A simple question. Yet, my reply can be paralyzed by how I should answer in a comprehensive manner.

To reply a single answer “Yes” or “No” is too straightforward. Basically, as good as showing ignorance and unimportance to the concern of potential buyers. Or by not replying will eventually turn away a new hope of success.

I have encountered quite frequently as an online seller. Usually, there are the new buyers who worry about receiving a poster print, instead of expecting an actual oil painting reproductions.

Now, I have just mentioned another word “reproduction”. To put it in my words relevant to this post, I would explain, “it is the process of generating duplicate copies from the original production”.

In oil paintings, a manufacturer can also reproduced into a poster print using press machines. To certain extend, there can even be mass produced.

So the foremost is to have an understanding of how to differentiate between a poster print and an oil painting reproduction? Below sharing some key factors to identify them.

1. Paintings done with oils require the colors mixed as the artists work & the colors are never the same, whereas, a poster print rely on the mix of color dye and the precision of the press machines.
2. A poster print will have perfectly smooth and lustrous surface, similar to a photograph. Oil paintings will show up some relief on texture, such as impasto paintings. You will see blobs of paint and the brush-strokes.
3. Prints are run on a press on different weights of paper and they can easily reproduce for mass quantity. Oil paintings require an artist to manually hand paint on the canvas, mass production will be too laborious.
4. Oil paintings, generally fetch a higher price, since it require a skilled artist to reproduce. Poster prints using press will rely on mechanical equipments to duplicate the product. The rate to produce prints are much faster than handmade oil paintings.

Back to the questions of “Will the oil paintings look exactly the same as the picture posted in your store?” With the common understandings listed, I will be able to answer more correctly.

Oil paintings will never be the same as a poster prints. However, experienced artists will try to reproduce as close as the picture posted in their online store.

A slight variant may be visible in contrast with the posted picture. This is typically true, and every online buyers should view and appreciate it as the creativity aspect from artists.

Do you view hand-painted oil painting reproduction as poster print?

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Similar to “The Night Cafe”, by the outbreak of World War I (1914–18), this work owned by Sergei Shchukin were nationalized by Bolsheviks, and now exhibiting in art museum.

As of today, at least 8 of his most expensive work has been sold since last 3 decades, either in auction or private sales. Below showcasing 8 most expensive oil paintings paid, plus 2 more potentially priced paintings. (Inflation adjusted)

1) Portrait of Dr. Gachet (June 1890) – US$138.4 million (Was $82.5 mil)

Vincent van Gogh painted this piece of his work during the last weeks of his life before his suicide. There are two versions of the portrait. Both painted in the same year.

One of the version was sold in May 1990, through an auction at Christie’s, New York, put up by the Siegfried Kramarsky family. The buyer was a Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito.

Since Ryoei Saito’s death in 1996 Reports in 2007 have claimed the painting was sold a decade earlier to the Austrian-born investment fund manager, in turn, had reportedly been forced by financial reversals to sell the painting to parties as yet unknown.

The second version of the portrait is currently in the possession of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.

Portrait of Dr. Gachet 1890, Van Gogh

2) Irises 1889 – US$101.2 million (Was $53.9 mil)

Van Gogh’s passion of painting flowers, has made this highly priced irises paintings sold at US$101.2 million. This brilliant artwork was painted while Vincent van Gogh was living at the asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France in the last year before his death in 1890.

In 1987, put up in an auction (Sotheby’s, New York ). Sold by the son of Joan Whitney Payson to an Australian businessman, Alan Bond. Interestingly, buyer did not have enough money to pay for the bidden price. Eventually, the pieces was re-sold to J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 1990.

It is noticeably that the painting style used wasn’t as hash as the famous Starry Night. Back then, before inflicted by mental derangement, Van Gogh felt that he could keep himself from going insane by continuing to paint.

Irises, 1889, Van Gogh

3) Portrait of Joseph Roulin 1889 – US$$100.9 ++ million (Was $58 mil plus exchange of works)

Sold by in a private sales via a Swiss art dealer and collector, Thomas Ammann, to the Museum of Modern Art new York.

