Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Artistic Reproductions Can Be Worth Their Position In A House

By Paul Cleary


In a family there may be a family resemblance between children but they are usually very different in appearance and character. This is despite the fact that their parents have gone about reproducing them in very much the same way each time. It is the same with art reproductions. Each one is unique.

An artist who sets out to reproduce a famous masterpiece has some things to his advantage. He does not have to go through the pain of conceiving an idea from scratch. His subject will not move and nor will details shift. The basic composition will have been done and his challenge will be to emulate a master. That is easier said than done.

The advent of photography and other technologies that enable the reproduction of images had big implications for artists. However the value of original work that in a subtle war reflects the personality of the artists has, if anything, become more valuable. The distinction between photography and painting is illustrated by the fact that artists now often work from photographs to create original paintings.

Individuality is the important thing about children, about original paining and about reproductions of masterpieces done by artists. If a reproduction is done by an artist using brush and paint there will be a subtle imprint of his unique character left on his work. Ironically, the greater his effort to remain faithful to the original the greater will be the individual excellence of the reproduction. Flaws and perfections are part of art whether they are present in original works or in reproductions of them.

This is the reasoning behind online sites that sell reproductions of well known masterpieces. The market for the actual works becomes smaller as wealth accumulates in fewer and fewer hands. However, reproductions are much more affordable and so there is a bigger market for them. Although they are each slightly different reproductions have their own excellence. In some technical respects they may even be better than the originals, though falling short in others and not having the rarity value.

After all, there is a fallible human being behind every original masterpiece. Flaws are a significant part of the difference between manufacture and art. They might kindly be called idiosyncrasies if they are distinguishing features of an artist's work. The work of Picasso can be photographed or machine copied but its incredible value lies largely in its originality of conception and execution.

A reproduction Picasso could be indistinguishable from the original. The discrepancy in price could be due almost totally to the reputation and rarity value of the original. For someone who loves art and can appreciate the aesthetic qualities of a work, a reproduction could serve all the purposes of art save the investment issue.

The art world is vibrant and alive. Art reproductions are an interesting aspect of it because they may be accessed online and bought for affordable prices. For someone who appreciates the qualities of great paintings but cannot afford to attend auctions in person a discrete online purchase can afford him the enduring satisfaction of a work that is as good as the original that he would never be able to afford.




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