While I was browsing BuzzFeed, I stumbled upon a quiz that asked to identify whether a piece of artwork was painted by a famous Modern artist or a toddler. I remember that we had a similar exercise in class, (one of the quiz questions uses the same example we saw!) so I was tempted to take the quiz. However, as I barely got half of them correct, it made me think about how there isn’t a concrete distinction between any of the paintings aesthetically. It’s a bit bewildering and disheartening to think about how a several million dollar painting hanging at the MoMa could look exactly the same as a fingerpainting project a kindergartener completed.

I also remember what was hilarious was that there were praises about the intense brushstrokes and vivid colors that were given for a modern art painting that was actually completed by a toddler and the critic had no idea himself. It makes me think about how a lot of art isn’t just about the content, but the brand. If you stumbled upon these paintings in a museum, you might make a snarky remark about your little brother could have painted this in 5 minutes, but if you noticed that the placard said “Willem de Kooning” you might change your mind entirely and think it’s a brilliant and thought-provoking piece. Do you think we would focus and appreciate the aesthetic qualities of art more if we didn’t know who painted it or how much it’s worth? Would you give a second thought about the Mona Lisa if it wasn’t famous at all? Sure, it would still look pretty and enigmatic, but it wouldn’t be the most recognized or renowned pieces of art ever?