Learn English – Why “original painting” and not “genuine painting”

confusable

"This is a copy; the original painting is in the Louvre museum". Why can't we use the word "genuine" (not a copy or a fake), instead of "original?"

Best Answer

The word original works better when there is only one work in question:

This is a copy; the original Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre.


The word genuine could work if we are talking about something that is not a forgery or a reproduction:

This is a genuine Manet painting.

means that Manet painted it; it's not some facsimile of a Manet work.


In some contexts, either word could be used:

His whole life, he saved money, hoping one day to buy a genuine Picasso.

His whole life, he saved money, hoping one day to buy an original Picasso.

Both of those refer to a work created by Picasso's hand, although the first carries a slight connotation of "as opposed to a replica."