Vitruvian Man Trivia Quiz

Answer: kouros

In Ancient Greek, the term "kouros" (plural "kouroi) means "youth"; its feminine counterpart is "kore". A "kouros" was a free-standing, generally life-sized male figure, sculpted in marble or other materials, such as wood, bronze or terracotta. Many of these statues have been found near temples dedicated to Apollo, all over the Greek-speaking world. "Kouroi" were most often nude, long-haired and beardless, wearing a faint, enigmatic smile (the so-called "archaic smile") on their faces; the typical posture with left leg extended - as if taking a long stride - may have been rooted in Egyptian art. The statue in the photo, named Kroisos Kouros, was a grave marker for a young fallen warrior, dating from around 530 BC. It can now be viewed in Athens' National Archaeological Museum.

The incorrect choices all relate to Ancient Greek art: the naos was the inner chamber of a temple, the krater was a type of vase, and the atlas a carving of a male figure used instead of a column.

Answer: Zeus

Though some have interpreted the subject of this statue as Poseidon, the sea god, wielding his trident, this magnificent bronze is known as the Zeus of Artemision - from the name of the cape on the northern coast of the Greek island of Euboea, off whose coast it was found in 1926.

It probably dates from around 460 BC, the period known as Severe or Early Classical style. The main reason why most experts tend to believe the statue represents Zeus rather than Poseidon is that a trident would obscure the god's face, while a thunderbolt - Zeus' weapon of choice - would be held over his head, as can be seen in a number of artifacts from different eras.

The god is caught in the moment immediately preceding the action - not unlike Michelangelo's celebrated "David".

The Artemision bronze can also be viewed at Athens' Archaeological Museum.

Answer: Caracalla

The Hercules Farnese was made in the 3rd century AD (probably around 216) by a Greek sculptor named Glykon, who signed the statue with his name. The Ancient Greek original, dating from the 4th century BC, was cast in bronze; its creator was the renowned sculptor Lysippos. The massive, muscle-bound marble statue (3.17 m/10.5 ft tall) depicts the nude hero, weary after one of his legendary tasks, leaning on his club - which is draped with the skin of the Nemean lion. The Hercules Farnese was recovered in 1546 from the ruins of the Caracalla Baths, the huge complex built between 212 and 216 AD, and became part of the collection of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. The sculpture was incomplete when found, and the missing parts were recovered after a long time. It is now on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Caracalla was an emperor of the Severan dynasty, the eldest son of Septimus Severus, and ruled between 211 and 217 AD. The other emperors ruled well before that time.

Answer: Masaccio

"The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden" is part of the fresco cycle decorating the walls of the Brancacci Chapel in the Florentine Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. The cycle was painted between 1424 and 1428 by Masolino da Panicale and his assistant, Tommaso di Ser Giovanni Cassai, known by the nickname of Masaccio ("clumsy Thomas"). Considered the founder of Early Renaissance painting, Masaccio built upon the work of Giotto (who lived in the early 14th century), introducing a lifelike realism - complete with imperfections - in his depiction of human figures which have been compared to sculptures for their solid, three-dimensional feel. In "The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden", Adam and Eve are shown completely naked (the fig leaves hiding their lower regions were removed in the 1980s, when the frescoes were thoroughly cleaned and restored), their faces and bodies expressing a profound despair. The stark yet intense scene - whose other protagonist is the angel expelling the two sinners - is contained in a long, narrow space that seems to follow the line of the bodies.

Giotto, as already pointed out, was active in the early 14th century, while Raphael and Giorgione lived and worked between the second half of the 15th century and the early 16th century.

Answer: St. Sebastian

Though Venetian painter Andrea Mantegna's fame mostly rests with the gorgeous frescoes of the Wedding Chamber in Mantua's Ducal Palace (with its famous trompe l'oeil ceiling panel). Mantegna's smaller paintings reveal his keen interest in classical antiquity - evidenced by his finely detailed depictions of architectural backgrounds, as well as his sculptural approach to the portrayal of the human figure. This painting of St Sebastian is dominated by the saint's athletic figure, tied to a ruined column rendered in exquisite detail. The painter's choice of muted shades of grey, blue and beige enhances the sculptural quality of the composition. The painting, dated from around 1481, and part of the extensive Italian Renaissance collection of the Louvre Museum in Paris, is the most famous of the three Mantegna created on the same subject.

