Artashastra - The Art Quiz

ARTASHASTRA
The Art Quiz Finals
The Quiz Club X The Fine Arts Society
St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi
26 September, 2021, Sunday.

question 1
America is the name of a sculpture, created as a form of satirical participatory art. Once
located (now has been stolen) in New York's Guggenheim museum, but in a uniquely
unexpected place inside the museum, the value of the art piece has been estimated
to be $6 million, the material it is made of is worth $4 million by itself. In
September 2017, when the museum declined a White House request to loan a van Gogh
painting for then President Donald Trump's private rooms, the curator offered to loan
America instead and did not receive a reply. The museum's interpretation of the art-piece
referred Trump in its interpretation: "the aesthetics of this 'throne' recall nothing so
much as the gilded excess of Trump's real-estate ventures and private residences"
What is America?

question 2
Choosing X's face for a certain purpose in a wildly popular 2017 media has
many reasons, the most obvious one being the protagonist and X sharing their
first names. Other ideas are more symbolic, as X's work regularly rebelled
against societal and capitalist norms, similar to the anti-fascist and
revolutionary themes of the media something that is also emphasised with
the presence of the colour red in the media. Lastly, X's prominence as a national
icon of the country which is the setting of the media ties up all the reasons
together. What are we talking about?

answer:
Salvador Dali masks
used by the
protagonists of
Money Heist

question 3
Out of Many, One is the name of a book of portraits painted by a certain
American figure. While this book depicts 43 members of a certain contentious
group in America and their stories, his previous book Portraits of Courage
depicted the stories and portraits of American war veterans, an irony that was
probably only missed by the artist. Who is the artist and who are the focus
of his newest book?

answer:
George Bush, Immigrants

question 4
In X one may find illustrations of places like the Himalayas, artifacts like
the great bull seal and people from Rama, Buddha to Mahatma
Gandhi. The entire project was done by painter Y and their students in the
famous art institute Z and the process took 5 years. There are only two
original copies of X which are stored in Helium-filled cases. Although this
book is an important work in its own right, its art has been criticised for not
being representative of cultures and histories. ID X, Y, Z

answer:
X - Constitution,
Y - Nandlal Bose,
Z - Shantiniketan (Kala Bhavan)

question 5
These prints were a part of a series centred around a particular obsession of
the artist and something of great significance to many people of his
country. Using majorly the newly introduced Prussian blue to great effect in
these prints, the artist received international praise when one of the prints,
too recognizable to be included here, was acclaimed outside of his country.
What is the exclusion, and the name of the series of prints which as the name
suggest provide "36 Xs of Y"?

answer:
Great Wave off
Kanagawa
36 Views of
Mount Fuji

question 6
The artist painted his most famous work in 1851-52, in two phases. First he
spent 5 months creating the detailed background by studying vegetation
near where he lived, working 11 hours a day. He left white space in the middle to
insert the subject of the painting. This subject was to be based on a poet
acquaintance who agreed to model the figure. However, in immersing her in the
real-life conditions which the subject of the painting went through in literary
work he was inspired by, caused the model Elizabeth Siddal to contract
bronchitis, which she could never completely recover from. Which painting?
Which literary work?

question 7
These mysterious feet are a part of a painting "made" by Giampietrino and
Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio in the early 16th century. This painting is used
to aid restoration and conservation for another much more famous but
heavily damaged painting. When a door was made through the wall in a
convent where a world-famous mural was painted in 1620, these feet were
thought to be lost forever, until the Boltraffio painting revealed this detail
alongside many others lost in the more famous painting. What is this painting
in relation to the more famous painting? Name the painting.

answer:
Copy of Last Supper, Last Supper

question 8
Marina Abramovic, easily one of the most prominent names in the world of performance
art, is known for incorporating feminism, endurance art into her work such as her work
Rest/Energy, and Rhythm 0. In 2010 she engaged in a performance which lasted 736 total
hours titled "The Artist is Present" in The Museum of Metropolitan Art. Since it was a
participatory performance, more than 1,000 people turned up to engage in the
performance one at a time, some of whom were moved to tears. One visitor described it
as “a transforming experience—it’s luminous, it’s uplifting, it has many layers,
but it always comes back to being present, breathing, maintaining __ ____. It’s an
amazing journey to be able to experience and participate in the piece.” He was so taken
with it, in fact, that he returned to engage with the artist 21 times! Describe this
performance, which continued from March 31 to May 14?

