Sunday, August 30, 2009

Definitions and an opinion

Found this somewhere stumbling around the internet. It's a little clumsy, like I am, but it spells a few things out. Copied and pasted, uncorrected.

The opinion at the end rings true.


Description explanations: We adopt the same terms used by auction houses worldwide when cataloguing works of art. They are: The first name and surname of the artist: In our opinion this is a work by the artist. The name of the artist preceded by "after": In our opinion this is a copy of the work of the artist. Bears signature/date/inscription: In our opinion the work has been signed/dated/inscribed by a person other than the artist. Attributed to: In our opinion this is probably a work by the artist. Circle of: In our opinion this is a work of the period of the artist and showing his influence. Follower of: In our opinion a work executed in the style of the artist but not necessarily by a pupil. Manner of: In our opinion a work executed in the style of the artist but of a later date. You agree to these terms by bidding. They're good enough for Sotheby's and Christie's so they must be good enough for us!
We firmly believe it is better to buy an original painting by young or unknown, but extremely talented master artist, or even in manner of great master painters or attributed, but definately not buying Giclee, prints, serigraph or copy prints made on cheap machine from China, which is strickly business and nothing else, just take your money today but tomorrow render it worthless. If you believe some Giclee is worth thousands, good luck but thats nothing but throwing your money through the window, because any kind of reproduction by machine has no hand or soul of a master artist who put his heart into his paintings. We think it is better to
support original art.


It always amazed me that consumers would visit a gallery and pay thousands for contempory artists' giclees in fancy frames.

For those of you out there, except for the artists themselves, producing giclees of highwayman art, I fart in your general direction.

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