Joseph Roulin was described as the typical bread-winner in the household, during the period of working class in 19^th century France. Working as a postman toiling for money to make ends meet. A father of three children, and a husband of a housewife, who care for home and children.

Van Gogh did different versions of this portrait. In fact, he told his brother Theo in a letter: “I have made portraits of a whole family, that of the postman whose head I had done previously – the man, his wife, the baby, the young boy, and the son of sixteen, all of them real characters and very French, though they look like Russians. ”

Portrait of Joseph Roulin 1889, Van Gogh

4) Portrait de l’artiste sans barbe 1889 – U$94.5 million (Was $71.5 mil)

Sold by the family of Jacques Koerfer, in late 1998, at an auction held in Christie’s, New York. Buyer remain anonymous till these days.

A self-portrait of artist without a beard. Leading fourth in the list of most expensive paintings. Among many with bearded portrait, this work is exceptionally unique and rare; clean-shaven, crispy-looking, hair gel and back-combing, self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh.

Van Gogh, Self-Portrait, without Beard

5) Self-portrait with bandaged ear 1889 – US$90 million (Was 71.5 mil)

This paintings sold in late 1998, at an auction in Chrisie’s, New York. Buyer remain suspected to be anonymous. Recently, reported by Forbes.com on 10^th March, Phlip Niarchos “Eldest son of late Greek shipping magnate, Stavros Niarchos, inherited father’s art collection of such masterpieces as Vincent van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear””

Again, another unique piece of Van Gogh’s paintings, with bandaged ear. Do you know that he actually presented his lower chopped-off part of his ear to a prostitute at his favorite brothel?

Van Gogh, Self-portrait with bandaged ear

6) A Wheatfield with Cypresses 1889 – U$85.7 million (Was $57 mil)

Sold by son of Emil Georg Bührle in a private sale via Steven Mazoh. Buyer was Walter Annenberg, a Jewish-born American publisher, diplomat, and a philanthropist.

Van Gogh painted this while he spend his life in a mental asylum at St. Remy in May 1889. In his written letter to Theo, “...the wheat field in the sun, which represents the extreme heat... “, describing one of his best sun-drenched landscape in summer canvases.

There are 2 variants of this paintings, the other owned by National Gallery, London.

Wheatfield with Cypresses, Van Gogh

7) Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers 1888 – U$76.7 million (Was $39.7 mil)

Yet another related paintings on flowers. Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings was auctioned in 1987, an event held at Christie’s London organized by the daughter in law of Chester Beatty. Buyer was described as a Japanese insurance magnate, by the name of Yasuo Goto. Little was known about the intention of this purchased. Neither was a self-interest in a private sales, nor buying it on the behalf of the company. The painting currently resides at Seiji Togo Yasuda Memorial Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. After the purchase a controversy arose whether this is a genuine van Gogh or an Emile Schuffenecker forgery.

Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, Van Gogh

8.) Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat 1890 – U$64.1 million (Was $47.5 mil)

Sold to Stephen Wynn, an American casino resort/real-estate developer. An unknown seller held a private sale via Acquavella Galleries Inc., New York.

Stephen Wynn has owned an extensive art collection, including Paul Gauguin and Pablo Picasso.

Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat, Van Gogh

Last but not least, below are my 2 guesses on the Van Gogh’s painting artwork, having the ever-potential to be priced highly. Despite the fact of every priceless work already in public domain, both are also well-known for oil painting reproductions.

9) “The Starry Night” – June, 1889. St-Rémy. Current Location: Museum of Modern Art, New York City

10) “The Night Café ” – September, 1888. Arles. Current Location: Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven

What will be your pick? I would be interested to hear your ideas and opinions for the next 2 to complete Van Gogh’s Top 10 most expensive paintings.

Pricing Source

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You would had been done your artwork with painstaking attention, yet drying is another pressing issues for beginners who uses oil color. Waiting time may take even weeks to dry. So what takes oil painting so long time to dry?

For simple fact that oil do not dry by evaporation. The drying of oils is the result of an oxidative reaction, chemically equivalent to slow, flameless combustion. The thicker the coat of paint, the longer the waiting time will be. Having said that, there are 3 basic methods to shorten drying process. Namely, paint with thin layers, use paints ground in linseed oil, and use drying additives.

