Art Reproduction has been going on for centuries; I can personally date it as far back as the 15th century with reproductions of woodblock illustrations. Even, the famous Italian painter, Raphael who was impressed with copper engravings had prints made of his own designs. However, it’s the hand painted art reproductions of famous paintings that have really begun to flourish in the 21st century.
The fine art reproduction of classic masterpieces and famous oil paintings is undoubtedly the closest alternative there is to owning an original piece of art. This is where a professional artist will faithfully replicate another painting. The artist will hand-paint the replica using oil paints onto canvas just like the original, whether it’s a fine art reproduction of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus to an art reproduction of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, anybody who loves art can commission a reproduction oil painting for usually less than £300.
However, is or can an art reproduction ever be as good as the original? To answer this question we have to consider the four quality levels of fine art reproduction. Commercial, medium, high and then top quality also known as museum quality art reproductions. Museum quality reproduction paintings are the crème de la crème, the best in the industry and yes if the artist is accomplished and technically skilled enough, the art reproduction can be as good as the original. However, on the downside, there are many cheap art reproduction companies out there on the web and unfortunately if you are going to pay peanuts for an oil painting reproduction then there is a high probability that the customer is going to be sorely disappointed with what will usually be a sub-standard art copy. Meaning that the art reproduction will lacks detail, accuracy and is usually so different from the original that you’d have wished you had just bought the poster.
The lesson to learn if you want to commission an art reproduction painting that is as good as the original is to shop around first. Look at art examples on art reproduction websites first and compare them yourself to the original. If there aren’t many examples on their website, why is this? Is it because their art reproductions are quite poor quality and are not accurate enough for them to be on there. Another tip is to Google the name of your chosen reproduction company and see if there are any reviews written about them from previous customers.
Yes there are art reproduction paintings that are as good as the original; just make sure you do your homework first.
Interesting post. Thank you!