# We're evacuating the planet. What 100 paintings do you insist we bring with us? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976 "2011-09-02T17:09:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/1 "2011-09-02T17:09:15Z")
I dont think this really needs a hypothetical setup, but I’ll put one in a spoiler box for those who insist on such things. The wise will skip it, though; you can answer the question just as well without bothering with that silliness. Some misanthropic madman has stolen the sun-killer bomb I keep in my basement\*. (I really should have better security, but it’s too late now.) By the time the thief was apprehended by – oh, let’s say Seeley Booth-- the bomb had been primed and placed in Sol’s core. There’s no way to either get it out or prevent it from forcing a supernova. Anyone who agrees is free to die & fry trying. Fortunately I’ve prepared for such a circumstance and have a fleet of warp-capable space arks ready to transport a few hundred million people to Tellus Secundus, an Earthlike planet about a month’s travel-time away. (Naturally all Dopers get a ticket.) But everyone is insisting on bringing their pets†, so space is at a premium; we have one measly cargo hold available for 100 paintings. - For emergencies, obviously. You never know when you’re going to need to destroy an inhabited solar system and when the time comes there’s no time to improvise. † I was going to say that only cats were allowed, as I hate dogs, but then I realzied that I don’t care, as I, of course, will not be riding in the ark. Someone has to go ahead to [del]exterminate the burgeoning\*\* australopithecine\*\*[/del][del][SIZE=1] population of Secundus[/SIZE][/del][SIZE=1] make sure that the indoor plumbing and internet and other infrastructure are ready, so I’ll be going ahead in a [del]armada of gunships[/del] small fleet of engineering vessels to take care of that. ‡ The other two footnotes looked lonlely. [/SIZE] What original paintings shall we take? Please explain why. It would be wise to link to a picture of the painting you’re championing. Oh, and the reason the poll isn’t up yet is that there isn’t one. I’m not patient enough to list even 50 options, much less a hundred jillion. Oh, and nobody nominate [Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte](http://www.artsunlight.com/NN/N-S0015/N-S0015-0002-a-sunday-afternoon-on-the-island-of-la-grande-jatte.jpg). Obviously, me being me, I’m not leaving by Seurrat behind. Likewise anything by [John Waterhouse](http://www.jwwaterhouse.com/paintings/) and [Jean-Léon Gérôme](http://www.jeanleongerome.org/) may be presumed to be safe. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/2 "2011-09-02T17:14:39Z")
Goya’s [The Family on the Infante Don Luis](http://www.terminartors.com/files/artworks/1/0/1/10134/Goya_y_Lucientes_Francisco_de-The_Family_of_the_Infante_Don_Luis_de_Borbon.jpg). I just love this picture. The people are filled with personality and stories. I especially love the guy on the right looking right at you. Why the bandage? ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/3 "2011-09-02T17:24:55Z")
A couple of [JMW](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Turner,_J._M._W._-_The_Fighting_T%C3%A9m%C3%A9raire_tugged_to_her_last_Berth_to_be_broken.jpg) Turner’s [best](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rain_Steam_and_Speed_the_Great_Western_Railway.jpg) leap to my mind. Also, plenty of Pre-Raphealites, a selection of German Expressionists, and - duh - a bunch of Van Goghs. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/4 "2011-09-02T17:33:31Z")
The Mona Lisa. The Starry Night. And at least one of the [Dogs Playing Poker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_Playing_Poker) series. Preferably two. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/5 "2011-09-02T17:37:25Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The Mona Lisa. The Starry Night. Well, naturally. > [@](#): > > And at least one of the [Dogs Playing Poker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_Playing_Poker) series. Preferably two. Everyone will be drug-tested before being allowed to board the ark, and persons high on smack will be placed in steerage. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/6 "2011-09-02T17:47:13Z")
Being a morbid bastard, I’d think that this one, _[Man Proposes, God Disposes](http://news.byu.edu/releases/archive09/Aug/victorian/manproposes.jpg)_ by Sir Edwin Landseer should be on the list. Especially apropos when we’re having to evacuate because of a screw-up. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/7 "2011-09-02T17:51:17Z")