1. Painting thin layers allows oxidation to permeate into oil layers easier, than thick or multiple layers on top of one another. Thus, shorter time is achieved and it also an added advantage for painting more layers on dryer oil surface.
2. Linseed oil is made from the seeds of the flax plant. It is available in refined and cold-pressed oil. Beside a better and faster drying oil, it also has adds gloss and transparency to paints. It dries very thoroughly, making it’s ideal for under-painting and initial layers in a painting.
3. Cobalt Driers are extremely powerful oxidizing agent. The adverse effect of using this addictive may affect the color of mixtures. So it is advisable to use it sparely. If used in excess they can ruin a painting. Most experienced painters would agree that not more than 5 drops of cobalt drier should be used per each 2 1/2 fluid Oz of any given medium. Basically Cobalt Driers are diluted in the oil painting medium if you are using one. It is harder to control the amount of drier, if directly into the blobs of paint on the palette. In short, Cobalt Driers are used to improve and speed the drying rate of oil colors.

Whatever the methods to increase the rate of drying oil painting, I would say having good patience is still the key factor in learning any art disciplines.

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1) Oil paints

Widely used by most artists and students for centuries, since early Renaissance. Oil paints are made with color pigments, bind with oils. Poppy, linseed and safflower oils are the most common oils used in the paints, giving the characteristic silky texture and gleaming finish of the paint. Traditionally, paint is applied ‘fat over lean’, starting thin and then getting thicker towards the completion of the painting.

Pros:-

• Highly versatile in its forms, applications and techniques. You can use it straight from tube or blend with other colors. And techniques, include knife paintings, alla prima, impasto, glazing, sfumato .

• Easily retouch or re-work, because it take longer time to dry, especially paintings with thick buttery effect of impasto. It is either you paint over when medium is dry, or to wipe away for wet medium.

Cons:-

• Lots of paintings tools and accessories, like color palette, painting knives, bottles of solvents, and painting easel. Thus, need some floor space catered for storage.
• The odor from mixing solvents need good ventilation in studio room. Some people are allergic, and may cause health hazard when inhale too much.

2) Water-mixable Oil Paints

To traditional oil painting artists, this new media may not be a better choice. However, its a preferred media to those who are allergic to the slightest odor of solvents. Very suitable for one who is working in a low ventilated room. Ideal choice is Winson & Newton’s Artisan.

Pros:-

• Hazardous solvent is not necessary. Only require water, easily available from your indoor plumbing.
• Easy to maintain and clean. Drys faster than traditional oil paints, but not as fast as acrylic.

Cons:-

• This is a new media. Generally, there is no disadvantage and probably the going to last for next few decades in oil color media.
• There is one that comes across my thought. Since it is water soluble, what happens if you are in the midst of painting outdoor and it starts to rain? Would be nice to hear your comment if you encounter bad experienced like this.

3) Acrylic paint

Acrylic paint is pigment dispersed in a film of transparent liquid plastic. Only soluble in water when medium is not dry. To reduced the rate of drying, acrylic paint can be mixed with a retarder medium and extender

Pros:-

• Dues to the characteristics of fast drying, it is sometime use as an alternative for oil paints.
• More durable and color permanency, as compared to oil paints. The color remain true to its originally painted, with least chances to turn yellow, crack or mold as time passed by.

Cons:-

• Fast drying may serve it’s purpose if you are skilled and a quick painter. Otherwise, you will spend more time cleaning dried brushes than to focus on painting. Always keep your brushes wet at all time.
• Acrylic paints is resistant to water once it is completely dry. So how can one get rid of the harden tip that has already dried and clog at the tube’s opening? Simplest advice is… always screw back the cap of the tube once unused, don’t leave it dry.

Although you are reading about color painting mediums, I’m also interested to know your point of view in other choices. At the moment, I’m using graphite pencils as my beginner’s choice. Color painting will be next, once I mastered how to draw beautifully.