answer:
Sitting and
maintaining eye
contact with
Marina

question 9
Padma Shri awardee X alongside being arguably India's most prominent abstract
artist holds another superlative distinction. Hailed as a genius by MF Husain, the
reclusive artist never rushed his works in conception or execution, producing only 6
or 7 paintings a year. Apart from the extraordinary conception of colour and light,
this deliberate pace is thought to be the reason behind why he holds the
aforementioned achievement. Who is X and what is this distinction, which is
associated with this painting?

answer:
VS Gaitonde,
Costliest
painting

question 10
Artists and academics led by art historian Didier Rykner have led the opposition to the
naming of the pictured institution in the UAE, set up following a 30-year deal with
the French government. The city in which it is situated paid $525 million to be able to
name the building by adding X to the name of the city, leading many to criticize the
involved French institutions to be working "like a corporation with a clearly-defined
strategy: profit maximization". Name the controversially named building, against
which 4,650 curators launched an online petition "______ are not for sale".

question 11
By setting up India's first lithographic press artist X not only made sure that his art
would have unparalleled reach, influence and accessibility but also let the value of
his work sink due to its mass production and commerciality. The press, set up first in
Mumbai and then shifted to Lonavala printed his works depicting scenes from the
Puranas and Epics. The cheapness and attractive quality of the prints led rise to their
publishing in an uniquely Indian format: as Y art. With Y's being a must-have
object of daily usefulness, art continues to pervade Indian homes, businesses, bazaars
even today. Identify X and Y.

answer:
Raja Ravi Varma, Calendar

question 12
Surrealist icon X’s work Y vexed several people when revealed it to the public. He
responded to the many critics:
“The famous_____. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff
my ______? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my
picture "____ __ _ ____", I'd have been lying!
Who are we talking about? What is the aptly named work,
featuring an object daily use alongside a statement?

answer:
Magritte,
Treachery of
Images

question 13
Sonnet V is a famous poem written by artist X and was initially sent as a letter to his dear
friend before it was seen as a literary work at all. This sonnet was not of the conventional
type, which is surprising considering the time period it was written in. It was called a
“sonnetto caudoto”, meaning a sonnet with a tail. The theme of the sonnet is misery due
to a painting, since people had assumed that X was a painter, when he did not think
so and also the physical strain the painting gave him. One could now, however, find this
misery to be a falsification since X is best known for a painting that he did not want
to make even though part of it evoked God bestowing intelligence on the human
brain. ID X and the painting.

answer:
X- Michelangelo, The painting is the
Sistine Chapel (Creation of Adam)

question 14
Here is a sculpture by Camille Claudel. When she was a child, Claudel had access to a large library in
which there was a famous translation which had charmed many European writers and artists. The
sculpture borrows from this book and depicts the union of two lovers after a long spell of
separation and a celestial journey. What is interesting is that it is the heroine here in the dominant
position, with her lover asking for mercy for a grave wrong he had committed. When this sculpture
was displayed in the Musée Bertrand in Châteauroux, it was despised because of a woman sculptor's
frank use of nudity. Although its name underwent several changes as new bronze versions were cast,
the original name is still used to refer to this sculpture. What is its name, after the eponymous
character of the book?

question 15
Stacy Greene was inspired to create this photo series after borrowing a friend's _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
and seeing the shape it had taken after being used. She ended up doing a whole series of
close-ups of used _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ s, each shot named after the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 's owner.
In an effort to remain true to the subject, Stacy photographed each one exactly as they were
given to her. In some shots you can see specks of dust, lint, small strands of hair etc.
Commenting on the series, Greene said,"I see an everyday, factory-made product turned into a
surreal, biomorphic, subconscious image - a sculpture evolving from a private daily ritual taken
for granted." FITB

question 16
An exiled artist X from the subcontinent had one of his paintings featured in a Bollywood
film where it becomes a point of contestation between a con artist and the girl he is trying to scam.
While she acquires the painting for her boss, she gets scammed into buying a fake, given it was at half
the real world price. The artist generally makes spiritual/mythological paintings (anger over
which made him leave his native country) which is also why he decided to paint the particular animal
that features in said painting. It is sort of a meditation that the artist undertook for personal growth to
show how the animal never remains static. This is interesting as the protagonist of the film is also
known for his pulsating energy and never remaining "static". ID X and the movie.

