What does custom reproduction of paintings imply?

Can you guess which is the original painting and which is the reproduction?

If you guessed that the painting on the left is the original, you are correct!

The painting on the right is an oil reproduction made by a painting artist.

The differences in painting reproductions are marked by the time elapsed, the type of pigment used, the skill of the artist, and the canvas used. However, buyers of paintings replicas accept these small differences, and some even prefer the bright colors of the reproductions to the originals!

Only in the great  art forgeries it is very difficult to distinguish between the original and the reproduction, as special techniques are used to age the paintings.

Let’s look at some of the methods used in painting reproduction:

Canvas printed painting reproduction

This type of niche in painting copies is increasing, as traditional canvases, mainly cotton, are used with ink prints made by large format printers such as  Epson. Within this category, there are Giclee canvas prints with traditional dyes or long-lasting or “archival” pigments. There are also embellished fabric prints in this category. The technique is simple: a painting is printed on cotton or synthetic canvas, and once the painting is dry, an artist adds oil to the surface, enhancing the painting and adding texture.

There is a marked difference between paintings that are mass-printed on canvas (Lienzographies) to prints made with Giclee; see the following chart:

In the image on the left, the painting is printed with normal ink. On the left, the painting is printed using the Giclee technique.

In Giclee, resolution matters! Any image you plan to use for printing artistic prints must be at least 300 DPI in relation to the physical size you expect to print.

Used interchangeably in the printing world, DPI means dots per inch and relates to the number of physical dots printed within a specific square inch.

That said, the aspect of a high-quality art print depends greatly on the quality of the digital image and its resolution, and we already know that images with that type of resolution are very scarce and very difficult to obtain. A simple Google search is not enough.

Reproduction of paintings printed on paper or cardstock (posters)

When printed in offset, an image is divided into four "color channels" known as CMYK. This means cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

These prints, also called offset prints, are also subject to the quality of the source image (the resolution), the printer used, the inks, and the paper. There is always the risk here that the source image is of low resolution and therefore the final product will also be of low quality. Although there are photographs of  famous paintings available for free use online, very few can actually be found with the necessary resolution to make a worthy print of the work. The only way to do this is by scanning the works on specialized scanners. Of course, with this painting reproduction technique, there is zero texture, and therefore the appearance of “cheap painting” is a characteristic of the reproduction. This is not the way for those who want a high-quality copy of a painting.

Offset printing is one of the oldest and most widely used printing styles and has been in existence since the 1870s, but it is not very recommended for obtaining quality reproductions of artworks.

Generally, the result is not good and disappoints the buyer. Here it is worth noting, without the intention of being sarcastic: the cheap becomes expensive!

Oil paintings reproduction authorized by the artist

The reproduction of oil paintings in the visual arts dates back to the 16th century when it was common practice for art students to copy their old masters to learn how to paint. The process of copying a masterpiece allowed them to practice a skilled painting style while developing their own style. This allowed ordinary people to hold on to reproductions of oil paintings worth thousands of dollars. Leonardo first learned to paint in the style of his master before following his own approach, and then copied his master's painting style.

By copying a painting, the student learns the artist's method; their approach, the mixing and gradation of color.

At the end of the 19th century, Degas diligently copied masterpieces from his favorite artist, Ingres. He also made a careful large-scale copy of The Rape of the Sabines by Poussin, which is now located in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. The list of famous artists who copied the old masters is endless; Landseer to Rubens; John Singer Sargent to Velázquez; Henri Fantin Latour to Titian and Veronese, Géricault to Caravaggio; Watteau to Titian, Van Dyck to Tintoretto, Matsys to Raphael, to name just a few.

This practice has been so marked that even Picasso himself made famous the phrase, "Good artists copy, great artists steal."

Serigraphy painting reproduction

The technique of painting reproduction by serigraphy has existed for over 100 years. It is a medium that has been used with stunning effect by artists such as Andy Warhol, Romero Britto, LeRoy Neiman and many others. But what exactly is a serigraphy? Serigraphy is a term that comes from "seri," which in Latin means "silk," and "graphos," which in ancient Greek means "writing." The word was coined in the early last century to differentiate the artistic use of the medium from its more common commercial purpose. Serigraphy is familiar to us in countless forms. It is used from logos on t-shirts to posters.

The roots of the medium are deeply embedded in history. It was especially used in the Far East countries, China and Japan, as a technique to apply stencils to fabrics and screens. Serigraphy is allied with wood printing, which first arose in those countries for similar purposes.

Fantasy Night, Itzchak Tarkay

Both techniques were adopted by European artists and craftsmen in the 15th century and further developed for a wide variety of decorative and artistic applications.

At its most basic level, serigraphy involves covering portions of silk or a similar material with a coating. First, the silk is stretched over a frame hinged to a base. Then, the image window is masked with tape, and a layer of lacquer or glue is applied. Any part of the silk that remains exposed becomes the design through which ink or other pigment, such as paint, is pressed with a rubber squeegee or a brush. This simplified description hardly does justice to the technical flexibility and artistic versatility of the medium.

Reproduction of paintings on photographic paper

A good reproduction of paintings on photographic paper is done on archival quality matte paper. This is the best paper to preserve fine art, as it is a specialized long-lasting paper for reproductions of paintings and photographic prints. It features a smooth surface, heavy paper (230g), neutral white and matte, designed for precise color reproduction that provides high contrast and high-resolution output. Acid-free paper is preferred, making it the perfect choice for both photographs and fine art reproductions. It is worth noting that this type of painting reproduction is also subject to the quality of the paper.