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At first glance, you can tell its simplicity and straightforwardness of every objects displayed in the bedroom. Not even the simplest technology that exists. No gramophone and no clock, perhaps only a small light bulb on the ceiling that was not included in the painting. Its a small room, where most would not want to live in. Despite being dull for an interior design like this, Van Gogh has painted his bedroom with lots of bright colors and great contrast, yet without subtlety of tones. By examine closer, you will see his thick oil paint and brushstrokes are laid on top of each colored surface. It creates vibrancy, textures, and bold used of colors on simple items. It is also one of his characteristics in all his painting artwork, namely, his impasto technique.

Being poor at that time, he only had the room essentials. The double bed plays an important part of his painting, which is also his main wooden furniture. There is no wardrobe, but a few of his coats and a straw hat hanging at the far-right of the wall. Beside this personnel clothing, he had also hanged a few paintings on the wall near to the bed. A pair of portrait paintings, and underneath another drawings in white frames. On top of the two pillows, hang a landscape painting. Bed sheet is in yellow color, with high contrast against the warm red blanket; most prominent at the center of this painting. On both sides there are two shut doors that create sort of ‘framing’, aligned with the empty forefront wooden floor.

The chairs are in pairs, to provide simple hospitality to someone who visits him. A bedside table, placed with a jug of water and a washing bowl. Above it, a hanging mirror which regards as important item for him who is self-conscience of own appearance. A towel is close by, hanging from a nail next to the mirror. There is a window on the far end that allows most of the day light to shine into the room. The overview of his bedroom is tidy, all the items are in place, creating a sense of being organized and independence living.

All in all, I guess the most important aspect of the painting is the angled perspective drawn in this artwork. The view is quite similar to “The Night Café”, that Van Gogh depicted a situation that is totally opposite. The scale of the bedroom is much smaller and compact. Now, the question for you is, at which eye level did Van Gogh view and painted his bedroom?

To my observation, he could be possibly sitting on a chair, or even on a low stool. If you look closely at his artwork, the bedroom actually painted to include a small portion of the ceiling. That top corner of his bedroom is visibly located above the bed. A straight corner line on the far right, drawn upward that diverge into 2 smaller lines showing sign of the ceiling. It is at this point where the entire view creates a whole different perspective. This can easily prove by just covering the corner or remove it by image editing. The view of the painting changes, just like you are looking at it while standing up. Van Gogh’s painting is exceptionally sensitive and intelligent.

Van Gogh Bedroom, Oil Paining on Canvas, Arles, 1888

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This is an excerpt from the book “Art Theory For Beginners” by Richard Osborne and Dan Sturgis. As a beginner, I have enjoy reading this nice handy book. With simple English and cartoon illustrations to help better understanding. Below on the topic of “The Invention of Oil Painting”

The invention of oil painting was another big change for art. This technology was not developed in Italy but in Flanders by Jan van Eyck 1385 – 1441. The Flemish thought it such a wonderful invention that they tried to keep it a state secret. Before oil painting, most painting was fresco, which, when you think about it, was Roman tradition, or what is called tempra, which is a quick drying opaque paint. Van Eyck discovered that you could suspend pigment in linseed oil, and then apply it to carefully prepared wooden boards, thereby creating a slow drying paint that could be worked on over extended periods of time. The development of oil paint was a huge discoveries; it resulted in far more realistic painting being made, as the application of thin glazes allowed a whole new level of naturalism to be achieved. Suddenly these new hyper-naturalistic paintings become portable, more resilient to changes in climate, and consequently far more of a commodity to be bought and sold. The invention of oil painting is an good example of how technological developments effect art.

Art Theory For Beginners

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• Hue – The aspect of color that distinguished it from another color. It is easily identify as rich and pure pigment. Such as cadmium red color, ultramarine blue color, lemon yellow color, or emerald green color.

Color Hue for Oil Painting

• Value – The aspect of color that determined how much light or darkness. In other words, the amount of white present in the color. Red color with lower value or too light, will turn palish, instead of cadmium red.

Color Value for Oil Painting

• Intensity – The aspect of color that control the dominance of hue, describing how vivid or dull it is compared to its pure quality. Lesser saturation of blue will turn grayish, instead of ultramarine blue.

Color Intensity for Oil Painting

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Cultural difference between the Western or Chinese paintings may, however, convey a different meanings of color. One of the commonly used color, such as red color, maybe use to express anger or warmth. On the contrary , the Chinese paintings has a different interpretation on its significance; red color is use to express luck and prosperity.

