Artle (National Gallery of Art)

About Artle (National Gallery of Art)

Artle was launched in May 2022 by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, built by its digital product team as a museum answer to the daily guessing games of that year. Every day it chooses one artist, and the works it shows all come from the gallery's own collection; a member of the museum's education staff picks them.

You start with a single artwork and choose the artist from a drop-down list, so spelling is never a problem. A wrong guess earns a red cross and reveals a second work by the same artist, then a third and a fourth. Players often note that the first works shown are the less famous ones, so even a well-known painter can take a few tries.

When you get it, the game links to the artwork and the artist in the gallery's online collection, and you can share a spoiler-free row of coloured squares. The museum has said a good share of its players go on to explore the collection online.

It suits anyone with an interest in art history, and it teaches you to recognise an artist's style across different kinds of work.

How to play Artle (National Gallery of Art)

1. Open Artle on nga.gov and look at the first artwork.
2. Start typing an artist's name and choose from the list.
3. If you are wrong, look at the next work by the same artist; you have four in all.
4. When you are right, follow the link to learn about the artist and the works.

Tips

• Look at technique and subject, not just the famous works: the early images are often lesser-known pieces.
• Medium narrows the field quickly: a print, a photograph and an oil painting point to different artists.
• Use the drop-down list to check spellings of names you half remember.

Questions