Category: buying paintings

Buying Paintings: Precisionism

Also known as Cubist Realism, and related to the Art Deco movement, Precisionism was developed in the United States after World War I. The term for this movement was coined in the 1920s, and influenced by the Cubist and Futurist movements; the main themes for these paintings were mainly regarding industrialization and modernization of the American landscape. These elements were depicted with the use of precise and sharply defined geometrical shapes, a reverence for the industrial age, but with social commentary not a directly fundamental part.

The degrees of abstraction ran the spectrum as some works had photo realistic qualities, and though the movement had no presence outside of the United States, the artists that made up this particular grouping were a closely knit collective remaining active through to the 1930s. Georgia OKeefe remained as one of the leading proponents of this style, and stayed so for many years afterwards until the 1960s, her husband was a highly regarded mentor for the group. In a post post-Expressionist phase of life in the art world, Precisionism has affected and influenced the movements of magic realism which utilizes aspects such as juxtaposing of forward movement with a sense of distance, and pop art in which themes from mass culture were used to define art much there forward.

Just after the 1950s began, the movement of pop art was clear in places such as Britain and the United States, and employed elements of advertising and comic books to create a foundation that might have been taken as a reaction to the then popular movement of abstract expressionism. Though the term wasnt coined until 1958, it was later linked with Dadaism from the beginning of the century, and at one point was called Neo-Dada because of the strong influence from artist Marcel Duchamp. Later affecting artists like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, bringing the definition to come to mean one of low-cost mass-produced and gimmicky artwork, and stressing everyday values with common sources like product packaging and celebrity photographs.

By exploring that fraction of everyday imagery, the artists found themselves working with contemporary consumer culture, and this became apparent in parts of Britain, Spain, and Japan around the same point in time. In Britain in particular, where pop art seemed to stem from at that point in 1947, and many works began blurring the boundaries between art and advertising. Whereas in Spain, the movement became interrelated with the new figurative, the work arose from the roots of informalism which began to be a critical aspect in this part of the world.

In Japan, pop art has been seen and utilized throughout much of the countrys native artwork through such means as Anime and the superflat styles of art, and became the means through which the artists could further critique their own culture through a more satirical lens. When choosing a stimulating piece by these artists, it may be a more invigorating exercise to find some of those other artists to whom these later artists owe much of their inspiration towards their own work, and Precisionism is just as appropriate a place to start for you as anywhere else in the artistic spectrum.

Today, Precisionism can be seen as fundamental influence in commercial and popular art, but cannot be too overlooked as being one of a few different movements to affect our present day stance on arts utility and functions. With the postmodern present coming to light, maybe we shall once again be drawn back to the past that we have come to take for granted too often, and reveal a new age to define a new century of experience.

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Buying paintings: Surrealism

Surrealists were a group of painters and artists that drew a large amount of inspiration from the potent impact from dreams. In the beginning, before this artistic movement was fully embraced, many civilized people questioned the value of these works of art. Though considered some of the more recent ground-breaking artwork yet to date by drawing on the psychoanalytic work of Freud and Jung, the Surrealist movement has not lost any of its’ prior affect on many a budding artist today, and influence from this art can be found in many of the works produced by the fresh artists of today.

Surrealism started as an outgrowth from another movement in the art world between the first and second World Wars. The movement that was later called Dada, and was most popular before the occurrence of WWI; many works of “anti-art” were produced as a reaction to the growing restrictions of the social world around at the time. Where Dada’s artwork was produced to deliberately defy the boundaries of reasonable interpretation, Surrealism expressed a more positive goal of combining a sense of the fantastic with a realistic eye, and creating a bold vision that took the idea of the surreal to the next level.

It is when reviewing the more creative and remarkable artists of this era, that one can come to realize the appeal and effect that the dreamy state of being has had on the art as a whole, and a person can come to grasp a more personal aspect to these unique interpretations of some of the issues that affect us today. Art is constantly being redefined from within, and it is solely upon the artist’s shoulders to weigh out the experience onto a canvas. It has been said that art imitates life and vice versa, but with Surrealism, the tables are certainly turned around when seen for oneself.

Artists and free thinking individuals such as; Andre Breton whom wrote the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, to famed artist Pablo Picasso to whom Surrealistic success was achieved during his period of Cubism. Some of those artists who are now renowned as predecessors to the Surrealist movement began as affiliates of the Dadaism that was strongest during 1919 and the early 1920s, and some of those artists even took Surrealism to greater heights than before. Such as Marcel Duchamp who took to defying the boundaries in stride with his previous experience in the Dada movement.

Though some pieces can seem happenstance from a distance, the powerful intent of the artist to convey a new meaning through mixing up and recombining various creative influences, and even at times making new threads of thought from old ideas or objects is the goal of the artist. To defy the boundary that one has to each own their reality in life, and to put on a new sense of perspective, shaping the rest of a lifetime to come. Some of the more famed paintings are hard to find inexpensively, but buying prints can be the easiest solution to that problem.

