The Art History Quiz
Look at the canvas, name the hand behind it. A free online art quiz across 500 years of painting.
Guess the Painter is a free online art history quiz built around one deceptively simple question: who painted this? A canvas appears on screen, four artist names sit below it, and you have one chance to read the brushwork, the palette and the period before you commit. There is no signup, no paywall and no advertising — just 1,200+ paintings by 80+ master painters spanning 22 art movements, from the Italian Renaissance to contemporary practice. Whether you want a quick art trivia round, a way to revise for an art-history class, or a daily habit that sharpens your eye, the quiz meets you where you are.
How the art quiz works
Three modes let you play the way you like:
- Solo — the default art quiz. Unlimited rounds, three lives, three single-use wildcards (50/50, Skip, Hint) and a streak counter that rewards consecutive correct answers. Beat your own best score.
- Duel — a pass-and-play head-to-head for two players on one device. Each has their own name, lives and turn; the last one standing wins. The fastest way to turn an art quiz into a party game.
- Learn — the study-first mode. Each painting arrives with its full context before any question, so you build recognition first and test yourself only when you are ready.
Every correct answer opens a short, optional note: a style tip, the painting's story, and a plain-language "how to identify it next time" callout. The point of the game is not just to score — it is to leave able to tell a Vermeer from a Pieter de Hooch, or a Pollock from a Kline.
What art history you'll learn
Behind the game sits a real art-history curriculum. The paintings are organised across 22 movements, so the quiz doubles as a tour of the Western canon: the Renaissance and the Dutch Golden Age, Baroque and Rococo, Romanticism and Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, the historical avant-gardes — Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism — through Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and the contemporary scene.
Browse the full index of artists or the timeline of movements for a structured route through it all, or read the blog for the hidden details and telltale signs that make each painter recognisable.
Who the quiz is for
It works as a light art trivia game for anyone who enjoys paintings, as a revision tool for art-history students, as a classroom warm-up for teachers, and as a daily eye-training habit for museum-goers who want to walk into a gallery and name what they see. No prior knowledge is required to start — the game teaches as it goes.
Frequently asked questions
Is the art history quiz free?
Yes. Guess the Painter is completely free to play, with no signup, no paywall and no ads. Open the page and start the quiz.
How does the art history quiz work?
A painting appears on screen with four artist names below it. You pick the one who painted it. Each correct answer explains how to recognise that artist's style next time, so you learn as you play.
Which artists and movements does the quiz cover?
Over 80 painters and 1,200 paintings across 22 art movements, from the Italian Renaissance and the Dutch Golden Age through Impressionism, the historical avant-gardes, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and contemporary practice.
Can I play the art quiz on my phone?
Yes. It runs in any modern browser on phone, tablet or desktop — nothing to install.
Is this a good art history quiz for students and teachers?
Yes. Learn mode shows the full context of each painting before you are tested, and every round ends with a plain-language note on how to identify the artist — useful for art-history classes, revision and self-study.