The Generic Game

Sometimes historical details aren’t necessarily required (gasp!) for one to appreciate and enjoy a work of art. Sometimes it takes time standing in front of work that you first thought was boring and not worth your time to see that perhaps it isn’t so bad after all. Later on, after you’ve been inspired, you can look up the particulars.

The masterminds at Project Muse have created “The Generic Game” to help those with no art or history backgrounds to appreciate various aspects of a work of art. The game works best if you play with a friend – or even with a stranger also looking at the same piece as you. Don’t forget, galleries and museums are social spaces, so don’t be afraid to talk about what you’re seeing. You can play the game with any work of art you like, but try it here with the painting below. Simply work through the easy (and slightly abbreviated) questions below:

Before the Storm, 1887

Homer Watson

Pre-game question: Do you like this work of art? Why or why not?

1) Look carefully at the work of art. What colours do you see?

2) What do you see in the work in front of you? Take turns listing objects.

3) What is going on in the work of art? List what you see, no matter how small.

4) Does anything you have noticed so far in this work remind you of something in your own life?

5) Is this art work true to life? How real has the artist made things look?

6) What ideas or emotions do you think this work expresses?

7) Do you have a sense of how the artist must have felt when he or she made this work? Does it make you feel one way or another?

8) Take a look at other works displayed around it. Do they look alike? What is similar about the way they look? How are they different? (Try comparing other images on this site)

9) What would you have called this work if you had made it yourself? Does the actual title of the work make sense to you?

10) Think back on your observations. What have you discovered from looking at this work? What have you learned about yourself or others?

Post-game question: Do you like this work of art? Why or why not?

Now, try answering the questions looking at a much more modern piece:

Joyce Wieland, Oh Canada, 1971.

If you feel any more attached or interested in these works after playing the game, or feel that you somehow know more about them than you did before you played - the game was a success. You'll have even more satisfaction playing with someone else, as you'll find that you'll learn more about that other person as well. I take the game with me every time I visit a gallery with a friend, as it makes the visit so much more meaningful.