There is still a great deal of work created today that draws heavily from the impact that Surrealist thought has made on art in general, and especially on how art can be defined on a truly individual front. The most world-renowned artists have already passed on, but their examples stand as firm points from which to gain an understanding of what Surrealism is, whether defined through a critical mind or as a sampling of how broad the area of art can be. Surrealism is an artistic expression of that state of mind that lies unexplained at the gateway of the subconscious.

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Paintings of Food and Wine

Ive been buying paintings of food and wine to resell to restaurants. I make a good profit doing this. I have a real talent for matching the painting of food and wine to the restaurant that should hang it in their dining room. I have purchased over one hundred paintings so far and Ive sold over eighty of them to restaurant owners.

I sold a painting of food and wine to a martini bar that was opening up in a neighboring city. I took a photo of the Michael Godard painting called Pop Olive and took it straight to the owner in person. He loved the painting and hung it in his bar.

The Michael Godard paintings always seem to resell the best of all of the food and wine paintings that I buy. There was one called Olives Gone Wild that I sold to a martini bar on the East Coast. The restaurant owner thought it was fantastic and looked fun.

I saw an awesome painting in the food and wine section of a local studio. The painting was called Chocolatey. I bought the painting and have approached a couple of candy stores to purchase it. I havent gotten a taker, yet, but Im going to keep trying.

There is a pie shop in my town that I sold an original oil painting of an oversized apple. There are always a lot of food and wine paintings at the galleries I frequent. I liked the apple painting and also bought a sunflower painting by the same artist.

I bought an acrylic painting from an artist in North Hollywood. His painting called Passion Splash is categorized as a food and wine painting because the woman in the painting is drinking red wine. I sold it to a wine bar in Miami. I was sad to see that huge eyed woman go.

I bought several food and wine paintings from him on that trip. One of the paintings was entitled For a Perfect Cherry and I decided to keep that one and hang it in my dining room. The red in the painting is fantastic and so beautiful. I liked to display this food and wine painting with a spotlight on it.

I was able to resell a food and wine painting to a fish shop in New York City. The fish shop had an upscale clientele and they wanted to put some artwork on the walls of the lobby. I found an original oil painting by Marie M. Vlasic of a lobster. It was such a good food and wine painting and it looked at home in the fish shop.

There was a dessert shop owner in Denver that contacted me and asked me to keep an eye out for food and wine paintings that featured pears. She had developed several pear recipes that were fast becoming her signature dishes and she wanted to address that with the art hanging in her establishment.

I found a lovely oil on wood food and wine painting of four pears on a glass table. The artist paints a new painting every day. I commissioned him to make me six more paintings of pears and then I sold all seven to the dessert shop owner that had contacted me. She was thrilled with the pieces and invited me to visit sometime.

I have a friend that owns a local beer joint. I immediately thought of him when I was on a buying trip for food and wine paintings. I saw an oil painting on stretched canvas that featured a close-up of an unopened bottle of beer. It was perfect for him. I bought it and it still hangs at the end of his bar.

My little sister was redecorating her shop and I found a great original oil food and wine painting. The artists subject was a large spoon and strawberry jam. The piece looked delicious! I gave it to her shop and she hung it in the area that she sells gourmet jams.

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Buying Yellow Paintings

Ive been watching yellow paintings at an online auction site. I wonder where these yellow paintings will end up hanging. There were twenty bids on a painting of yellow daffodils. It was really pretty.

I really liked the painting titled Red Flowers Yellow Ochre Morning. It came in three panels that were each 20X16. The picture online showed the painting above a bed and it just looked so clean and crisp. The medium for this painting was acrylic.

The smallest paintings that I found were on a panel bracelet. The paintings were of Indian and Near Eastern rulers. The paintings were put in an openwork gold frame set with seed pearls. This piece was created in the early twentieth century.

Another yellow painting that I liked was Yellow World by Karen Khachaturov. There were a lot of contrasting yellows in it. I could see yellow lemons and a beautiful yellow flower. The lemons were painted so realistically. This artist has paintings hanging in private galleries in over 40 countries.

I can only imagine that the oil painting of yellow roses by an unknown artist will hang in a lovely home. The painting has a nice quality to it. The petals of the yellow roses in the painting seemed to reach out as if they were still alive

There was a nice painting that had twenty bidders that was of a vase of yellow daffodils. The feel of the painting was that of one of the masters in impressionist art. The artist listed the item herself and she is also a poet and songwriter. I can close my eyes and see that painting hanging in someones formal parlor. It is so very elegant.

