Oil Canvas Signed

Oil Canvas Signed

Learn The Tips Of Fine Art Reproduction

Nearly everybody loves fine art, and chances are you too would want to have a specimen displayed in your home. After all, who wouldn't want a da Vinci, a Rembrandt, a Monet, a Renoir, a Goya, a Constable, a Van Gogh, a Cezanne, a Matisse, a Picasso, or a Dali to adorn their walls?

High art has been there since the dawn of civilization, but since the Renaissance i.e. the fourteenth century onwards, there is a deluge of sculptures, murals, gouache, watercolor, and oil paintings to choose from. In the closing decades of the last century, digital art too has made its way into the ranks of fine art.

Masterpieces don't come cheap

The problem lies with the finances. Possessing an original painted by the likes of those mentioned above could set you back by millions of dollars. Only a handful of art galleries, museums or billionaire private collectors can afford to have a painting by such luminaries in their collection. Does that mean the not so rich art lovers cannot have a painting at home to marvel at, or to lift their minds above the mundane? Of course they can! In such a situation, fine art reproduction can come to your rescue.

Copies

An obvious way to get a great painting for your home is to go for a copy. There are artists specializing in copying the work of masters. Such copies are hand-painted by on real canvas, using real oil paints. The artists also try their best to make the copies as near identical to the original as possible. While you can hardly expect the class of the original, you can have the satisfaction that it is a genuine oil painting, done on canvas with real oil paint instead of being a paper poster.

The flipside is that:

A copy is painted by a trained and skilled artist, using expensive equipment and oil paint, and taking a lot of time. As a result it might still be too expensive for your budget. The touch of masterful genius is bound to be absent. The great artists were, well, great artists after all.

Paper prints

Fine art has been reproduced in the print form since the 1900s, with the advancement of printing technology. Various techniques have been used, the best among them being offset lithography.

These techniques can make "museum quality", high fidelity prints of the original artwork. And both have been a boon for art lovers on a budget who would still want to possess a fine art specimen or two for their homes or workplaces.

Offset litho

Color offset lithography is a photomechanical process of commercial printing where tiny dots in four colors are printed in different sizes. The overall effect is to produce an illusion of rich colors and minute detail. Before that, the original artwork is scanned using large format drum scanners and a series of negatives and plates made.

Original Prints

If you are thinking about buying an "original print", the artist who created the original has to create the copy too, or at least have total creative control over the printing process. The artist also certifies such prints by signing on the bottom right hand margin.

Printing on canvas

The latest craze in the fine art reproduction market is the print on canvas. The reasons are easy to see. The rich color tones and high color fidelity on the medium most suited to fine art can recreate the magic of the original like no other. And you should rightly be proud of possessing such a beautiful work of art.

About the Author

Matthew Barton is an expert in various fields including Pictures on canvas, Fine Art reproduction and Giclee Printing

What is the value of my Lee Reynolds painting?

30 x 48 in oil on canvas signed Lee Reynolds, has 18 Canadian Geese flying in clouds, earth tones, number on back, no gallery initials, purchased mid 60s early 70s? no damage, original frame, we're the only owner. can anyone give me an idea of it's value if determined to be original? What's the next step in finding out?

Hi Danae,

Lee Reynolds paintings have yet to take off. You can currently find them on ebay selling for about $150. Depending on the subject matter you might get a few hundred more. But I'm afraid geese and clouds isn't a very hot item.

In time he may find an audience; but right now, if you enjoy the painting, that's worth a great deal.

Here's a website to give you an idea of his current value.

http://www.usedvancouver.com/classified-ad/772314&category=art-paintings