Known for its versatility and archival properties oil, paint remains one of the most popular mediums among visual and fine artists today.
Every once in a while someone, somewhere declares that “Painting it dead.” Yet, here it is, alive and well and as popular as ever. Yes, traditional oil painting mediums remain very popular.
Yes, oil paintings are trendy, and people keep buying them nowadays. Especially popular among art buyers are considered oil painting reproductions. With the help of oil paints, very interesting pictures are obtained. Now they are popular for many reasons.
Because of oil's association with old masters (since acrylics weren't invented yet) oil paintings are seen as more Serious Art and sell for more money.
For paint to dry without cracking and colors to be bright, the golden rule of painting is thick on thin: each succeeding layer should have slightly more oil than the previous one. The first ones should therefore have little oil and the following ones be richer and richer.
There are three rules to follow when painting in oils because colours dry at different rates: 'fat over lean', 'slow over fast' and 'thick over thin'.
The value of the oil paintings is determined by their age and maturity. Oil paintings that are 100 years old or older are the most valuable. Paintings painted between 50-100 years ago can be worth double, depending on how mature they are.
The demand for abstract art, including non-figurative forms like abstract, minimalist, spiritual abstraction, and neo-abstract expressionism, is really popular in the contemporary art scene of 2024.
Oils Blend Like a Dream
One of the most significant advantages of oil painting is its ability to blend with little effort. The slow-drying nature and creamy consistency of oil paints allows me to manipulate the colors on the canvas, effortlessly blending shades together to create smooth transitions and soft gradients.
Just like any other investment, there's no guarantee that an oil painting will appreciate in value. While the paintings of some artists have gone up in value significantly over time, others have failed to keep pace with inflation or have even declined in value.
As a general rule of thumb, you should expect to spend at least $100 on a small, simple painting by an unknown artist. If you're looking for a larger or more complex painting or one by a well-known artist, you should budget at least $1,000.
While there's a debate whether a small size painting sells better than larger ones and vice-versa, a medium-sized canvas is a safe place to start. Canvas sizes such as 16″ x 20″ and 18″ x 24″ tend to sell well in the market. Paintings using these canvas sizes can fit the walls in most homes.
Cons of Oil Painting
Additionally, the necessary use of solvents for cleaning and thinning oil based paints can release toxic fumes and provoke allergic reactions, requiring proper ventilation and safety measures. Oil paints should be kept away from children and pets for these reasons.
“Oil paint” is on airline banned-substance lists because of its extreme flammability. “Oil paint” needs to be thinned and cleaned with poisonous solvents and it's an all-round baddy.
Artists love it because they can create depth through different layers of pigment applied over time, this gives oil paintings a sense of dimension that's virtually impossible to achieve otherwise.
Oil paints are heavier and thicker than other mediums. This has made them exceptionally slow drying, requiring painters to exercise patience between layers or adopt the alla prima technique, which involves building wet layers upon each other.
In 'The Joy of Painting' Bob Ross uses rather thick oil paints. Please be careful not to get acrylic based paints, as these will not work for Bob's wet-on-wet-technique.
Sculptural art is emerging as a key trend for those looking to add a three-dimensional aspect to their decor. This trend encompasses a range of styles, from sleek, modern sculptures to more organic, abstract pieces.
With an estimated purchasing power of $2.5 trillion globally, this generation is playing a crucial role in the art market's growth and evolution. One of the key findings is that millennials are more interested in contemporary art, street art, and digital art than previous generations.
Oil paint naturally becomes brittle over time, but exposure to certain chemical fumes during the curing process (which can last months, or even years) will speed up the damage, so be careful not to use harsh cleaning supplies near an exposed piece.
Once you've found a qualified appraiser, you'll need to provide them with some basic information about the artwork, such as when and where it was purchased, and any documentation that you have. The appraiser will then inspect the artwork and provide you with an estimate of its value.
Some old pictures and prints are incredibly rare and valuable, but age is no guarantee of value. There are thousands of 19th century prints on the market, many of which are small decorative bookplates (pages torn out of books) that may be worth a small amount if their subject has commercial appeal.