Online Users Criticized Real Monet Painting Labeled as AI-Generated

An anonymous conceptual artist posted a cropped image of a real Monet painting on X last week and labeled it as AI-generated. The post asked users to describe in detail what made the image inferior to an authentic Monet work. Users responded with detailed critiques of the painting's composition, color choices, and depth.

One comment ran more than 700 words and described the image as "cluttered slop" that achieved "like 20%" of a real Monet.

Oil painter Kendric Tonn disagreed with the negative assessments and noted visible planes, reflections, and believable paint texture. V. Marraccini identified the image as a detail from an actual late-period Monet based on brush stroke patterns. The artist later revealed the painting was authentic and created around 1915.

It currently hangs in the Neue Pinakothek museum in Munich, Germany. Some critical comments were deleted after the reveal, though screenshots preserved the original responses.

A 2024 study published in Nature found that participants downgraded artworks after learning they were AI-generated, even when they had previously preferred them. Researchers noted participants could not consistently distinguish between human-made and AI-created images.

The experiment aligns with earlier findings on how source labels affect artistic judgment. Commentator Fabio Ciucci observed that people often mistake real images for AI fakes when told they are artificial.