answer:
X : MF Hussain
Movie: Ladies vs Ricky Bahl

question 17
This painting has been referenced in multiple media and contemporary pop culture. The
first reference X comes from the name of popular song by a band which
interestingly has one permanent member. Despite the satanic undertones in their
music and fanbase, their first concert was in a church. The second reference comes
from a 2003 movie Y which shares its name with a Nat King Cole song. Both are
named after an iconic and mysterious element of this painting. This movie also shows the
actress being much ahead of her times and predicting Picasso's genius much before he was
actually seen as one. Identify the song and the movie.

answer:
Song: The Ballad of Mona Lisa by
Panic! at the Disco
Movie: Mona Lisa Smile

question 18
Upon closer inspection, one may discover X's disproportionate head and hand. This may
strike one as odd, considering the great level of detailing and realism in X. But when the
artist was commissioned to finish X, it was expected to be placed atop a cathedral
to awe the inhabitants of the city. By the time X was finished in 1504, it was
displayed in front of the town hall instead. Art historians say that X's head and hand
are disproportionate because the artist had made it to be viewed from below. But the
decision to place it in an easily accessible, public place proved to be a good one as the work
came to represent confidence, victory and valour against overwhelming odds, just
like the story of the figure it represents. Id X and the artist

question 19
X first adopted his camouflage in 2005. The Beijing-based artist told BBC Culture that the Y
series began as a protest against the demolition of the art district where he worked. He used his
body as a subject of disappearance in order to get people's attention.
You could call X the John Cena of the fine arts world as he is known for using chameleon-like
methods to immerse himself in environments, however, his actual nickname is the same as a
certain 1897 science fiction novel.
ID X and Y.

answer:
X—Liu Bolin
Y—Hiding in the
City

question 20
It was in 1956 when this institution was approached by one artist who asked them to buy their
artwork. What followed was this institution developing a knack for art, collecting works of
some of the renowned artists in India. Amongst its possessions are ashtrays created by
Salvador Dali, which were gifted to a certain 'class' of people the institution served. Dali asked for
baby elephants in return, which should have been convenient for the institution to send, given the
kind of work it does. It was a way for the institution to stand out from the American
competition in the 60s and 70s. "The way we could be different and what nobody could copy
was to be Indian. So Indian art became a vehicle for promoting our Indian-ness", said a person
who worked for its advertising for 30 years. Which institution?

question 21
This bust of X was sculpted by Y, one of his disciples, and was installed outside a hospital in
Hungary, given X's medical history with this country. The NGMA has the concrete casting
used for sculpting the bust. When a minister from X's state visited Hungary, they remarked
that this bust did not represent X at all, and should be replaced. Several people amplified this
view. The bust has now been moved to a room of the hospital. Another of Y's work in India
was recently accused of not correctly portraying its subject, Mahatma Gandhi. Identify X
and Y.

answer:
X- Rabindranath Tagore
Y- Ramkinkar Baij

question 22
This artist X received notoriety when he created a portrait of a royal family
member by stitching together a certain item that long ago had portraits of
the Queen and King on them. Living in Korea, the artist missed home so much
that he combined two things the country is best known for. A thousand of these
items were sewn together and the artwork got immense recognition. Who was
the person whose portrait helped in a renaissance of jokes on the
country's eating habits and what was it made up of?

answer:
The portrait
was of Queen
Elizabeth II,
made by sewing
1000 teabags
together.

question 23
After the raging success of a Bollywood film where the reel life mother and son
fall in love and become real life husband and wife, studios X made a certain
symbol their logo. While under a certain leader, the symbol was also supposed to
include a sword to focus on the aspect of "rage" and violence as a means to
achieve their goals, the leader refused by saying "the sword is not one of our symbols,"
The symbol gained popularity in the iconic photo where a flag is raised over Reichstag.
Which is the Bollywood film studio and what is the symbol?