How to distinguish quality in painting reproduction?

Even within these previous categories, there are great differences in quality, price, sizes, and color fidelity in the reproduction of paintings.

At Kuadros, we specifically serve a type of demanding clientele looking for high-quality oil painting reproductions. These are copies of paintings made with extreme skill, where expert copy artists strive to get as close as possible to the original author's intention.

To achieve this, we have the help of more than 60 master graduates from fine arts schools. These artists are spread across different parts of the world, from Venezuela to Haiti in the Americas, and across China and Japan.

Who dominates the trade of Oil Painting Reproductions?

There are currently two schools of high-volume painting reproduction, one that uses European artists and the other Chinese artists. Companies that use European artists to make copies charge much more for their paintings than companies that use Chinese painters. But is the vast price difference justified?

What is the quality difference between these two schools of painting reproduction?

There is no marked quality difference based on the geography from which the painter reproducing the work comes. Contrary to many Chinese products that have (justifiably) a dubious fame for quality, reproductions from Chinese art tend to be equal to or better than those from European artists. The reason? The Chinese artist has a considerable advantage over the European in experience, as mass reproduction of paintings has been done in China for three decades.

It is worth knowing a bit of this history. In 1989, a businessman and artist from Hong Kong named Huang Jiang, who was visiting the city of Shenzhen, set out to transform the ruined village of Dafen into a workshop for reproducing oil paintings.

By renting several houses and recruiting a dozen apprentices, he created a business that worked like a factory assembly line, efficiently producing Van Goghs, Da Vincis, and Rembrandts and selling them worldwide. By the late 90s, Jiang's business had grown to include more than 2000 workers. Many apprentices eventually separated and formed their own reproduction projects.

Several masters who work today with Kuadros come from the original batch of those early artists of master Huang Jiang.

But not all reproductions from China are alike. Today one can buy cheap painting reproductions on Chinese portals like Aliexpress. Many of these replicas are of low quality, although buyers who do not know the difference generally leave satisfied.

Specialized artists still in China charge quite high for producing their works, as the average production time for a 60x90 painting is at least 2 to 3 weeks. To that, you must add the drying time and international shipping.

What influences the price of oil painting reproduction?

The price of famous painting reproductions is determined by several factors:

• The artist who paints the painting. Good artists and experienced masters charge more than apprentices or new artists in the reproduction technique.
• The size of the painting. Here it is true that size matters. It is not the same to reproduce a painting of 60x90 than 120x200, as of course more canvas, more paint, and especially time, are required. In many cases, the artist reproducing paintings charges more for their time than for the materials.
• The canvas. Synthetic canvases are cheaper than cotton ones, and cotton is cheaper than linen.
• The pigments.
• The number of figures in the painting.
• The level of detail and complexity of the painting.

Are painting reproductions worth anything?

In general, art reproductions have a low value compared to originals that auction for millions. Fine art paintings replicas are not an investment like original art.

On the other hand, there is no guarantee that an original artwork will increase in value. Of course, there are exceptions in art reproductions, especially oil painting reproductions. For example, if Banksy painted a reproduction of The Kiss by Klimt, then this reproduction would be worth a lot, as it would be painted by a famous artist. But in general, art reproductions are worth what someone is willing to pay for them.

Due to the fact that most copies of old masters have been undervalued for a long time, their authorship was rarely recorded, which is why today they often come to us as anonymous works. And yet, we make an effort to understand the influence of truly great works on younger or later artists and students.

Famous painting reproductions are often fantastically economical. Buying a copy of a famous painting would place you in good company: King Charles I, the most famous and sophisticated art collector in England, owned a vast number of copies (almost 70 in total), including numerous copies of paintings whose originals he already owned. In addition to buying these paintings himself, Charles also received copies as gifts from members of the court.

As in the example of King Charles, it is evident that the satisfaction of owning a replica does not lie in its commercial value, but in being able to admire a bit of what the artist wanted to capture in the original work.

Some tips before buying an oil painting reproduction:

In the painting reproduction industry, you really get what you pay for. If you opt for a printed reproduction, don’t expect much.

Always compare the replica with the original so you can see the differences and judge for yourself how good or bad the reproduction is.

It is almost impossible to reproduce an oil painting with 100% accuracy. Do not be deceived by misleading claims.

You should also examine the guarantee provided by the supplier.

Be realistic about the time you have to wait for your reproduction. Unless it is a printed painting, oil paintings take several weeks to be painted, carefully packed to avoid damage, and shipped to your destination. The average time for a buyer to receive a requested painting is 6 weeks, but in some cases this time may extend to 8 or 10 weeks.

About Famous Oil Painting Reproductions from Kuadros

Our museum-quality reproductions are 100% hand-painted by professional artists with many years of experience in creating replicas of oil paintings on canvas.

All our paintings come directly from the studio. We do not work with intermediaries, nor do we have galleries or exhibition halls.

The hallmark of Kuadros paintings is quality and guarantee, as each work, in addition to being painted by an expert artist, undergoes periodic review by the masters responsible for quality control.

The result is a work of exceptional beauty just for you.

Kuadros, a famous painting on your wall.