Can we take the entire Chauvet Cave? Good, that’s one. The entire ceiling of the Cistine Chapel? Superb. “[Judith Beheading Holofernes](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/caravaggio/judith.jpg)” Caravaggio “[Starry Night](http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/image/0612/Starry-Night.jpg)” Van Gogh “[Gare Saint Lazare](http://www.join2day.net/abc/M/monet/monet63.JPG)” Monet “[San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk](http://www.paintingall.com/images/P/Claude-Monet-San-Giorgio-Maggiore-by-Twilight-Oil-Painting.jpg)” Monet "[Nighthawks](http://www.artchive.com/artchive/h/hopper/nighthwk.jpg)’ Hopper “[The Broken Pitcher](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_(1825-1905)_-_The_Broken_Pitcher_(1891).png)” Bougureau “[The Raft of the Medusa](http://www.dl.ket.org/humanities/connections/class/more/images/raftmedusa.jpg)” Géricault “[Girl With a Mandolin](http://livelearnloveleave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/15.PabloPicasso-Girl-with-Mandolin-Fanny-Tellier-1910.jpg)” Picasso “[Snap the Whip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp1ZEKM0dkQ/TdJotXoQQPI/AAAAAAAAEjA/bqWOrzeKX1g/s1600/Winslow_Homer_Snap_the_Whip_1872.jpg)” Homer “[Breezing Up](http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintings/artists/recently-added/july2008/big/Breezing-Up-xx-Winslow-Homer.JPG)” Homer and, of course, [this](http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/artists_a-k/ducreux_joseph/Ducreux_SelfPortrait1793.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/8 "2011-09-02T17:53:14Z")
_Irises_ by Van Gogh and _Suburban Refuge_ by Monte Dolack [http://www.prints.com/prints.php/Monte\_Dolack/Suburban\_Refuge/?artist\_id=2518&print\_id=5006271](http://www.prints.com/prints.php/Monte_Dolack/Suburban_Refuge/?artist_id=2518&print_id=5006271) > **[Irises (The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection)](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103JNH)** > > Irises (The J. Paul Getty Museum Collection); 1889; Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853 - 1890); Oil on canvas; Unframed: 74.3 × 94.3 cm (29 1/4 × 37 1/8 in.); 90.PA.20 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/9 "2011-09-02T18:01:02Z")
Definitely a Pollock (I’d take [Blue Poles](http://nga.gov.au/international/catalogue/Detail.cfm?IRN=36334&ViewID=2&GalID=1&MnuID=2)), as well as a pre-Bauhaus Kandinsky, probably [Composiion IV](http://languages.siuc.edu/German/ArtImages/WK-comp-4.jpg). A Rothko also must be saved. Why? Because I like looking at them. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/10 "2011-09-02T18:04:20Z")
The _Mona Lisa_ must perish! Most over-rated painting on the planet. My choices would include a fair representation of Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dali. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/11 "2011-09-02T18:06:23Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Can we take the entire Chauvet Cave? Good, that’s one. > The entire ceiling of the Cistine Chapel? Superb. If you’re answering in rational terms, probably. If you’re answering in terms of the absurd hypo, obviously not. Space is at a premium. Take the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling and there won’t be room for anything else, as is clearly implied by the phrase _a single cargo hold with space for a hundred paintings_. > [@](#): > > “[Judith Beheading Holofernes](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/caravaggio/judith.jpg)” Caravaggio > “[Starry Night](http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/image/0612/Starry-Night.jpg)” Van Gogh > “[Gare Saint Lazare](http://www.join2day.net/abc/M/monet/monet63.JPG)” Monet > “[San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk](http://www.paintingall.com/images/P/Claude-Monet-San-Giorgio-Maggiore-by-Twilight-Oil-Painting.jpg)” Monet > "[Nighthawks](http://www.artchive.com/artchive/h/hopper/nighthwk.jpg)’ Hopper > “[The Broken Pitcher](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_%281825-1905%29_-_The_Broken_Pitcher_%281891%29.png)” Bougureau > “[The Raft of the Medusa](http://www.dl.ket.org/humanities/connections/class/more/images/raftmedusa.jpg)” Géricault > “[Girl With a Mandolin](http://livelearnloveleave.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/15.PabloPicasso-Girl-with-Mandolin-Fanny-Tellier-1910.jpg)” Picasso > “[Snap the Whip](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp1ZEKM0dkQ/TdJotXoQQPI/AAAAAAAAEjA/bqWOrzeKX1g/s1600/Winslow_Homer_Snap_the_Whip_1872.jpg)” Homer > “[Breezing Up](http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintings/artists/recently-added/july2008/big/Breezing-Up-xx-Winslow-Homer.JPG)” Homer > > and, of course, [this](http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/artists_a-k/ducreux_joseph/Ducreux_SelfPortrait1793.jpg). I won’t argue with “Judith,” except to say that I had for some reason thought that was by Gerome. But even glancing at it shows I was wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s still beautiful though. “Medusa” obviously has to come, but you need a more interesting Bougureau. And my tastes are old-fashioned, so I don’t want any Picasso crap. Likewise what’s-his-name who just threw paint splatters on canvas. I’m blocking his name out again out of disgust. Pollock. :: ritually spits :: **Second Stone** , your suggestions are very wise. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/12 "2011-09-02T18:14:22Z")
