Painting is one of the oldest arts known to humans; with a history as old as that of man himself, paintings dating up to before 3000 BC have been found in caves, these attest to the rich and long history of art paintings. Though not initially commercialized, the modern society has changed art into a big, multimillion dollar industry. Artefacts have also gained prominence in the recent years; museums and relevant government agencies the world over are working over time to preserve these old paintings or sculptures. Whether one uses watercolor, oil or acrylic to attain abstract expressions, or life-like photos, the main theme is always to reach people with a specific message. Of course the paintings are worth a thousand words.
Online purchasing can be a tedious task sometimes because we can’t physically handle the product, and we can’t be sure of the outcome. Many art sellers have been struggling to keep their business up and running in selling original paintings online. The reason for this is that not many people prefer to buy paintings online as they can’t look at the minute details.
But there are many advantages of buying art online
- You don’t have to waste money and time, traveling (obvious reason)
- No need of an art gallery and this reduces the commissions and makes paintings cheaper.
- You can create your collection by choosing from similar paintings
- You can make a comparison of prices and pick the best deals.
- You can select from a variety of artists, refine the search according to your tastes. You may even bump into accomplished painters whom you’ve never heard of. It’s like chicken soup for the craving art-lover.
There are few downsides as well
- You can’t touch and feel the product, and sometimes when it arrives, you may be unhappy. If you need to see the artwork live, you may need to pay a visit to another country.
- If the product description (photograph) isn’t clear, this may repel clients
- This business might not have a long forecast.
- Painting may get damaged during transit, and the seller may not have a returns policy.
To avoid disappointments to both sides, both the art – buyer and seller must take a few things into consideration.
- Buyer should check for security payment methods and plagiarism. Sometimes, the artwork may be sold without the artist’s permission. Or, the website may simply be fake
- Buyer should check the location of the painting and how many days the order will take to arrive. Guaranteed and safe shipping, handling and tracking are important because, paintings may be fragile and in case something happens to the piece during transit, it’s in the seller’s hands to deal with it.
- The seller should gain the client’s trust by including information from the original artist (like an interview or video log) and the buyer must check for the authenticity of the piece.
- The photograph of the original painting has to be of high quality so the buyer can see the tiniest of details because; for art critics and lovers, they find meanings hidden deep within the paintings. They do not look for an overview, and they won’t be satisfied with thumbnail images.
- Buyer should look for a guarantee of purchase so they can ask for a refund if they’re unhappy.
- Double check the size of the painting and make sure it fits your wall space or your room.
Buying art online isn’t easy, as you will have to put many things at stake. It’s not like shopping for the cheapest clothes or smartphone. Every painting is unique as you can check on GalleryToday art gallery, and it should be valued properly. Moreover, the website should be well designed in this case, because it deals with artistic stuff and details are important in this sector of business.