The future home of the French chic painting of yellow, lavender and pink roses must be that of a very feminine woman. When I was looking at the painting, I could almost smell the roses. I thought that the sale price of two hundred dollars was disappointing. I think it should have sold for more.

My search for yellow paintings found a painting entitled Yellow Taking Over. I dont know why the artist titled his work like that. There was some yellow in this collage, but not much. The painting was done in 1956 by Nicholas Krushenick. It came from the personal collection of a famous photographer that works for the Village Voice. This would look good in someones law office.

I wish that I could have purchased the antique oil painting of exotic yellow flowers. The auction said that it was painted in 1897. The pictures made the painting look like it was in great shape for being over one hundred years old. It would look good on the wall of my guest bedroom.

Artist Heidi Vaught had a listing for a painting she titled Ambiance numbered 10. The painting had only one bidder and sold for the opening bid, one hundred dollars. I think the winning bidder got quite a bargain. This painting was abstract with lots of teal and yellow.

Another painting by Heidi Vaught went for sixty five dollars. This was another bargain, if you ask me. The painting was entitled Yellow Squared and it had a really dizzy feeling to it. I liked it at first sight.

I have a friend that would have like the painting I found of a yellow cat. It looked just like her cat. The painting was an original acrylic contemporary painting in yellow ochre. It would have complemented her modern furnishings.

Yellow roses make a wonderful subject. I never tire of paintings of yellow roses. My favorite recently was done by Joan Cobb Mayer. The interpretation was stunning.

There was one other yellow rose oil painting that caught my eye recently. This one was painted by Berniece Meyers. The bloom extended to all sides of the canvas and the center seemed infinite. I felt good after viewing it.

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Buying Paintings: Expressionsim

When speaking on buying paintings of the Expressionist movement, it is always a good idea to review what elements make Expressionism unique, and to gain an understanding of some of the artists representative of this particular artistic movement. The agreed upon intention of Expressionist artwork is not reproduce a subject accurately, but to instead portray the inner state of the artist, with a tendency to distort reality for an emotional effect. The movement is closely associated with its’ beginnings in Germany, and has a few different but overlapping schools of thought within.

The term Expressionism was first used to describe the movement in the magazine produced in 1911 called “Der Sturm”, and was usually linked to paintings and graphic work that challenged academic traditions at the time. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche later helped to define the area of modern expressionism better by clarifying the movement’s links to ancient art before any more modern interpretation had, and applied his own unique philosophy to the movement. He has been quoted stating that disordered and ordered elements are present in all works of art, but that the basic traits of Expressionism lay in the mainly disordered aspects.

The Expressionist point of view was usually conveyed through the use of bold colors, distorted forms, and a lack of perspective. Generally, a piece of expressionistic art is one that is expressive of intense emotion, and much of this kind of artwork occurs during times of social upheaval. Though it can be argued that an artist is expressive by nature, and that all artwork is truly expressionist, there are many who consider the movement particularly communicative of emotion. Later on, artists like Kandinsky changed 20th century Expressionist work through the formation of Abstract Expressionism.

The art historian Antonín Matějček was elemental in coining the term as the opposite to the Impressionist movement as well, and though Expressionism seems well defined as an artistic movement, there have never been a group of artists that called themselves Expressionists. The movement was primarily German and Austrian, and many of the different groups of thought were based around Germany at the time. Another artistic movement that heavily influenced Expressionism was Fauvism. This kind of artwork is characterized by primitive, less naturalistic forms, and includes the works of famed painters Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse.

With this influence firmly in place, Expressionism grew into striking compositions that focused on representing emotional reactions through powerful use of color and dynamic approaches with subject matter, and seemed to counter the qualities centered on by the French Impressionism of the time. Where French Impressionism was to seek rendering the visual appearance of objects, Expressionism became an opposing movement seeking to capture emotions and subjective interpretation, and it was not important to reproduce a visually pleasing interpretation of the matter that the painting represented.

Expressionism has crossed over into many differing fields of artistic vision, with sculpture and filmmaking being primary examples today, and have influenced many people throughout the course of its’ existence as a movement in art. These visions have combined over time to create the comprehensive idea of what Expressionism has become, and many people have found this type of art very appealing and eye-catching. Throughout this century, much Expressionistic artwork has come to be representative of what art can come to be, and many people have been influenced by this very emotional artwork.

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Buying Impressionist Cityscapes

I have been looking for impressionist cityscapes in various mediums to decorate my home. I prefer to hang art that was created in the last fifteen years. There are so many great artists to choose from.

I have decided that I want to have three impressionist cityscapes painted in acrylic. I will be buying one called Stormy Desert that was painted by an artist named JoanAnn. The piece is painted on a 40 X 30 canvas and has flowering cactus plants in the foreground.

The next impressionist cityscape painting I plan to buy is called Tuscan Waterfall. The piece is a triptych and is on three gallery wrapped canvases. The artist lives in Tennessee and supports herself with her art.

