Which is right for me?
Original Oil Paintings
The history of oil painting dates back to the 5th to 9th centuries, where it was first used in Afghanistan. Oil painting did not become popular until the 15th century in Europe, where oil became the main material for artwork. Today, oil painting is still quite popular due to its ease of use and malleability. Artists use a wide variety of techniques to achieve their desired appearance. Typically, artists paint oil on canvas made of either linen or cotton.
Benefits of oil paintings are many. The texture of a painting allows the viewer to experience a scene with 3-dimensional features. The colors are true and vibrant, what the artist originally intended for the viewer to experience. To own an original painting can be akin to owning a piece of the artist’s creative energy at one moment in time.
For the savvy art collector, the original oil painting is ideal to expand a collection of fine art.
Giclee Prints
A giclee print is a high quality copy of an original oil painting. A giclee print can be done on a wide variety of products, but since this process is widely used for fine art, the most common material for giclees is on canvas. Giclee prints are commonly found in art museums and galleries. The giclee process employs a 8- to 12-color processing, and sprays the ink onto the canvas. Because of this process, the giclee print does not have a visible dot screen pattern, and has all of the tonalities and hues of the original painting.
A giclee print is a perfect option for art collectors looking to expand their collection at a fraction of the cost of an original painting.