Hans Holbein’s portrait of [Sir Thomas More](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Hans_Holbein_d._J._-_Sir_Thomas_More_-_WGA11524.jpg/463px-Hans_Holbein_d._J._-_Sir_Thomas_More_-_WGA11524.jpg), because it’s like a photograph 400 years before the camera was invented. And we need some famous unsettling art up in this place. How about some: Hieronymus Bosch – [Garden of Earthly Delights](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7sddtDEmmpE/TdyCCqfLNsI/AAAAAAAAAOE/rFylpZA8NCg/s1600/hieronymus-bosch-triptych-of-garden-of-earthly-delights.jpg) Marlene Dumas – [Dead Marilyn](http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/at/at080624marlene_dumas_at_moc/at080624bb.jpg) Francis Bacon – [Study after Velasquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/bacon/innocent.jpg) And speaking of which: Velasquez – [Las Meninas](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/velazquez/velazquez.meninas.jpg) (which would fit right into our culture of self-conscious self-reference] ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/13 "2011-09-02T18:23:33Z")
Couldn’t you just digitize every work of art ever created, minus _Dogs Playing Poker_, and recreate them at the final whistle stop? You could use the freed storage space for beer. But if you _must_ insist on the originals, there’s gotta be at least one Brueghel in there. Or two. Or twenty—fuck everybody else. I’m partial to Jan Jr. myself. > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Hieronymus Bosch – [Garden of Earthly Delights](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7sddtDEmmpE/TdyCCqfLNsI/AAAAAAAAAOE/rFylpZA8NCg/s1600/hieronymus-bosch-triptych-of-garden-of-earthly-delights.jpg) Oh yeah—him too. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/14 "2011-09-02T18:28:04Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Couldn’t you just digitize every work of art ever created, minus _Dogs Playing Poker_, and recreate them at the final whistle stop? You could use the freed storage space for beer. You could, I suppose, but the actual painting is different than a print or digitized scan of it. If you’ve ever seen something like Starry Night or a Rothko in person, you’d know what this means. Rothko, in particular, is not very compelling to me as a reproduction. In person, though, his work–and I know this sounds all mystical and woo-like–is to me the closest a human has come to capturing spirituality on canvas. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/15 "2011-09-02T18:30:12Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Couldn’t you just digitize every work of art ever created, minus _Dogs Playing Poker_, and recreate them at the final whistle stop? You could use the freed storage space for beer. I think you’re misunderstanding. I’m not saying that nothing will be digitized; only that we have only enough storage space for 100 _original_ pieces. That’s part of the reason I insist on _Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte_. The beauty of Seurrat’s technique does not translate to photographs. ETA: Damn you, **pulykamell**! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/16 "2011-09-02T18:30:20Z")
There was an article in the [Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/curator-andrew-robison-decides-what-goes-into-national-gallerys-emergency-box/2011/08/08/gIQAUTVsFJ_story.html) last month about the curator in charge of deciding which works from the National Gallery go into the emergency boxes in case of Bad Things Happening. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/17 "2011-09-02T18:32:26Z")
I’m bringing Rembrandt’s [_Return of the Prodigal Son_](http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r/rembran/painting/biblic3/prodig2.html). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/18 "2011-09-02T18:33:49Z")
I demand that more space be given to more modern paintings! Dump the old crap and bring more Georgia O’Keeffe! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/19 "2011-09-02T18:41:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I demand that more space be given to more modern paintings! Dump the old crap and bring more Georgia O’Keeffe! I’m okay with a couple of O’Keeffes. If you want any Pollocks you’d better be prepared to give up some personal closet space. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976/20 "2011-09-02T18:42:14Z")
Glad that Waterhouse is safe… [Nude Descending a Staircase No.2](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Duchamp_-_Nude_Descending_a_Staircase.jpg) by Duchamp [Niagara Falls](http://www.salesianhigh.org/gli/artGLI/church.jpg) by Frederic Church [Pope Innocent X](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_jaLfUqgdGmE/S9UN5ltttOI/AAAAAAAAACc/jX1u9aj_sXs/s1600/velazquez.innocent-x.jpg) by Velasquez [Saturn Devouring His Children](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xyXWIrf8EZ0/TUdhTBgN6uI/AAAAAAAAAEk/Dq2cDEGZrwc/s1600/demonhead.jpg) by Goya [Pretty much anything](http://bierstadtpaintings.com/) by Albert Bierstadt [Sue](http://www.gurche.com/webgraphics/dino_sue001_fs.jpg) by Gurche Can I sneak a book of the collected works of [Franklin Booth](http://indianaillustrators.blogspot.com/2011/06/franklin-booth-1874-1948.html) onboard? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-evacuating-the-planet-what-100-paintings-do-you-insist-we-bring-with-us/594976.md?page=2)