The last acrylic impressionist cityscape that I plan to buy is called Autumn Dream. Autumn is my favorite time of year and the painting captures every color of autumn. The artist painted the sides, so there is no need to have it framed. I cant wait to see this hanging in my home.

I have found only two impressionist cityscapes that I liked in the Gouache medium. The first was from an artist named Joe Wojdakowski and the subject is an area located in Wells, Maine. Im not sure why I am so drawn to this particular impressionist cityscape, but I am and plan to buy it.

The other Gouache impressionist cityscape that I plan to buy features Big Ben in London. The artist is an Englishman named Alasdair Rennie. The scene is rainy and I like it a lot. It reminds me of my time in London when I was a child.

The first oil impressionist cityscape painting I bought was called Koi Pond Reflections. Ive seen this artists work before and I always really like it. The painting was completed using brush and knife. The painting has not arrived, yet, because the paint is very thick and needs to complete the drying process undisturbed. I cannot wait to get it!

I really like having various styles of impressionist cityscape paintings. I dont just like variety in the mediums; I like variety in styles and influences. I really fell in love with an oil impressionist cityscape painting called En Sendero that was originally purchased in Oaxaca, Mexico. I purchased the painting for just over three thousand dollars.

The oil impressionist cityscape painting of Paris that I want was painted by a well recognized painter Radik Atoyan. He is Armenian and signed the painting in his Armenian language. He has a unique way of using color that just makes his painting look special.

I have also been interested in watercolor impressionist cityscape paintings. There is an original painting that depicts an urban rainy night that I think would be perfect for me. The painting just makes me feel good to look into.

I made a purchase not long ago that was painted by an Israeli artist named Yosef Kosssonogi. The use of color in this watercolor impressionist cityscape is so vivid. I could not wait to hang it on my wall. After the shipment arrived with the painting, my brother came right over with a level to hang it.

I found a painting that reminded me of a vacation I took to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The impressionist cityscape painting was created by Adam Maeroff and I think that it is the perfect painting to complete my collection.

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Buying Folk Art Paintings

Buying folk art paintings has become a passion of mine. Ive been looking for them everywhere it seems. I found a bunch of folk art paintings recently and I am having trouble deciding which one to buy.

There was a folk art painting by Rev. Howard Finster that is titled Howard in 1944. This is an all enamel folk art painting that was painted in 1988. The smile on this portrait is very engaging and makes me smile just as big.

I am also really taken by a folk art painting that was painted by painter Bill Dodge in Oct 1962. The title of the painting is First Trolley To Van Nuys. The painting is on board and depicts the center of town with all the people in town. They are in the windows and on the street. The town market, bakery, Hotel Van Nuys, an ice cream parlor and the Wing Lee Laundry are all depicted in vibrant color. The women in the foreground are against the Trolley and their signs say “Ban the Monster” and “Keep Van Nuys rural”.

Thomas Chambers is one of Americas foremost folk artists. I found a piece by him that I just dont like very much. It is a bit austere for my tastes. The subject is a fishing scene with villagers and boats. I dont think that I will purchase this folk art painting because I just dont like it.

There was a folk art painting I found called Alligator Fisher that was painted in 1940 that I really like. The blue of the bayou is very calming and the trees give it a very Southern feel. There is a swamp house in the painting and I like this one very much. It reminds me very strongly of Louisiana.

My mother started this passion of mine for folk art paintings. She had a folk art painting by John Roeder in our parlor growing up. I used to spend hours just staring into it. The trees were so relaxing to lose myself in. I have asked her to give me this wonderful folk art painting many times, but she says that I will have to wait until after her funeral!

I found one folk art painting during my journey that I felt sad every time I looked at. The name of the painting is A Letter from My Mother. The look in the girls face is so serious and sad. I have no idea where this folk art painting should hang. The painting itself is magnificent; it just makes me feel sad.

There is a whole subset of folk art paintings that represent black Americana. I dont usually buy any of these pieces as they dont speak to my experience. I did find one piece that I purchased for a collector friend of mine that loves this type of art. The folk art painting had a whimsical feel to it and a woman relaxing in a hammock. He hung this in his hallway and has loved it for a long time.

My brother likes folk art paintings as much as I do. He prefers animals to be the subjects of paintings he purchases. I found a lovely clouded leopard folk art painting for him last Christmas and he has asked that I keep my eyes open for more like it. He said that he will buy any art I find for him because he trusts that I know and understand his tastes.

I have kept my eyes open for animal themed folk art paintings for my brother, but I just cant seem to find any as nice as the leopard that I got for him. The grand extent of animal themed folk art paintings Ive found recently was a painting of two owls on a limb and I know that he would not like it. Ever since we were kids, owls totally freak him out.

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