Famous Paintings in London's Tate Britain Quiz

Answer: Francis Bacon

This triptych by Bacon (1909-1992) was first exhibited in 1945. As a representation of the human condition in the aftermath of the war, its impact was enormous, both in the context of Bacon's own career and British art in general. He later identified the figures with the Eumenides, the Furies of Greek legend.

Answer: William Blake

Blake (1757-1827) produced this watercolour as one of a series of illustrations to Dante's "Divine Comedy". It depicts events in Cantos 29-31 of the "Purgatorio". The "Car" is not, alas, a Ford Capri or similar, but a chariot drawn by a Gryphon.

Answer: William Powell Frith

Frith (1819-1909) had a huge success with this painting when it was first exhibited in 1858. It depicts a huge panorama of Victorian society, from prostitutes to aristocrats; con-men to rustics up from the country; acrobats to city gents.

Answer: David Hockney

Hockney was born in Bradford in 1937, and is one of the most famous British artists alive today. This is one of three paintings on a similar subject, the others being "The Little Splash" and "The Splash".

Answer: Mark Gertler

Gertler (1891-1939) was a conscientious objector during the First World War, and this painting is now recognised as a horrific metaphor for the relentless military machine. Suffering from persistent ill-health and depressed at his lack of artistic success, he took his own life in 1939.

Answer: Peter Blake

Blake (born 1932) is a key figure in the "Pop Art" movement. This is a modern version of 16th and 17th century portraits, in which the subject was depicted with various objects intended to illustrate their work, achievements or interests. Blake's clothes, the badges, and the music magazine he is holding all contribute to a statement about himself.

Answer: Sir John Everett Millais, Bt

Millais (1829-96) was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His model, Elizabeth Siddall, posed for this portrait of Shakespeare's Ophelia over a four-month period, lying in a bath of water kept warm by lamps underneath. On one occasion the lamps went out and she caught a severe cold. Her father subsequently threatened to sue Millais unless he agreed to pay the doctor's bills.

Answer: Sir Peter Lely

Lely (1618-1680) was Dutch in origin, but during the period following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 he became the leading portrait painter in England. The identity of the girl in this portrait is unknown, but she is portrayed as a symbol of innocence and virtue. Parrots were sometimes kept as exotic pets by wealthy families of the period.

Answer: George Stubbs

Stubbs (1724-1806) was famous for his paintings of horses, and during the 1760s he produced a number of similar pictures of mares and their foals for various aristocratic patrons. The horses are accurate portraits of specific animals, usually those owned by the patron concerned.

Answer: Joseph Mallord William Turner

This painting by Turner (1775-1851) illustrates the funeral of his friend and colleague, Sir David Wilkie, who died on board ship and was buried at sea off Gibraltar. The Tate's greatest treasure is the "Turner Bequest", housed in a separate gallery adjacent to the main Millbank building.

After Turner's death, 300 oil paintings and 30,000 sketches and watercolours were left to the Nation, with the stipulation that they should be kept and exhibited together (a proviso that the Gallery has not entirely observed). If for no other reason, it makes a visit to Tate Britain essential.