Replica paintings of original oil paintings are often found in art lovers’ private homes or galleries. In many instances, the replica painting is so well it is difficult to distinguish between the original and a professionally done replica painting. The good news is you can acquire replica paintings of your favorite oil painting artist.
To assist you in finding paintings of your favorite painter to be reproduced, most galleries and studios which offer replica paintings have a search facility where you can search for paintings by artist name.
In this article, we’ll discuss the art of replica paintings and provide tips on searching for works by an oil painting artist you like.
Table of Contents
What is Fine Art Reproduction?
Let’s first look at what fine art reproductions, replica paintings, are. They are not merely prints but hand-painted replica paintings. They are hand-painted by a copy artist.
So, for example, if Goya’s “Village Bullfight” is one of your favorite paintings, you can order a fine art reproduction from a reputable gallery or studio, and a replica of the original painting will be hand-painted by an artist.
Why Art Reproductions?
With art reproductions, you can bring your favorite works of art into your home or even your place of work. But, of course, some people can’t understand why you need a replica, not a print of the original oil painting. But to have a print of an original oil painting is not the same as having an oil reproduction of the original.
A professionally done replica of an oil painting looks like the original. The replica’s colors, detail, and texture are as near to the original as possible. A print of the original can’t be confused with the original – it doesn’t look like an original! A replica painting will always give you joy when you’re viewing it because a real copy artist has spent many hours creating the replica painting.
It might have taken only a few hours for the original artist to complete a masterpiece, but a professional replica artist can take up to weeks to paint the reproduction. The copy artist must produce a painting that looks like it has been painted in the era and style of the original work.
Some styles are more difficult to reproduce than others. For example, many replica artists believe that it is easier to reproduce a painting by an old master like Rembrandt van Rijn than an impressionist painting because the old masters’ works were more “straightforward.”
What is the History of Fine Art Reproduction?
Fine art reproduction of oil paintings can be traced back to the 1500s. It was a usual practice for art students to copy their old masters to learn how to paint. Many renowned artists, such as Degas and Picasso, did a lot of art copying.
Leonardo da Vinci was an apprentice of the art master Andrea Del Verrocchio and he even started to learn how to paint by copying his master’s work. As a result, his first works were also in the style of his master, and he developed his style later. In the 1800s, art reproduction, also called fine art replicas, was very popular, and the replicas were highly collectible.
How to Identify Artworks You Want Hand-painted Replicas of?
You can choose which works you want to hang on your walls. You purchase or commission only reproductions of original paintings you would have liked.
Many art lovers and collectors of replica artworks have favorite painters whose works they would love to have. As most classic works are not on sale, the art lovers commission or purchase replica paintings.
Many people looking for replica paintings are not necessarily looking for a specific artwork – they are looking for paintings by a specific painter. Therefore, when they look for replicas to buy or works to be copied for them on request, they search for paintings by the artist’s last name.
Search for Paintings with a List of Artists Painters
Most online galleries offer a search facility to find famous paintings by artist name. Usually, when you type the famous artists’ names into the search line, the search result will give you a list of these painters’ works and indicate the original medium used, such as watercolor, oil, pencil drawing, etc.
If you favor paintings from a specific art period, reputable galleries like 1st Art Gallery allow you to pick the period, and there would generally be a search option to get a list of painters of the period by their last names. Then you can do an artist search by the last name to find the paintings of the specific painters.
These lists also indicate which artworks have already been reproduced and are available from the gallery immediately. If you want a replica painting of one not “in stock,” you can commission the gallery to find an artist to hand-paint a reproduction for you. You will then have to be prepared to wait for your painting until the replica artist has completed the copy.
According to art galleries’ statistics, replica paintings of the following oil painting artists’ works are the most popular:
- Bierstadt, Albert
- Botticelli, Sandro
- Caravaggio
- Cezanne, Paul
- Da Vinci, Leonardo
- Kandinsky, Wassily
- Klimt, Gustav
- Monet, Claude
- Munch, Eduard
- Renoir, Pierre
- Sargent, Singer
- Van Rijn, Rembrandt
- Vermeer, Johannes
Last Word – What to Know About the Quality of Reproductions
Not all reproductions are equal. There are different tiers of quality. Reproductions known to be of “Commercial quality” are the cheapest tier. The quality is poor and even child-like. The canvas and paints used are also the cheapest available.
The next tier is called the “Medium quality,” and the third tier is the “High quality” reproduction. But the quality you should go for is “Museum-Quality Art Reproductions.”
“Museum quality” means that the reproduction’s colors, style, detail, canvas, and painting technique are as close to the original painting as possible.
Conclusion
If you want to start collecting museum-quality replicas of original oil paintings and don’t know where to start, choose your favorite artist and search by last names for this painter’s works in the search facilities of galleries providing replica paintings.
