| title | locale | cefr | key | reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Accidental Masterpiece |
en |
c2 |
accidental-masterpiece |
1 |
In the tranquil corridors of the City Museum, Geoffrey, the new assistant, awaited the delivery of the latest work by the master painter known only as Brush.
The door opened and a delivery woman came in carrying a large canvas covered in stunning colours. She was not carrying it properly.
"Be careful!" shouted Geoffrey, taking the frame from her.
"Whatever," she said, before barging past him and into the Curator's office, carrying lots of paperwork.
Geoffrey carefully took the painting to the most prestigious location within the museum, and hung it on the wall.
The next day, the whole art world had come to the museum to gaze upon the masterpiece. The room was brimming with visitors from dawn till dusk. Even before the day was over, the papers were printing the critics' opinions of the new work. They were amazed by its 'explosive riot of colours', its 'bold chromatic assertion' and 'deep, raw emotional resonance.'
Over the next week, as more people read the critics' articles, more people visited the museum than ever before, and the Curator was delighted. The room where the masterpiece was on display heaved with people all day long. They discussed increasingly profound interpretations of the work, deciphering the 'brave exploration of form and colour,' and discussing its 'visceral impact on the psyche of the viewer.'
Then at the end of the week, before he locked the museum up, Geoffrey heard a knock. A delivery man had arrived.
"I apologise profusely for being a week late with this delivery," he said, as he carefully handed Geoffrey the real artwork.
Geoffrey's confusion didn't last long. Moments after the delivery man left, the same delivery woman from before came out of the Curator's office with the Curator.
"Oh, you've met Jennifer, our Cleaner, haven't you?" said the Curator.
"Oh, we met," said the Cleaner. "You bumped into me when I was taking one of the dirty canvasses from the restoration department out to the bin. Why on earth did you want it? Is that another one you're carrying?"
Geoffrey realised his mistake, and knew there was no way to hide it. He had to tell the Curator and the Cleaner. The Curator turned white, while Jennifer fell to the floor in hysterical laughter.
The Curator had to issue a statement. Overnight, the critics wrote and published vehement retractions, explaining how their earlier articles should have been interpreted as satirical or sarcastic.
The real artwork was swapped in, and the critics came again. This time they were cautious before they praised it, but the real artwork's value was hard to deny. The detail was magnificent, and there was no doubt that only the enigmatic painter known as Brush could have produced it. They wrote new articles discussing its 'profound exploration of the human condition' and its 'fine balance between what is and what is not'.
Once things had calmed down, Geoffrey found himself once more among the museum's tranquil corridors. Then he happened to notice that day's newspaper. The headline read: "Identity of the Artist Known as Brush, Revealed." There was a photo of Jennifer the Cleaner. Underneath, it read, "Artist also reveals title for latest work: Dirty Canvas".