Why Original Art?

Sometimes art just takes you to a special place…

The answer to the question of why to purchase original art doesn’t often seem straightforward. It’s a lot of money and commitment to hang something original on the wall. There is an indelible energy to original art that can’t be readily transferred in a re-creation or a print. But in the end, the answer of why to purchase a piece of art is very clear: it speaks to you.

I know that this has happened to you before. It may not have been an original piece of art. It may have been a piece of music that made you want to dance. It might have been a novel that completely changed your mind. You may have been simply touched by a photograph in the newspaper. You cut it out and hung it to your office bulletin board or added it to your playlist.

Original art is an amplified experience. It will take that connection and make it part of your habitat. It has been imbued with the artist’s expression of nuance and feeling that is not available in a facsimile or print. In the best cases, photos or prints will completely understate a piece. In the worst cases, they will change them completely.

I have experienced this effect hundreds of times by now. Artists endeavor to show me an iPad rendition of their portfolio as they look for gallery representation. Occasionally you can tease out a detail or two to see some skill. Mostly the art looks flat and blended. The colors are muted and inconsequential. The photography of original artwork is a game of attrition. As a print buyer, you are getting a far lesser version of the original, in the best of cases. For some incredible works, it is still worth it.

Find that piece that speaks to you. It will make your whole life richer.