The goal of processing art reproductions is to give everyone the opportunity to own a copy of their favorite art piece. Because we want to return art to the people, copyrights can go to hell!

It can, of course, be done by simply printing an image of the desired painting on a canvas or a piece of paper, but nothing beats the real thing.

A piece of art hand painted with all the brushstrokes has a real feel of the original work, and gives aesthetic pleasure that a pale printed copy will never have.

Oil reproductions on canvas

Oil reproductions on canvas are a copy of an artwork made with the same material as the original masterpiece.

Usually, we use oil-based paint or acrylic paint.

The difference, mostly, is that acrylic dries faster and offer slightly more vibrant colors. It is perfect for beginners, or some modern artist. Real hardened masters usually paint with oil that dries slower, allow the mixing of colors for more than a few minutes, and the use of the glazing technique among other things.

Oil reproductions on canvas should replicate the masterpiece as exactly as possible, in colors and details. It is often that we see mediocre work made you-know-where, that are actually half done, lacking details, with all the wrong colors and tones. But hey, that is what you get when you want to buy cheap oil reproductions on canvas.

At Paolo Gallery, we focus on high-quality replicas of any art, not the cheap alternative. We may be not the cheapest ones on the market, but our quality is beyond reproach, our oil reproductions on canvas are flawless, and we stand by our products.

You can of course order any classical art, but we excel at modern art as well, as you can see with this quite complicated painting – it does not seem so, but it is.

Making oil reproductions on canvas are often more complicated than creating the original art, as it is necessary to copy all the details, even the flaws, to perfection. But that will be the subject of another article.

There are many ways to do a copy of an artwork. Here are the main ones.

THE 5 WAYS TO DO A PAINTING REPRODUCTION ON CANVAS

There are 5 ways for copying a painting, with incremental levels of difficulty:

1. Print on canvas (or paper).
2. Print on canvas, painted over.
3. Oil painting reproduction, hand painted on canvas.
4. Oil painting reproductions made at the museum.
5. Forgery of an oil painting.

1) PRINTING ON CANVAS

Even thought many internet websites are offering printed copies of original artwork, voluntarily misleading the customers to believe that they are painting reproductions – for commercial reason and to get a good ranking on Google – they are not real reproductions, no more than a photo of a Van Gogh is a reproduction of a Van Gogh artwork

A print on canvas is simply a picture of the artwork that is printed with a giclée printer on a polyester canvas. It’s a photography that wants to pass for a work of art.

The cost of a print on canvas of 80 x 61 cm is around 20 to 80 USD. Click here to order a print.

2) PRINT ON CANVAS PAINTED OVER

This type of reproduction uses a print on canvas as a guide for the painter and as a base for the painting reproduction. Once the print is done, the artist covers it with oil painting, following the lines of the original painting, matching the painting colors with the printed ones.

These oil paint reproductions on canvas actually give a satisfying result, and are pretty fast to process, the worker just having to follow the print underneath as a guide for his work. Like these coloring pages, we give to children to keep them busy at Mac Donald’s.

Cost of a print on canvas painted over in 80 x 61 cm: about 80 to 180 USD, depending on the level of the details. Click to order a print enhanced with oil painting.

3) OIL PAINTING REPRODUCTIONS MUSEUM QUALITY ON CANVAS

That requires a real artist, as the techniques used for these paintings are the same as those used by the original artist.

First, we apply the gesso. The gesso primes the surface of the canvas; it is a white paint mixture used to prepare the cotton canvas, so the fabric does not “drink” the oil painting pigments. It is simply the first layer on the canvas.

Then we trace the lines of the artwork manually or using a calk for a better exactness. 

Once these guidelines traced, to do the oil painting reproductions we start applying the painting in successive layers, first the rough layers, that delimit the background colors of the painting, then the medium forms that start to give a relief to the whole artwork; after that comes the glazes to give the painting its depth, and only then can we work on the tiny details of the oil painting reproduction that gives the final touches.

This technique gives better results, but requires real artists with years of experience. That is the quality we offer at our artists' studio.

The cost of real oil painting reproductions on canvas, 80 x 61 cm, ranges from 400 to 800 USD, depending on the size and difficulty of the original artwork.

4) REPRODUCTION OF A PAINTING IN A MUSEUM

Copying an artwork in a museum offers the advantage of getting to see the real thing in front of us.

To step-up from oil painting reproductions museum quality, a real copy can only be made on site, with the real piece of art to serve as a model, to have a perfect perception of the brushstrokes, colors, and reflections.

Museums issue reproduction permits to certain artists and allow them access to the artwork of their choice so that they can reproduce it precisely.

Making a replica at this level is not given to many people, but there is a market for many reformed “forgers”.

You should also know that many paintings exhibited in various museums around the world are copies of the original – brilliant identical reproductions, but reproductions all the same – the originals being kept in a warehouse, protected from damage from the environment, light and moisture.

Cost of an 80 x 61 cm in-the-museum-quality reproduction: approximately $5000

5) COPIES BY A PROFESSIONAL – ARTWORK FORGERIES

It is, of course, the pinnacle of the master’s art reproduction. This level of reproduction is akin to museum copying, but is intended to mislead experts. Which is, of course, totally illegal! It is fake in all its glory, Machiavellian perhaps, but one cannot help admiring the talent required to accomplish such a task.

The forger who makes a copy of a painting on canvas must do more than reproduce the work itself, he must do it with the materials of the time. Which means painting with the pigments of paints which were used at the time of the creation of the artwork, a support which is of the same material as what was used by the artist; the Mona Lisa, for example, is painted on a sheet of poplar wood, and the painting techniques that each artist specifically used – the sfumato in the above case.

Cost of a copy of a painting: about 200,000 USD and 10 years in jail.

We are doing oil painting reproductions museum quality for your artwork, so you can be proud of your acquisition for the years to come. Using only the best pigments, beautiful and strong canvas, stretchers with keys, and employing experienced artists, you can be sure that your painting will match your expectations.