Before last week, I would have said one involved Soul Brother Number One James Brown, and the other non-recyclables. That would have worked, too, were it not for the word "art" tailgating both "funk" and "junk." So once again I sallied forth, armed only with an Inter-Library Loan card and a can-do attitude. Now that I know, you, too, can know how to compare and contrast Junk Art and Funk Art. I figure if "Doing It to Death" (the actual name of "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time") plays in your head the whole time, that's your business. ("In order for me to get down, I have to get down in D," is not the worst life motto when you think about it.)

Your clues this week are:

• The artist was American, born on a Midwestern farm towards the end of the 19th century. After spending years in a large metropolitan area, the artist was compelled to move to Northern New Mexico for the same reason so many other artists did: the quality of the sunlight.
• The artist and a friend were founders of a painting group based on a quote by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). WWII put a permanent end to the group, as it temporarily did to many other pleasant pursuits.
• The two pine trees tell us this is an early work. As a long career progressed, the artist shifted to completely nonobjective subject matter.

And


• Cliff dwellings in the American Southwest, like those seen here, were relatively easy to carve because the chosen rock was and is high in soft tuff (compressed volcanic ash). The Puebloan cliff dwellings in Northern New Mexico come from tuff deposited by one of only six supervolcanoes on the planet, and its caldera is "small" (as supervolcano calderas go). The United States can in fact boast(?) that it contains three of the six supervolcanoes. For bonus points: of those three, which one do we especially NOT want to blow its top for fear of Pompeii-izing a big chunk of the Lower 48?

Please email me your guesses over the coming week. I'll post the winner and correct answer with next week's guessing game. Good luck!

Last Week's Answer:

Mary in Moweaqua was the first reader to reassemble the clues last week into the correct answer: Augustus Nicholas Burke (1838-1891), whose 1868 Connemara Girl hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. Augustus' oldest brother, Theobald, was the 13th Baronet Burke of Glinsk, a title that became extinct with his death. Another brother, Thomas, was Permanent Under Secretary (essentially the Lt. Governor of Ireland) until the infamous Phoenix Park Murders of 1882.

The island, of course, is Ireland. Connemara, the western half of Co. Galway, is the region that contains the last of the Old Irish goats and the flourishing Connemara pony ... which is one of those "ponies" large enough for polo. Much applause to you, Mary, and many thanks to all who participated!

It is time for The Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Costume Institute Benefit (also known as the "Met Ball"), and the 2012 iteration introduces a new element: the red carpet arrivals will be live streamed on Monday, May 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. EDT. All I know about haute couture is that some gowns look as if the wearer would not be able to use the restroom without a crow bar, but many people have assured me that the Met Ball is a Very Big Deal. A bit like the Oscars (if Hollywood dressed with more élan), the top fashion and one of the top Manhattan events of the entire year (as in: "Be there, or be socially dead"). The Benefit also raises millions of dollars for the Costume Institute each year, which is truly fantastic -- clothing is fragile and costly to preserve.

So, if you love fashion, The Museum, gawking at celebrities in the privacy of your own home, or just want to perk up your Monday evening, tune in to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or co-sponsors Vogue or Amazon.com. Vintage cocktail dresses, hats and heels optional.

Image Caption: Actress Christina Ricci and designer Zac Posen attend the 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Your clues this week are:

• The artist was British, a member of the Royal Academy, and active in the second half of the 19th Century.
• The artist had five brothers, two of whom were noteworthy. One was a 13th (and end of the line) Baronet, and the other was assassinated in Dublin on May 6, 1882.
• The goats in this painting are truly an Old breed: they date back to the most recent "ice age," which hit its peak around 20,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the breed is very nearly extinct in 2012. One feral herd remains and, in a country that has been in financial crisis since 2008, funds for a captive breeding program are not high priority.

And


• The setting for this picture is an island. You may now be saying, "There are over 180,000 islands on Planet Earth, you fiend!" Not usually a sadist, moi, here are three hints to help you narrow things down. First, the place is lousy with heather, which is what the girl has rolled up in her apron. Second, it is rocky as all get out. So much so that the natives built dry stone walls around their plots of land, rather than planting hedgerows. Third, there is a pony named after one part of this island.

Please email me your guesses over the coming week. I'll post the winner and correct answer with next week's guessing game. Good luck!

Last Week's Answer:

The clues last week elicited three correct responses, each of which contributed a little something different. Tui knew that the artist was Martiros Saryan (or Sarian, or even Sar'yan), an Armenian who lived from 1880 to 1972, and gave the title of the painting. Natia sent a charming note that Mt. Ararat was so easy for her that she was compelled to play. Alison then chimed in after figuring out the Armenian village is Byurakan, hence the painting's title Ararat from Byurakan, 1957. (And by the way, I was not kidding about the overall ugliness of Սուրբ Յովհաննես եկեղեցի.) Thank you very much, ladies. Job well done!