Where in the Art World? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Groot-Zundert, Netherlands

Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 in the Netherlands. He led a troubled life dealing with poverty, addiction to thujone (then used in Absinthe), depression, possibly syphilis and fits of irrational behavior. Yet he painted over 2300 known works and is one of the most widely recognised artists for his style and subjects.

Although this painting depicts a more robust man than the original, compare it to the self-portrait painted only two years later and notice the sad difference in color and general health. Vincent was about 35 years old in this painting.

Vincent represented himself as he was and some of his self-portraits are not very flattering. In fact, most of his portraits of village people, his doctor, coal miners and children are rather sad and depressing. Some are even grotesque.

Answer: Arles, France

Most of the sunflower paintings were done in and around Arles from 1888-1889. Some were painted to decorate Gaughin's bedroom when they roomed together. Vincent was beginning to have deeper bouts of depression and irrational rage in his last years. He felt alive only when he was painting, and yet in those last years he produced many of his best known works and his whirls and swirls became more intense, perhaps showing the inner turmoil he felt. Biographers tend to agree that he died thinking of himself as a failure.

My painting of this sunflower painting is somewhat different than the original, but the name Vincent appears on the vase.

Answer: Argenteuil, France

This is part of a larger painting made of the Boulevard Saint-Denis on a snowy day in 1875. The colors are typical of winter, in cool blues, black, grey and white.

Monet was better known for his pictures of water lilies, other flowers, gardens and romantic curved bridges.

Answer: Rose period

This painting was created during the years that are referred to as Picasso's "Blue Period" (c. 1901-04), a time in which he had become depressed over the suicide of his friend, Carlos Casagemas. The blue period was followed by the "Rose Period" in which much lighter scenes and people are represented. There was an 'African' (Black) period and then cubism and other works. Intermittently in all 'periods' there were paintings exhibiting vivid colors

In this painting, the woman and the background appear to be the same color, and she turns her back to the viewer (world), blending into her surroundings. This is a very simple painting that says a lot about the artist. The "Blue Nude" was in a private collection for many years. Having seen copies of this work in several different shades and intensities of blue, I simply used the shade I had the most of for this copy.

Many collectors of fine (and expensive) art prefer to remain anonymous in order to safeguard their priceless possessions as well as their personal profiles.

Answer: St Paul de Mausole Asylum

The asylum had been a 12th century monastery, and changed hands over the years. Vincent's room (he voluntarily stayed there for almost a year) is still preserved, and one can see the window which gave him such beautiful views of the wheatfields and countryside. Although Vincent's moods and stages of health changed periodically, he seemed overall content and at peace in the serene confines and did some of his best known work, over 100 drawings and over 140 oils. He painted more than thirty self-portraits in his lifetime. Researchers who came up with a family tree of Vincent's forebears observed that Temporal Lobe Epilepsy was evident on both sides of his family.

This painting was produced in 1889, shortly before the death of Van Gogh at only 37 years of age. He sold but one painting in his life, and was helped tremendously by his brother Theo who ran Gaupil's art gallery in Paris. Theo did all he could to promote Vincent's work and sent him money whenever he was able.

Vincent's paintings were collected by Theo's wife, Johanna, who promoted his work after Vincent's death and the death of her husband six months later. In 1914, Theo's remains were exhumed and reinterred next to Vincent's grave. Theo was more successful in his short life, but also had both physical and mental problems as he suffered from syphilis and died of dementia paralytica when the disease invaded his brain.

As he considered himself an artist with no real talent at the end, it seems ironic that Vincent's portrait of Dr. Gachet sold for $82.5 million (painted in 1890, sold in 1990), while his "Irises" (those growing in a garden) fetched only $53.9 million many years after his death.

Dr. Gachet was not a well man himself, but he treated Vincent as well as he could in his last years at the asylum in Saint-Remy de-Provence, and he encouraged his painting. Vincent's thought, on meeting Gachet was, "He's sicker than I am!" Dr. Gachet made a sketch of Vincent on his (Vincent's) deathbed.
Not that Gachet was literally ON the deathbed, it was Vincent who was lying there.

