Quiz: Can you identify the forgery?
THE CRAFTSMAN is a darkly ironic examination of authenticity. What defines the value of art?
Originally produced during Lantern Theater Company’s 2017/18 season and streaming March 2–28, 2021 as part of our new Plays from the Lantern Archives program, The Craftsman ponders the authenticity of art and the art world. Does a piece of art have value, no matter whose signature is in the corner? What makes a masterpiece? And who gets to decide the answers to these questions: the artist, the critic, or the audience?
Museums and collectors pay a premium for a painting attributed to a master, and — as we see in the play — some critics make their name by identifying new entries to an artist’s canon. For the unscrupulous, this is an opportunity. If they can sacrifice their own name, forgers can stand to profit handsomely by painting works attributable to other, more famous artists. Some copy works directly, while others create new works in the style of revered artists. In all cases, though, the work is shrouded in mystery; no matter how aesthetically worthwhile a piece is, its value often lies in its attribution, not its beauty.
This scheme relies on human pride. The forger counts on those with the means to purchase important art being unwilling to look foolish should that work be revealed as fake. If the museum or collector chooses to protect its reputation rather than seek the truth publicly, a forged piece can continue to circulate — and its creator can continue to profit — indefinitely, to the secret satisfaction of the forger.
Ultimately, fakes are identifiable by subtle differences in materials and styles, or by errors in the created backstory provided with the work. Would you be able to tell the difference? Have one more look at these images: which is the fake and which is the genuine Vermeer?
The image on the left is the forgery: Han van Meegeren’s Lady Reading Music. It was inspired by Vermeer’s Woman in Blue Reading a Letter, pictured at right.
Try your hand at a few more forgeries with our interactive quiz. You’ll see pairs of paintings; one is real and the other is not. Can you spot the fakes?
Let us know how you did in the comments! The Craftsman is part of Plays from the Lantern Archives, a new program celebrating some of the finest productions from recent Lantern seasons, brought vividly back to life on screen. This world premiere performance was professionally filmed with a live theater audience in November 2017, and is streaming March 2–28, 2021. Visit our website for tickets and information.