answer:
Mehboob Studios,
and the symbol is
the Hammer and
the Sickle,
showing
proletariat unity

question 24
In X, the artist found the perfect subject for his new medium of using silk screenings.
X was the extraordinary embodiment of the cult of celebrity and the shadow
of tragedy – his two artistic obsessions. In the four months following X's death, he
created 20 silkscreen paintings based on a publicity photograph of X from their 1953
film. The painting consists of 50 images of X, 25 of which are colored and 25 black and
white, with a fading-away sort of effect. People have analyzed the multiplicity of
images as the multiplicity of lives X lived. The pattern of use of colors shows the
relationship between their life and death. X also lend their first name to the
two-worded title of this artwork. Identify X and the artist.

answer:
X- Marilyn
Monroe
Y- Andy
Warhol

question 25
‘A rare primary site, and one of the most ancient, ____ is a microcosm;
a ‘living site’ set in its natural environment, as yet in its pristine state.
For archaeological evidences show an undisturbed continuous sequence of cultures
through its layers from the Palaeolithic to the Historical periods. ____’s uniqueness
lies not only in the concentration of its antiquity and art, and the wealth that it conceals, but
that it has not remained frozen in time and space’. This is the excerpt from the
Archaeological Survey of India's proposal for the nomination of this place as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Which site?

question 26
This is a copy of Bichitr's portrait of Shah Jahan. X, who is famous for their
self-portraits, made 23 such copies of Mughal miniatures. Art collectors in X's
country had begun to possess Indian artifacts, goods, and paintings after the
establishment of the company Y's directorate in a coastal city in west India in
1616. Trade done by Y enabled artists like X to be exposed to Mughal art by the way of
cultural exchanges. Id X and Y

question 27
X was invited to Dali's studio to pose with “an ant-covered plaster brain topped with a
chocolate éclair.” Dali placed it behind X’s head on a red velvet cushion as X sat on a
rotating turntable wearing over a million dollars-worth of diamonds from the famous Harry
Winston jewelers on Fifth Avenue, holding a fragmented Venus de Milo as a microphone.
For X and the band, the collaboration helped bring their own particular artistic
vision to fruition, lending them the imprimatur of the most popular shock artist of
the century. 5 of the band's original members were art majors and they worshipped Dali.
One of X's boa constrictors was also named after Dali.
ID X.

question 28
According to the artist behind this sculpture in England, "The arbitrary cycle of _ _ _
_ _ changes is not supposed to mimic the seasonal rhythm of nature, but the
restlessness of Canary Wharf [where the sculpture was first erected]. The
sculpture imitates the natural landscape of the adjacent London Plane Trees,
while the changing pattern of the _ _ _ _ _ _ reveals and reflects the never ending
rhythm of the surrounding domestic, financial and commercial activities". The
location of this tree-ish sculpture had confused motorists at the time of its
installation but has now gained popularity among the tourists. It can also be easily
mistaken for a Christmas tree because of the color scheme. What kind of tree
is this/ what's its name?

question 29
In 1989, a collective of feminist artists surveyed an institute to get information on
female representation. They found that women constituted only 5 percent of the
artists whose work was on display in its modern art gallery while 85 percent of
the naked bodies on display were of women. They released this information on a
poster which had the the female nude figure from French artist Jean Auguste
Dominique Ingres's painting Grande Odalisque donning a gorilla mask. The title of
the poster was a rhetoric on the terms for the entry of women in the institution,
based on the statistics. Which institution did they survey? What is the poster
called?

answer:
Metropolitan Museum of Art,

question 30
This popular work of art from the late 19th century has been regarded as portraying
the reaction to the horrors of existence and survival. It has been regarded as the
essence of Expressionism. It is actually how most of us want to react to when under the
pressure of piled up work. The painting has inspired an iconic prop used in a
cult-classic movie that shares the name with the painting. The creators of the
movie discovered this prop which was originally designed for Halloween. Among several
other influences the painting has had, the one closest to us is in the form of an
emoticon. Identify the painting and the prop.

answer:
Scream, The mask from Scream
(ghostface)

Artashastra - The Art Quiz

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