Answers to the Friday Afternoon Challenge!

[CTyankee]

If you'd like to try your luck at the Challenge, stop here and go to: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=2162469&mesg_id=2162469

Answers:

1.“Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire” by Gainsborough. She is an ancestor of Princess Diana. In 1876 this painting was stolen from Christie’s auction house in London before it could be delivered to American industrialist Junius Morgan who bought it for his son Pierpont. Twenty five years later the painting was ransomed and retrieved in a Chicago hotel room. More on this fascinating back story here http://onelondonone.blogspot.com/2010/05/duchess-of-devonshire-stolen.html.. Georgiana’s story is also a book and 2008 movie starring Keira Knightly as Georgiana.

2. “The Feast of the Gods.” Original painting by Bellini. After his death the court painter Dossi worked on it, but at the request of Alfonso d”Este, duke of Ferrara, Titian, who had been Bellini’s student, finished the work. Titian’s contribution is in the background landscape. It is said that Bellini ground up glass to mix in his paint, so his paintings would have more intense luminosity.

3. Forgery passed off as a Bracque, but for which the forger, John Myatt, used a Picasso as the model.

4. “Jacob de Gheyn III,” known as the “takeaway Rembrandt.” It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most frequently stolen painting. It was stolen four times from the same museum (Dulwich Picture Gallery, London).

5. Paintings in the Rothko Chapel in Houston TX. These paintings routinely make people break down and weep in front of them. This phenomenon is explored in “Pictures and Tears: A Study of people who cry in front of Paintings” by James Elkins.

6. For several centuries, this work, “The Dead Soldier,” was attributed to Velazquez. Edouard Manet revered this painting and used it as a model for his “Dead Matador.” It is now believed to be by an unknown Italian artist of the 17th century.

Thanks to everybody for joining in! No challenge next Friday, but I hope to see you on Nov. 11.:hi:

[horseshoecrab]

1. See you on November 11 CTyankee!

Great challenge. Thought I'd tear my hair out on #6!


horseshoecrab

[CTyankee]

2. Oh, I thought the pose was a "dead" (no pun intended) giveaway...

You don't often see that angle presented...