Art Scene India: Buying art

Showing posts with label Buying art. Show all posts

13 Oct 2017

Art in Interiors: Buying Art for the Festive Season

Fresh artworks can infuse a new life in your surroundings and add a creative flair to the décor

The festive season is a great time to renovate and redesign interiors and add finishing touches to the décor. A beautifully designed space is incomplete without good art. Paintings on the wall, sculptures and installations in open spaces, murals painted directly on wall surfaces, assemblages and tabletop sculptures among a host of other options offer multiple ways to individualize interiors and add that creative flair to the décor. The festive season is therefore a great time to buy art for display in your home and also as a gift for loved ones.

Buying Art for the Festive Season, Art in Interiors, Art Scene India, Image courtesy pixabay.com

When buying art, it is best to buy original art by well-known artists, which is not only a great investment but also adds class and personality to the décor. Buying fresh artworks can infuse a new life in your surroundings. Colours from the painting can be repeated or coordinated in the furnishings and even wall colours. And, one can actually decide on furniture, architectural details, for instance create wall niches to display art, flooring, drapes and other furnishing and accessories based on the art.

Also, art can be purchased as a basis for decorating interiors or selected according to the existing décor. For instance, when renovating, select an artwork which can provide a theme for the décor and can even help in choosing the décor style, for instance, ethnic, modern or eclectic, for that particular space or the entire home according to one’s preferences. Look for artworks which appeal to you and then evaluate the purchase based on the available space, wall surface, size and budget.

Commission an artist to do an artwork which is exactly to your specifications in terms of space, size, colours and subject. Discuss the concept and your requirements with the artist to chalk out a blueprint that matches perfectly. Paint an entire wall around a festive theme or paint a piece of furniture in multi coloured hues. It could be an abstract rendition or a work in pop art. There are immense possibilities when you work with an artist directly.

Folk art in vibrant hues is also a good option during the festive season; these are priced affordably and also explore traditional celebratory themes. Buy from galleries which promote folk art where you can purchase exclusive pieces, rather than mass produced images.

Display

To ensure the focus remains on the art piece, the space should be clutter free and the painting well lit. When putting up large paintings it is best to space them out. Save oversized paintings for large areas. Small paintings that reflect a theme or a colour scheme can be grouped on a wall; an odd number is visually more pleasing to the eye.

The wall surface and its size can also be used as a guide to select a set of paintings, for instance, paintings can be grouped vertically on a narrow strip of wall. In passages, more than one painting can be hung on the wall to create a visual diversion in a functional space that is unexciting by itself. Similarly, a set of small paintings in the kitchen is better than having a single large one.

Paintings are typically hung on walls, however, they can also be displayed on a floor easel, which is a great way to fill up spaces; it is especially useful when you don’t want to put nails in the wall. Smaller paintings can be displayed on tabletops with the help of small easels or can be rested against books.

Art can be accentuated with the help of ceiling-mounted spotlights or recessed lights as direct light can damage the paintings.

Published in Times of India, Bangalore
Images courtesy pixabay

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25 Mar 2016

Guide: The Fine Art of Buying

Art is a visual investment, and as a medium has the ability to alter the aesthetics of the environment

Buying your first work of art can be intimidating and perhaps, also perplexing. How does one decide which artist’s work to buy or where to buy it from? Similarly, there are questions related to style, genre, medium, size and of course, the price of the artwork. These can all add further to the confusion. So, here are a few tips to guide you towards selecting and buying an artwork.

Guide: The Fine Art of Buying, art buying tips, Art Scene India

Empower yourself

The first step is to visit a few art galleries to see the works that are displayed there, and consider what engages you - which works do you feel aesthetically, emotionally and intellectually drawn to? Notice your reaction to the works displayed and this will give you an indication of the kind of works that you relate to. Visualize these on your walls now and consider if you would like to look at them over and over again. Remember that art is a long term investment and that is very unlikely that you would purchase a new work of art for your living room every couple of months.

The next step is to look up online galleries and browse through images to learn more about various genres, styles and corresponding prices. Again, this will give you a sense of the kind of art which engages you, as well as direct you to artists whose works you like.

Make sure, you do this only after you have visited and viewed art galleries, since the physicality of viewing art is an important step in understanding its nuances, for instance the tactility of the medium, use of pigments and materials, textural quality and the dimensionality of the artwork are evident only when you stand before it. In fact, also visit artist studios and interact with artists whenever possible. This will facilitate an understanding of processes, and materials and media.

In parallel, read up on articles to know more about artists and current exhibitions. It will give you a sense of art trends, popular artists and will cultivate familiarity with the language used in describing art. This will also help you in understanding text accompanying art, which in turn offers insights into the work.

Set a budget

It is important to set aside a budget for art so that there is clarity on the amount that you are willing to invest in art. It would be advisable to begin with a small amount, perhaps in the Rs 20,000 - 50,000 range, which allows you to gain confidence in the initial period of learning. You could consider buying works by upcoming artists as these are likely to be in the affordable range. You could also purchase limited edition prints, drawings and watercolours, which are generally priced lower, in comparison to oils and acrylics.

Following these steps will ensure you learn about art and the art market, enabling you to make the right choices when it comes to buying for your home. Even if you are buying art at your interior decorator’s advice, take the time to be personally involved.

Art is a visual medium of expression, which can be used creatively to complement home interiors. It is a visual investment, and as a medium has the ability to alter the aesthetics of the environment completely and as you learn more about its finer aspects, you can incorporate both style and substance in your home interiors.

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22 Jul 2009

Reasons for buying art

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

In the last few years awareness about art has increased substantially, and these days, most people are familiar with artist’s names, local galleries and prominent auction houses as events, art shows and auction reports are widely publicized in the media.
The number of people who are buying art has also grown with time, although their reasons for owning it might be different. Most people still buy art for dressing their walls – to match the sofa or a particular wall colour. However, the budget that is utilized for this particular purpose is usually limited and is generally well under a lakh. The buyer, here, focuses primarily on colours and aesthetics. The major draw in this case is pleasant portraits or colourful abstracts. Then there are buyers who are more aware and maybe slightly more experimental in their choice. They may opt for line drawings or limited edition prints, but generally choose works by better known artists. But here, too, the emphasis is on complementing interiors with art.

Another segment of buyers are drawn towards big names and for them trophy art is a way to impress their peers. It goes without saying that money is no object for this category of buyers.
Then there are buyers who begin collecting in a small way and then find themselves unable to resist the next painting that appeals to them. Before they realize it, their walls and closets are overflowing with art and yet they cannot make themselves stop. To indulge in an expensive hobby such as collecting art, it is obvious that ones finances must be in extremely good shape.

The last segment of buyers is those that have an analytical and precise approach to buying art. They survey trends, go through catalogues, check price curves diligently before coming to a decision. Their main purpose is to ensure that they have made a sound financial investment.

Well, whatever may be the reason for buying art, the fact remains that it is good for the art market in general.

(Published in Financial Times)