Note that it was Vincent's left ear that was bandaged, but this is the mirror reflection he saw when he painted. This painting was more difficult for me to paint, as I was aware that the artist had suffered greatly.

Answer: The Gulfstream

A waterspout is forming on the upper right, a ship is barely noticeable in the upper left and will not be able to see him or his boat, sharks are circling, the mast has been broken and the man has only a couple of sugar cane stalks to eat.
He has no means to propel his small boat and is left abandoned on the high seas. The painting is named "The Gulfstream" - a powerful current in the Atlantic Ocean that travels northward. It is noticeable from shore as a differently shaded area of water. Homer became a master of painting water, especially in turbulence as breaking on the shore of an ocean. There is a possible follow-up to this painting in one named "After the Hurricane", which shows a wrecked boat and the body of a man lying on the beach.

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was also an illustrator, sketcher and painter of civil war soldiers.

I enhanced the waterspout and made the faraway boat larger than in the original.
The sharks are also different, and painting water is not my strong suit.

Answer: Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Vincent seemed to love painting irises and sunflowers. This is my painting of his painting named "Vase of Irises" - he painted many more growing in gardens, one of which sold for $53.9 million in the late 20th century. The background of this painting was originally a soft pink, but it has faded over time to white.

Vincent's mother had kept this and another painting until her death in 1907. The painting was donated to the Met by Adele R. Levy.

Vincent also painted in the Japanese style, smaller and more delicate blooms, which was in vogue at the time.

Answer: Auvers-sur-Oise, France

Known variously as "Wheatfield with Ravens" or "with Crows", this is thought to be one of the last things Vincent saw clearly. This is an amateur copy of his work, but it renders the ominous darkness coming over the fields. Many cultures consider black birds to be a sign of ill luck or death, as they are scavengers by nature. This painting hangs in my living room and some of my grandchildren think it looks like a face - an eerie one.

Vincent is buried at the cemetery near his residence. He died two days after being shot. His brother, Theo, was laid to rest beside him later. There has been evidence that Vincent may have been shot accidentally by some boys in the town, but if he was, he did not want them blamed. There is also evidence that he shot himself, but neither version can be determined.

There is an interesting short film in a collection of nine films by Akira Kurosawa, and this painting features in the story named "Crows".

Answer: St Remy de Provence

Vincent's "Starry Night" has become a well known icon, the images copied onto t-shirts, rugs, coffee mugs, other painters canvasses,and anything else imaginable.

I had fun painting those whirling stars and the moon. The Tardis has taken over the position held by a tall tree in the original. There is also a "Starry Night over The Rhone", with a darker sky, more stars and their reflections showing in the water. Vincent painted that one at night outdoors, but the better known one pictured here was painted from memory during the day and was the view that he saw from his asylum room window.

Its permanent home is at MOMA, NYC and it is behind glass. If you should venture into NYC and visit, be sure NOT to touch even the wall near the painting. A polite, but stern guard will materialise out of nowhere and advise you not to touch anything on the wall. If you should forget this friendly advice, there will not be a second warning.

Unfortunately the painting I have is not yet finished, the painter having been overly occupied with fun trivia among other things. Perhaps one of the Daleks in the village should be atomising the houses. If you have any great ideas on how to finish it, I would love to hear them.

Answer: Master bedroom

There is nothing unusual about the picture, but it conveys a sense of warmth and contentment. Is the dog safe and secure on the bed because nobody is home? Or is that his habitual spot?

The painting is pretty much monochromatic but finely detailed in items such as the bedspread. Andrew Wyeth painted pictures of ordinary scenes and figures, such as the "Helga" paintings and "Christina's World". This one is titled "Master Bedroom", which indicates the dog's true opinion of himself.

N.C. Wyeth(1882-1945), the artist and vivid illustrator, was the father of Andrew Wyeth(1917-2009), and the entire family was involved in the arts. Jamie Wyeth was a son of Andrew, born in 1946 and was recognised for his realistic paintings and portraits, such as the posthumous one of John F. Kennedy.

Many of the Wyeth family paintings fill the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA.

This is a photograph of a print I own.