Fine art is rare and expensive; not all of us are capable of obtaining works done by the masters. Because of this, people have sought out ways to reproduce these works with as much efficiency and dexterity as possible, but at a relatively lower cost.
In a stricter sense, reproduction art differs from strict copies in the degree of emulation or imitation of the original work. Unlike a reconstructed oil painting, which is a type of strict copy, a reproduced oil painting is much less cumbersome to create since it does not necessarily follow all the conditions and materials in order to recreate the original work.
For mere mortals like us, though, we can do away with the underlying layers, the stricter emulation procedures, and the greater amount of time spent producing the closest imitation possible.
There are two types of fine art reproductions, manual (handmade) and mechanical. Mechanical reproductions include the following methods:
- Aquaprint — prints the painting via color separation; produces flat works
- Artagraph — prints a textured painting based on the silicone mould taken from a painting; used rarely since taking moulds could damage paintings
- Canvas transfer — produces an image on a film, which is bonded to the canvas; can have added brushstrokes for texture; subject to color fading
- Etching — presses the ink on an etched copper plate onto paper; not suitable for oil paintings
- Giclee — (pronounced "zik-lay") prints color transparency from the image acquired by a drum scanner; expensive as well as inaccurate in color reproduction when using digital means
- Lithograph — transfers to paper the ink rolled over the image on a litho plate; no oil painting brushstrokes emulated
- Serigraphy — uses stencils for each color; also known as screen printing; does not achieve the oil painting effect
Art prints, as they are also known, can be signed by the creator of the artwork himself/herself. Mechanical methods are several leagues away from handmade reproductions in their appearance and quality, but can be applied to more useful resources such as posters, books, postage, et cetera.
Hand-painted oil art reproductions focus on being faithful to the process of creating that artwork. Here, trained professionals who have mastered the stroke of a particular masterpiece attempt to recreate it as closely as possible. You can be certain the handmade painting was made just for you, if it was commissioned just for you; if it wasn't, it would definitely be more attractive than the prospect of a mass-produced image on paper. Consider the painstaking process of examining the original piece, if possible, to note down all the nuances that must be recreated during the painting process. During the painting itself, even more intricacies arise, such as complicated palettes and the order of applying the different hues to the canvas, or brush strokes that become especially difficult in impressionist and expressionist paintings.
Custom oil painting reproductions may also be made for photographs or other portraits you wish to be painted for that "more artistic" look and feel.
Oil painting reproductions can be completed in as little as two weeks. (Allowances for shipping must be made, though.) What you get out of the box is a breathtaking replica right in your own home, save for some obligatory differences: one, a modified set of dimensions for the size of your own reproduction and two, the absence of a signature on the painting to denote it is only a copy.