Below listed some of the basic colors describing the meanings.

• BLUE: peace, professionalism, youth, truth, loyalty, reliability, peace, honor, melancholia, boredom, coldness, Winter, depth, stability, professionalism, honor, trust
• YELLOW: attention-grabbing, wisdom, comfort, liveliness, cowardliness, hunger, optimism, overwhelm, joy, Summer, comfort, liveliness, intellect, happiness, energy
• PURPLE: power, royalty, nobility, elegance, sophistication, artificial, luxury, mystery, royalty, elegance, magic, lavender
• RED: warmth, love, anger, danger, confidence, courage, excitement, speed, strength, determination, desire, courage
• BROWN: relaxing, confident, casual, reassuring, nature, earthy, solid, reliable, genuine, Autumn, endurance
• GREEN: durability, life, fertility, reliability, environmental, luxurious, optimism, well-being, nature, calm, relaxation, Spring, safety, honesty, optimism, harmony, freshness
• GRAY: conservatism, traditionalism, intelligence, serious, dull, uninteresting
• ORANGE: cheerfulness, low cost, affordability, enthusiasm, stimulation, vitality with endurance, creativity
  BLACK: Elegance, sophistication, formality, power, strength, illegality, depression, morbidity, night
• WHITE: Cleanliness, purity, newness, virginity, peace, innocence, simplicity, sterility, snow

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Below described how he define his painting technique derive by his expressive thoughts, with details of repeating lines, feelings, speed and with details of the blue sky, glittering stars, and circling of lights round the moon.

His painting achieved its final maturity as he himself was being subjected to frequent and increasingly nervous attacks. He reached a stage of expressive desperation that made him shout out in line and color all his feelings of bitterness and reject any sort of restraint that might impose more order, more reflection, more patience. It seems as though he sensed the end was near, and he painted at speed, throwing himself furiously into his work, producing an amazing number of paintings, particularly when one considers how often he was incapacitated by illness. This detail from his best known work of the period reminds us of “the cry of anguish” that Vincent himself described: the clouds, the stars and the moon cut through the dense and deep blue sky, accompanied by the rotating haloes, like meteors bearing threateningly down on the earth. Color is associated with obsessively repeated lines that transform reality into an apocalyptic vision. Van Gogh’s soul explodes in a scream and it seems as though his entire life experience has been poured into the painting: the bitterness that he felt about all the things he would have liked to have done, but was not allowed to do, the admission of his solitude and the certainty that only art could recompense him for all his disappointments. Yet again, it is Vincent himself who best summed it up: “When all sound is still one hears the voice of God beneath the stars.”

Drop by to check out my store here, featuring Van Gogh’s reproductions by the talented Chinese artist from Fujian Province.

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1. Format of the oil paintings to narrow a focused the subject in a composition. The choice is whether a vertical portrait or a horizontal landscape format fits better. One can visualize a single figure in the portrait doesn’t favorably fit into a horizontal landscape format, the focus subject may, however, distracted by the excess of ‘emptiness’ on both side.
2. The size and shape of the wall that you will hang your oil paintings. Vertically tall and narrow wall doesn’t blend so well with a oil painting that is in landscape format. And for a large elongated wall, a larger piece of art is therefore, necessary to avoid looking like a postage stamp on the wall.
3. Visibility of portrait oil paintings within enclosed premises. The further the painting frame that you are going to view, the bigger the size is required for better visibility. Small art portrait will only ‘lost’ in a large room.
4. Size of your furniture over which your portrait oil painting will be displayed. Ideally for portrait format, the width is half the measurement of the furniture below, such as a couch or a king size bed. Or if your chosen oil painting is in landscape form, the requirement will be three-quarter of the width of your furniture below.

One of the most practical way to visualise the appropriate canvas dimension is to use brown paper or old news paper; measure and cut it into the right canvas size, use double sided adhesive tape, and paste it on the wall you want it to hang. Now, walk backwards till you can see the entier room from left to right. If nothing seem to be noticeable, it simply tells that the simulated ‘painting’ size has unsignaficantly change the entire room.

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