Ceci n'est pas une pipe! Quiz | Art

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1. This Spanish artist is probably one of the most recognizable of all the Surrealists. With his black mustache with the ends turned up in exaggerated points, he is famous for his painting "The Persistence of Memory". Who is he?

Answer: Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali was born in Figueres, Spain in 1904. Like many of the surrealists, Dali was strongly influenced by Sigmund Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams". His paintings reflect a dream-like quality. Objects are frequently juxtaposed and in many cases objects appear in his paintings that do not connect at all in the real world.

In his famous "The Persistence of memory", clocks are melting and the abstract figure in the middle is the face of the dreamer. According to Dali, he himself was that dreamer.

2. He was born Emmanuel Radnitzky in Philadelphia in 1890. He was an artist and photographer associated with the Surrealist and Dada movements. He lived for many years in Paris before returning to the U.S. He was better known by what name?

Answer: Man Ray

One of Man Ray's more famous paintings is titled "Indestructible Object" in which a metronome is shown with a photo of an eyeball attached to the metronome's pendulum. The painting was created in 1923 and was originally titled "Object To Be Destroyed". It was indeed destroyed in 1957.

3. Generally speaking there seems to be more male Surrealist artists than female. Three of the following artists are male with the exception of one. Which one is female?

Answer: Méret Oppenheim

Méret Oppenheim was a German surrealist artist, photographer and sculptor. She sculpted a unique piece called "Breakfast in Fur", a fur-covered teacup, spoon, and saucer. The idea for her sculpture came from a conversation she had with Pablo Picasso at a Parisian café. She was also known for posing nude in Man Ray's photographs.

4. Known for painting nude women, including her self-portraits, this American painter and sculptor lived to be 101 years old. Married to Max Ernst, himself a Surrealist, who is she?

Answer: Dorothea Tanning

With a career spanning sixty years, Dorothea began painting in the Surrealist style early on. Odd images in a dream-like world pervade her art as does the attention to detail that became a hallmark of Surrealism. As she grew older, Dorothea moved away from the Surrealist influence and created her own abstract style. Over the years her style became stranger. "Hotel de Pavot", painted in the early 1970s, is a good example of this.

It's hard to describe. However, the details of the hotel room itself are quite impressive.

5. While not considered to be an artist, I include this French Surrealist poet and writer because he is one of the founders of and driving force behind the Surrealist movement. In his 1924 "Manifeste du surréalisme", he defines Surrealism. Who is he?

Answer: André Breton

Breton studied the works of Sigmund Freud as a medical student and was fascinated by the elements of the unconscious mind. The Surrealist movement, which began in the 1920s with the city of Paris as its hub, stemmed from Dadaism and took art in a different direction. Breton authored three Surrealist Manifestos, the third having never been released.

In his manifestos he states that "Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express - verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner - the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern." (Wikipedia)

6. The majority of Surrealists were born in the late 19th century and early 20th century. This artist is a relative newcomer, having been born in 1971. He is also known for his chess collection and his art business "Imaginative Pencil." Which of the following artists is it?

Answer: Justin Michael Jenkins

Besides Surrealism, Justin's artwork reflects the Pop Art and Postmodernism periods. His works are very colorful and abstract, yet not so abstract you can't decipher what it is he is creating. I actually like his artwork although I have to admit I'm not a big fan of Surrealism.

His colors and shapes work for me. Like many of the Surrealists before him, he is interested in the study of the mind and the subconscious which is reflected in his art.

7. A self-taught artist whose style didn't change much during his life, this Surrealist was born in France but became a U.S. citizen after he married his American wife Kay Sage, an artist herself. He developed a close friendship with André Breton who became his mentor. Who is this artist?

Answer: Yves Tanguy

Freud's theory of psychoanalysis influenced a number of Surrealist painters, Tanguy included. These artists painted with abandon without censorship or preconceived ideas. Tanguy was fond of painting landscapes filled with strange objects and abstract shapes.

He also painted with muted colors. Good examples of this are "The Furniture of Time" and "Mama, Papa is Wounded!" one of his earliest paintings. According to his mentor, André Breton, Tanguy came closest to visually interpreting the concepts of Surrealism.

8. Cubist, Conceptual artist, and Surrealist, this French-born artist had a huge impact on the world of 20th century art. In his later years he gave up painting for the most part and filled his days playing chess. Name him.

Answer: Marcel Duchamp

"Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" is one of Duchamp's best known paintings. Painted in 1912, it is housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The interesting thing about the painting is that it doesn't show nude figures at all, just geometric shapes and clever use of shading to suggest figures and movement. Duchamp didn't align himself with any art style and was outspoken about that.

However his works showed influences of Surrealism and other periods. Duchamp had a flair for comedy. He once took a postcard reproduction of Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and added a mustache and goatee.

9. She was born in England but spent most of her adult life in Mexico. She lived with fellow Surrealist Max Ernst for many years although they never married. Her "Self-Portrait (Inn of the Dawn Horse)" with its oddly prancing hyena and flying rocking horse, is housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Which of the following artists is it?

Answer: Leonora Carrington

Leonora Carrington never thought of herself as anyone's muse although she has been described as such. She and Ernst lived together and created art together. She later suffered a period of great anxiety and was institutionalized after she suffered a breakdown. Once she was back on her feet she lived for a time in Spain and Portugal before finally settling in Mexico City where she died in 2011 at age 94.

10. No quiz on Surrealist artists would be complete without including this Mexican artist known as much for her turbulent marriage as for her self-portraits. Who is this artist, famous for her unibrow?

Answer: Frida Kahlo

Born in Coyoacán, Mexico in 1907, Frida's art often reflected the turbulence of a life filled with pain and suffering. Frida never considered herself to be a Surrealist until fellow artist André Breton told her she was. Indeed many of her paintings reflect the incongruous imagery and juxtaposition of objects identified with Surrealism. One of her larger self-portraits, "The Two Fridas", represents the heartbreak of her divorce from artist Diego Rivera whom she loved dearly despite the fact he was frequently unfaithful in their marriage.

Source: Author nmerr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
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Ceci n'est pas une pipe! Trivia Quiz

The title of this quiz refers to a painting by surrealist artist René Magritte. How many of the following Surrealist artists can you recognize from the descriptions?

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