Monday, February 3, 2014

Weekend Workout 03 (week starting February 2, 2014)


Drawn and Quartered
(remember: larger versions of all visuals can be seen by clicking on them)


1. In 1992, who designed the artwork for a relatively unknown pop/rock band called The Rels, using the pseudonym Fang Wampir?


2. Rongorongo is a system of glyphs discovered in the 19th century that appears to be writing or proto-writing. It cannot be read despite numerous attempts at decipherment. If it is proved to be writing, it could be one of as few as three or four independent inventions of writing in human history. Rongorongo glyphs were written in reverse boustrophedon, left to right and bottom to top. That is, the reader begins at the bottom left-hand corner of a tablet, reads a line from left to right, then rotates the tablet 180 degrees to continue on the next line. Where on earth was this complicated system used?

3. This is the logo of which organisation headquartered in Chennai?

4. Pursuing his childhood ambition to be a writer, young Stanley Lieber made his comic-book debut in May 1941 with the text filler "Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge" in Captain America Comics #3. Because he wanted to save his given name for more literary work, he used a pseudonym, which in later life, he would go on to adopt as his legal name. What name?

5. The title of the documentary film about the Nazi pillaging of art treasures from occupied countries during World War II (pic at left) is the same as the name of the painting by Titian (right), which is based on a story from Greek mythology. What is the shared title?

6. The presence of this ancient graffito on a wall in Ephesus indicates the presence here of what or who?

7. So why is this video a part of this question set? (Or, to put it more simply, who's the guy you see in it?)

8. Who gained national recognition in the US with this ad campaign he created for Flit in the 1930s and '40s?

9. The person whose notebook this page is from (left) was also a semi-secret artist who drew everything from portraits of prominent scientists and his children to sketches of strippers and female nudes (right). A collection of his artwork, sub-titled 'Images by a Curious Character' and curated by his daughter Michelle, was published recently. Who?

10. Walt Kelly's popular US comic strip 'Pogo' had a character called Simple J. Malarkey, a gun-toting bobcat who spread havoc in the swamp, accusing everybody who disagreed with him of treason. Which real-life personality was the inspiration for the character? Besides his nature and ideology, there's also a distinct similarity in looks.

Answers
1. Bill Watterson 
If you were sharp, you may have noticed the name of the artist's brother Tom in the band's line-up.
2. Easter Island
3. The Theosophical Society 
The logo combines a swastika, an Aum, a hexagram, a star of David, an Ankh and an Ouroboros.
4. Stan Lee
5. 'The Rape of Europa'
6. Christians.
The wheel symbol combines the letters of the Greek word 'Ichthys', meaning 'fish'. It later developed into a simple symbol resembling the profile of a fish, and is said to have been used by Early Christians as a secret symbol. It is now known colloquially as the 'sign of the fish' or the 'Jesus fish'.
7. Because the man you saw – the brain behind Drop Dead – is Aabid Surti, comic artist and creator of the popular Bahadur.
8. Theodore Geisel, who wrote and drew books under the pseudonym, Dr Seuss.
9. Richard Feynman
10. Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose witch hunts against real and perceived Communists in 1950s USA made him the most feared and hated man in power those days.
Here's a picture for comparison:

 

8 comments:

  1. 1. Dunno
    2. Dunno. Somewhere out there.
    3. Theosophical Society
    4. Stan Lee
    5. The Rape of Something (Lucrece? Scarlett Keeling?)
    6. The graffito says 'ixthus' (I studied Cyrillic), so I guess that's Christ. Fishy.
    7. Dunno. Looks like George Carlin, who didn't speak with an Indian accent.
    8. Dr. Seuss. He did ads?
    9. Shit -- I should know that one. But dunno.
    10. Never heard of Pogo, but that should be McCarthy.

    Sajan Venniyoor

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. Andy Warhol
    2. Peru
    3. The guys at Auroville?
    I may add guesses to 4-10 later in the week but at least I've had a go! P.S. why hadn't Anjali already entered last welek's quiz??!!**

    Regards Paul

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1. Saul Bass
    2. Easter Island
    4. Stan Lee
    7. Tarun Tejpal

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1.
    2.Fiji?
    3.
    4.Stan Lee
    5.The rape of Europa
    6.Cart / Chariot wheel repair ?
    7.
    8.Dr. Seuss
    9.Richard Feynman
    10. McCarthy

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1.
    2.
    3. ISKCON
    4.
    5. The Rape of Europa
    6. Jesus Christ
    7. Tarun Tejpal's elder brother
    8. Dr. Seuss (the pic has the name)
    9. Richard Fenyman
    10. Al Capone

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1. Bill Watterson
    2. Easter Island
    3. The Theosophical Society of India
    4. Stan Lee
    5.
    6. Archimedes
    7.
    8. Dr. Seuss
    9. Richard Feynman
    10. Richard Nixon

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1.
    2.
    3. Theosophical Society
    4. Stan Lee
    5. Rape of Europa.
    6. Jesus
    7. Aabid Surti (which doesn't enlighten me why you ask what this chappie is doing as part of the question
    8.
    9.
    10. Al Capone

    ReplyDelete
  8. 2. Peru or Ecquador or Burma; 3. Theosophical Society; 5. Rape of Titian; 6. Ben Hur; 7. Al Capone
    Gouthami

    ReplyDelete