What's 'Original Fake'?
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
04 June 2026
Nowadays, an oxymoronic term 'original fakes' is quite in vogue among the buyers and 'connoisseurs' of artworks. Original is original and fake is fake. If one can afford to have an original Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) or Max Ernst (1891-1976), it's great but their copies and fakes are just unacceptable to a cognoscente.
How can a fake be original? If one is to adorn the walls of his/her bedroom or drawing room with a master's painting, one must buy the original work. By purchasing a fake one, such buyers do injustice to the masters and lower their level. Years ago, I saw a painting by the legendary Flemish artist and diplomat Peter Paul Rubens at a gentleman's place, who had 'fine' tastes. He retired as a top brass from the Services. I'm no art critic. Neither can I detect very subtle flaws on the canvas. Yet I had a lurking doubt that the painting was fake. My doubt was confirmed by my late friend and mentor Dr Zaifa Ashraf, who could discern the dull outlines of buttocks of the female nudes in the fake painting. Those who've closely observed Rubens' paintings, know that he drew callipygian (having a firm and fleshy derriere) beauties in the buff, accentuating the outlines of their opulent posteriors. But the painter of the fake wasn't so discerning. Later the gentleman, who owned the painting, admitted to having bought the fake one from a spurious art dealer in Florence, Italy.
There're fairly good Indian painters like Ganesh Payne, Ramkinkar Baij (both belonging to Bengal school and Shantiniketan style), Nandlal Bose, S H Raza, F N Souza and the great Gaitonde. Their works aren't that costly. Art lovers can buy their paintings. But European, esp. Renaissance, masters have always been out of the range of even the affluent people. So, one has to make do with the fake ones, drawn by their clones. You can't eat the cake and have it too.
This 'original fake' or clone culture has given birth to all sorts of substandard trends in all spheres of life. Yesterday's cheap orchestra singers singing (or screaming?) at wedding receptions and birthday parties have become today's Rafi and Kishore Kumar (you know the 'singers' I'm alluding to). Nowadays, pirated versions of all things are more in demand. This makes one wonder why do humans feel drawn to the compromised or substandard versions? Psychologists have found that an average human mind is drawn to all things that are pedestrian and plebeian. So very true. Otherwise, how'll you account for the trend of listening to Rafi's immortal numbers in the effeminate voice of Sonu Nigam, who can't even distinguish between 'Kaaf' and 'Qaaf' ; 'Ghain' and 'Gaaf' and sings in a Faridabadi accent? Agreed, genuine connoisseurs of music and true fans of Rafi will never listen to Sonu Nigam's pathetic versions, but such listeners are few and far between.
A majority of people lack discernment and subtle tastes in spite of their wealth and 'education'. So, obviously they'll go for Sonu Nigam despite having access to Rafi's songs and musically challenged listeners on the internet will opt for Sam Griffiths instead of the original and redoubtable Frank Sinatra. Our proclivity to use lowly and social media lingo in our everyday conversations is yet another proof that inferior things, practices and hobbies naturally appeal to us. We're not enamoured of the originality. Fake and artificial stir our heart and soul. In human existence, crass has a much greater appeal than the class. Alas, " Ab na woh dil, na din, na woh deewane rahe/ Ab na woh saaz, na sur, na woh gaane rahe/ Ae Saaqi tu yahan kis ke liye baitha hai/ Ab na woh jaam, na woh mai, na woh maikhane rahe. " I've deliberately left this beautiful quatrain untranslated lest my trite English translation should spoil its pristine exquisiteness. After all, translation is not an original work because it mimics the original! It's the reverse side of an embroidery or a turning over a brocade.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/whats-original-fake-/d/140263
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