READING GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR
CIRCLES OF CONFUSION

Q. Is an exact copy of a painting less beautiful than the original? Why? If you're viewing a painting, an Old Master, would you find it less beautiful if you learned it was a fake forged in the style of an Old Master? What if it weren’t a copy, but simply painted in a similar style but in modern times?

Q. After his forgeries were uncovered and he was arrested, Han van Meegeren said something along the lines of, “Yesterday people were lined up to pay money to see my painting. Today they wouldn’t cross the street. The painting hasn’t changed. What has?”

Q. We have a tradition of using critics to tell us what we should eat, read or stand in line to see. Critics tell us what’s in, what’s out, what’s good and what’s bad. As a result, the only things available to us are those that have been pre-screened. Do we need these intermediaries? Why or why not?

Q. Will the art that is popular in art galleries and commanding high prices today stand the test of time as Vermeer has?

Q. Vermeer was out of favor as a painter for a long time, then slowly became popular again. Do you think it has anything to do with the scarcity of his paintings?

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