museum-art

1# museum-art: Public-Domain Artwork for Visuals
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3> Standing rule (adopted 2026-07-24, from Eric Li's post on museum open-access): **whenever a visual needs a real image with aesthetic weight, source public-domain museum artwork first** - over AI-generated imagery and over generic stock. Curated, historically significant art reads as credible and sophisticated; AI-gen reads as slop. This stacks with, and reinforces, the `no-ai-slop` skill and your house image style. It does NOT replace the generative `editorial-illustrations` skill (that owns claim-driven diagrams/figures) or your house chart style - use museum art for photographic/hero/decorative/mood imagery, generative figures for data and concept diagrams.
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5## When to reach for this
6- Blog post hero images, section breaks, mood imagery (the blog-publish image step).
7- Deck/slide backgrounds and section dividers, social cards, essay figures, spec cover art.
8- Any time the instinct is "generate an image" for something decorative or evocative. Stop and pull a real painting instead.
9- NOT for: product screenshots, UI mockups, data charts, logos, or claim-driven explanatory diagrams (those are editorial-illustrations / real captures).
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11## Decision: which source
121. **Met -> Cleveland -> SMK first.** All keyless, one JSON hop, CC0/PD, broad collections. Fastest path to a hi-res image.
132. **Need Dutch/Flemish masters or decorative arts?** Rijksmuseum (keyless, 3 hops).
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