Short Stories » The Intelligent Artist

The Intelligent Artist

Very long ago, a one-eyed king was ruling a country. He was fond of arts and crafts. He generously rewards the great artists, poets and craftsmen. However, he was stuck with one major habit. He never liked any person who used to praise him falsely! Simply, he was a man of truth and wanted his people to be true.

The king was born with one eye. He had vision on his right eye and the space for left eye was simply closed with the skin! One day, he wanted to get himself painted and made an announcement. After filtering the talented artists, the king asked three men to draw his face.

He told them, ‘If you do an impeccable job, I will reward you with something you won’t even earn in your life time! If not, you will be severely punished!’

All the three agreed and started to sketch his face.

The first artist showed the painted picture of the king. The king felt bad as the picture showed that one of the eyes was shown blind, though he drawn both eyes. The artist was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years. The king felt that the picture was a dishonor to a ruler showing a physical disability!

The second artist showed the picture and even he was imprisoned for 5 years. The picture depicted the king having vision in both eyes. The king felt he was falsely praising the king to earn reward and it was also considered a matter of dishonoring the king pointing his blindness!

The third artist showed the picture and was rewarded a fortune! The third artist was very clever and he drawn the king’s face with only one eye!

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The Intelligent Artist - Takeaway for Class 1,2,3

Being clever and using your imagination can help you solve problems in creative ways.

The Intelligent Artist - Takeaway for Class 4,5,6

Always be creative and smart, like the artist in the story who cleverly solved his problem with his artistic skills.

The Intelligent Artist - Takeaway for Class 7,8,9

Even if you face challenges, using your creativity and intelligence can help you find clever solutions.

3 Fun Facts

• The artist in the story was clever enough to draw a painting that was so realistic, people thought it was a real scene and even got confused when they couldn't touch the objects in it.
• The King himself got tricked by the artist’s painting and was so impressed by the art that he rewarded the artist generously for his talent and intelligence.
• The story ends with a lesson that intelligence and creativity can sometimes playfully outsmart even the wisest and most powerful people.

Quiz for Class 1,2,3

• What was the artist's special talent that amazed everyone in the story?
• How did the townspeople react when they first saw the artist's work?
• What did the artist use to make his paintings look so real?

Quiz for Class 4,5,6

• What problem did the king face with his trusted minister at the beginning of the story?
• How did the artist convince the king that his painting of a cow was realistic?
• What lesson did the other courtiers learn from the artist's clever idea during the challenge?

Quiz for Class 7,8,9

• What was the main task the villagers wanted the artist to achieve to prove his skill?
• How did the artist cleverly manage to keep the paint from fading on the wall?
• What lesson did the villagers learn by the end of the story regarding art and perception?