Can You Tell the Difference Between a Work of Art and a Scribble? (Spoiler Alert: It’s Not Easy)
The world of art is subjective, to say the least, and many people question the reputation that some pieces of art enjoy, arguably, so undeservedly. Indeed, some famous works of art can be hard to distinguish from a child’s doodles they might draw out of boredom. That’s why we’ve decided to give you a quiz in which you have to guess what’s in front of you — a child’s doodle or an art collector’s dream.
Here at CHEERY, we praise all creative endeavours equally, but in the meantime we suggest you test how well you grasp the market value of creativity.
1. Let’s begin. What do you think, is this sinister face well-known in the cultural circles?
2. A floor plan, or work of a genius, worth millions?
3. Would you hang this painting in your bedroom?
4. This is a special question. Think carefully, is this a child’s antics with paint, or an exhibition piece?
5. What about this? Did a teacher scribble over a blackboard with chalk, or was this an artist’s way of making history?
6. Is this a paint-by-numbers, or the work of a famous artist?
7. Look, how colourful! How much would you pay for this piece?
8. Is this piece of art known worldwide, or to a handful of people on the Internet?
9. Was this painting a hit with the critics?
10. This work of art is reminiscent of an indie album cover. Or is it an extravagantly priced piece by a famous artist?
11. How much would you pay for a painting of this lady?
12. Is this an esteemed piece of art, or was it taken from a stock image website?
13. How much would you offer for this piece of art?
14. And here’s the last one. Have the children been dabbling with a ruler and some paint, or has the canvas been touched by the hand of a great artist?
Links to the authors’ work:
1. Unknown author / Imgur
2. Piet Mondrian / Composition no. III / Artnews / Wikimedia Commons
3. Album / Prisma / East News
5. AFP PHOTO / Don Emmert / East News
6. gretchensaurus / Imgur
7. Paul Gauguin / Nafea Faaipoipo / Kunstmuseum Basel, Martin P. Bühler / Wikimedia Commons
8. Raysbyryan / Reddit
10. renhernandez_art / Reddit
11. Vincent Willem van Gogh / Porträt einer jungen Bäuerin / DIRECTMEDIA Publishing / Wikimedia Commons
12. Roy Lichtenstein / Nurse / Estate of Roy Lichtenstein / Wikimedia Commons / © CC BY 4.0
13. TheTonz / Reddit
14. Kazimir Malevich / Suprematist Composition / Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam / Wikimedia Commons
Can you think of any paintings that inspire you, while only confusing others around you?