her staring eyes haunts the memory.

From Quiz Dan Flavin

Answer: Paintings

Flavin switched to light-based pieces in the early 1960s. The transition between the two forms can be seen in the fact that his first several light pieces are shaped like painting frames, melding the form and color of a painting into one.

From Quiz Salvador Dali and His Artwork

Answer: French

'ma mere' is written inside each of the openings.

From Quiz Frida Kahlo Gone Mad!

Answer: Diego Rivera

Although Rivera had been married before Frida, and was almost twice her age, the two fell in love and had a very controversial relationship which included infidelity, divorce and remarriage to each other.

From Quiz Paintings of Matisse

Answer: Interior With Harmonium

This work marks a significant departure from the brightly colored still lifes, landscapes, and interiors which characterized Matisse's art up to this point. Indeed, the sombre color palette used in this painting (dark browns, oranges, and blues) set it apart from the majority of the artist's work. There are other features of interest; the unusual angle of the painting (from the back left-hand corner of the instrument, giving the interior the effect of an opening fan), the blurred and indistinct white keys (a reflection of the artist's apparent mental block with hands and fingers?), and the bizarre and precarious placement of the objects on the harmonium, the vase of flowers and the book, giving a feeling of tension and uncertainty.

From Quiz The Art of Albrecht Durer

Answer: Emphasis on microscopic studies of the natural world

After 1500, Durer shows an increased interest in a realistic depiction of the natural world. He creates many close up studies of nature, such as A Piece of Turf, examining the tactile detail of even individual blades of grass. This elevated attention to naturalism impacts his later, more complicated works in the degree of tactile detail he incorporates into these larger compositions.

From Quiz The Black Paintings by Goya

Answer: Saturn Devouring His Son

"Saturn Devouring His Son" is probably one of the most famous of the Black Paintings. It depicts the myth of the God Saturn eating his son. It is a very disturbing painting, Saturn is a large, grotesque figure with big bulging eyes. The head and an arm of his son is missing and his body is bloody as Saturn takes another bloody bite. This painting was found on the wall of the dining room of the house were Goya lived. The Rubens version was created before the Goya version and likely inspired Goya.

From Quiz A Life Less Ordinary

Answer: Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion

The painting's subject matter was taken from an "old Persian folk tale" which became popular in the late 18th century when it was published as such, having actually been written by James Ridley. The story was so popular that it was also adapted into an opera (1814) and a stage play in 1797. The painting is now part of the collection at the St. Louis Art Museum in the United States.

From Quiz LOVE, Artistically

Answer: Weathering steel

Weathering steel, also known under the trademark name COR-TEN, was the original material used for the sculpture. Many of the similar sculptures around the US and world are also made of weathering steel. Some versions of LOVE that were not copyrighted were made of aluminum, but Indiana used weathering steel for most of his sculptures.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:49 AM

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