Ever wanted to escape the rat race, devote your life to art and live solely on wine, baguettes and frenzied critical acclaim?
Well, you can at least try in Passpartout: Starving Artist. Starting out in your ramshackle Paris studio, you’re given as many blank canvases as you like and a basic set of painting tools.
The idea is to sell enough art to buy more than just baked goods and vino. Make enough money and you’ll buy a fancier studio and make a name for yourself in the art world.
Buyers will come and go, offering critiques and – maybe – buy some of your work.
So what happened when we tried to make it as an artist?
Act 1: Les prémices
We started with simple landscapes: grass, mountains, a river and a few crude swirly clouds. Then a starry night and, well, more basic mountain vistas. It was enough to pay the bills. We sold them all for around 40-60 Euros.
It was our desert landscape that caught the eye of a roaming critic. In his write-up for The Daily Bagle, we were described as a “a promising young artist” with an “interesting future”. Paris, we’ve arrived.
Act 2: L'étoile montante
As we moved into our new, shabby-chic studio, we thought we’d better start being more ambitious with our work. A brief Mondrian-influenced period was not well received. Dismayed, we returned to landscapes.
A piece depicting sunshine peeking through vivid violet trees sold for over €1,000, and, as we developed our craft further, a trio of impressionistic spray-dot paintings were a sensation. Some sold for over €3,000.
Not long after this, we received a letter from a mysterious benefactor, Don. He offered us a slick new studio and clients who are the crème de la crème of the art scene. Only a fool would say no to this offer, he said. And he was right. We couldn’t refuse.
Act 3: Grand Maître
So this is it. A fancy studio, a string of clients and a little critical appreciation to feed the ego. But are we really, truly happy? Have we started to value critical acclaim and money over our art? It’s starting to feel like a rat race all over again. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Épilogue
Passpartout: Starving Artist is a subtle exploration of the tensions between creativity and commercialism. It’s also, let’s not forget, brilliant fun and it changes each time you play.
If you’ve ever wondered how you’d fare in the art world, Passpartout is a hugely entertaining way to find out. Achetez dès maintenant.