St. Sebastian was a Roman officer who was sentenced to be shot through by arrows during the reign of emperor Diocletian. He survived his ordeal, but was later clubbed to death on the emperor's orders. The other three saints listed are also venerated as martyrs, though represented with different attributes.

Answer: Albrecht Dürer

Born in Nuremberg in 1471, Albrecht Dürer was a true Renaissance man: not only as an outstanding artist in the fields of painting and printmaking, but also as the author of theoretical treatises. His prints - both woodcuts and copper engravings - display a level of detail that has very few peers, as can be seen from this image of "Adam and Eve", also known as "The Fall of Man" (1504). The two symmetrical figures - both inspired by classical sculptures - reflect Dürer's preoccupation with the ideal proportions of the human form, while the details of each element in the print are rendered in extraordinarily lifelike fashion. Various specimens of this work, signed in full by the artist, can be viewed in museums such as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

The artists presented as incorrect choices are Flemish (van Eyck and Brueghel) or Netherlandish (Bosch).

Answer: Mannerism

Active in the first half of the 16th century, Florentine artist Giovanni Battista di Jacopo got his nickname of "Rosso" from his red hair. Together with his contemporary Jacopo Pontormo (who, like him, was also a student of late Renaissance painter Andrea del Sarto), he is considered the foremost representative of Florentine Mannerism - a style which replaced the elegant, serene classicism of the High Renaissance with elongated and often contorted figures, stark colour contrasts, and a very idiosyncratic approach to perspective. All these characteristics emerge in "Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro" (1523-24), a highly dramatic work showing a tangle of boldly foreshortened, naked male bodies engaged in a violent fight. The painting can be viewed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

The three incorrect answers refer to artistic movements that flourished between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Answer: Gianlorenzo Bernini

Unlike Donatello's almost coquettish bronze and Michelangelo's calmly forceful statue, Gianlorenzo Bernini's "David" (1623-1624) emphasizes movement and action. Like a tightly coiled spring, the life-sized, lightly-clothed body of the young shepherd is ready for his surprise attack, occupying a three-dimensional space that allows the statue to be viewed from different angles. The tension of the moment is further revealed by the frown contorting David's face - very different from the serene composure of Michelangelo's celebrated masterpiece. Bernini's "David" was commissioned by one of his patrons, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, for his Roman villa - now the Galleria Borghese, where the statue still resides.

Of the remaining choices, Francesco Borromini was Bernini's contemporary and rival, though he is mostly known for his work as an architect. Lorenzo Ghiberti was active in the early 15th century, and Benvenuto Cellini in the 16th century.

Answer: Perseus

Antonio Canova's "Perseus Triumphant" depicts the Greek hero, son of Zeus and Danae, holding the severed head of the Gorgon Medusa. Sculpted between 1797 and 1801, it was inspired by one of classical antiquity's most celebrated statues, the Apollo Belvedere.

Indeed, the fluid, harmonious pose of the two statues - both on display at the Vatican Museums - is very similar; the head of Medusa is said to have been inspired by the Medusa Rondanini, a marble sculpture that represents the Gorgon with beautiful rather than grotesque features. Canova used some tricks to ensure his composition's stability: the robe draped on Perseus' outstretched arm provides additional support for the arm itself, and Medusa's head was made hollow to reduce its weight.

A replica of Canova's original can be viewed at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Answer: Auguste Rodin

Auguste Rodin first modelled "The Bronze Age" (L'Âge d'airain) in 1876. The statue's name refers to one of the early ages of humankind; its model was a young Belgian soldier named Auguste Ney. The statue's dramatic pose, inspired by Michelangelo's "Dying Slave", suggests heroism and suffering; originally, it had a spear in its left hand, which Rodin decided to eliminate to create a more spontaneous sense of movement. When "The Bronze Age" was shown at the Paris Salon in 1877, it caused a scandal because the artist was accused of having made a life cast of his model, rather than working from memory with the help of photographs. The negative criticism, however, far from damaging the artist's career, brought him a lot of publicity. Many casts of the statue were made, which can be admired in a number of famous museums such as the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

All the three incorrect choices were sculptors active in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Edgar Degas and Aristide Maillol were also French, while Alfred Gilbert (known for the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus) was English.