When I was a boy one of my favorite games was “Masterpiece”. It was a board game based upon the same principles as ‘Monopoly’. The difference is  in this one you buy paintings instead of houses and hotels.  There were twenty-four paintings in total. After countless plays I grew quite familiar found of them, although I never learned all their titles. Later in life I realized they all reside The Art Institute of Chicago. * I don’t know if the game was purposely trying to get one to ‘appreciate art” but it worked for me.  Thanks to ‘Masterpiece’ I developed a lifelong appreciation of art museums. I still enjoy learning about art, especially of which I am not familiar.

I recently did on-line research to locate the twenty-four paintings to (finally learn their names and their painters.

Just for the fun of it, I present to you some of the paintings from Masterpiece – along with docent narratives I made at ten years old. I hope I don’t give Laurent chest pains.

 

This painting is titled “Madame Green Face”.  There is a lot of ugly people in this painting but it’s so cool. 

 

This guy doesn’t know how to paint portraits it’s all jumbles.

 

I could do this one.

 

And this one too but it’s prettier.

 

This is real painting. I don’t know why people don’t paint stuff like this anymore.

 

This is soooo cool! I just love it!

 

We have something like this hanging at home in our living room. Mother says it is a ‘Monet’. I think Monet is French for the style of painting which is dabbing and not drawing straight lines. I was disappointed to find out our Monet isn’t real but a copy. I think I will get Mother a real Monet for Christmas this year. 

 

How did the food stop from going bad ? I guess the painter had to paint real quick. 

 

This one was painted by a woman! I didn’t know they had women painters!

 

People painted different back then.

 

This one looks like a photograph.

 

We have a picture of John the Baptist too, but ours got more trimmings.

 

This one is another way cool awesome painting although it looks scary too.

 

Landscapes are boring.

 

*Oh to go back to Chicago and spend an day at the AIC in a scavenger hunt to see all 24 in real life ! Yes I must do this and soon.

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