What is this style of art called? [more inside]
posted on Sep 18, 2008 - 19 answers

Could you tell me what's written on the back of my painting? The canvas is stretched and stapled onto wood, and there are some characters on it which I can't read. It's partially pen and partially marker. pen marker whole back
posted on Sep 14, 2008 - 7 answers

Why on Earth did 17th Century Dutch painter Emanuel de Witte repeatedly depict dogs pissing on columns inside of churches? [more inside]
posted on Aug 21, 2008 - 22 answers

Art museum painting framing question. A common style of framing in art museums --- especially with abstract paintings such as Cy Twombly and Mark Rothko's works --- involves a thin strip of wood around the edge of a painting, perhaps with a few-millimeter gap between the edge of the canvas and the inner edge of the wood. The strip of wood is usually flush with the face of the painting. That's all there is to it. I would like to replicate this effect with some paintings I have. [more inside]
posted on Jul 21, 2008 - 3 answers

Where can I find (in a book or online) an image of Okada Saburosuke's painting "The Westering Sun"? I haven't been able to locate so much as a reference to it since seeing it in the Tokyo National Museum. Is there a more common English rendering of the title?
posted on Jun 14, 2008 - 4 answers

Where can I take studio art classes in London? [more inside]
posted on Jun 5, 2008 - 4 answers

Does anyone recognize this painting? http://www.fupub.com/images/painting.jpg
posted on May 19, 2008 - 13 answers

Can anyone give me any insight into this mystery painting? All thoughts welcomed. [more inside]
posted on May 8, 2008 - 6 answers

Have you had a Harper's subscription since 1995? Have you been saving the back issues? Because.... [more inside]
posted on Apr 29, 2008 - 11 answers

Help me remember this painting! The subject is three people in a cafe or club. One (a soldier I think) is checking out a woman across the room. She in turn is checking out another man who happens to be checking out the first. If I recall correctly, a green light is shining down on at least one of the subjects, the gay man. This was possibly painted in Weimar Germany, but I could be wrong. The style certainly fits into that time period. Thank you metafilter.
posted on Apr 27, 2008 - 5 answers

Who painted this and what is it called? [more inside]
posted on Apr 20, 2008 - 4 answers

I gave a collector Right of First Refusal on a painting. How long should I give him to decide? [more inside]
posted on Mar 24, 2008 - 7 answers

Does it become legal to use a person's image without their consent or knowledge, as long as you put a black bar over their eyes and don't use their real name? I cannot afford to talk to a lawyer about this. [more inside]
posted on Mar 8, 2008 - 16 answers

One of my favorite paintings is by Paul Klee; can anyone help me figure out what it is called? [more inside]
posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 3 answers

Name-That-Artist-Filter: Posted to the blue a couple years ago. Male painter. Possibly lived in California. Somewhat well known. Pictures of Victorian-era girls and teddy bears and other animals, some with slightly oversized heads and eyes, all with a vaguely weirdish feel to them. Sorry, that's all I can remember. Thanks in advance for hoping me.
posted on Feb 5, 2008 - 3 answers

What to charge for art? [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2008 - 18 answers

My daughter is in love with my old Zen Board (also called a Buddha board). What kind of paper is this thing made of? [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2008 - 10 answers

Tips for commissioning a painting? [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2007 - 6 answers

Please help me ID some art. [more inside]
posted on Oct 24, 2007 - 3 answers

Posting for a friend: I am looking for a geometric painting by Auguste Herbin. The title that I think is correct is "Eight 1", but I can't seem to find anything online with that title. Help. [more inside]
posted on Oct 23, 2007 - 4 answers

I could paint that. Couldn't I? [more inside]
posted on Oct 17, 2007 - 40 answers

What are some examples of boundary breaking art in the 20th and 21st centuries? Has there been any art that caused riots, made huge headlines, caused masses to reevaluate their lives and societies? For the purposes of this question I would like to define art in the broadest possible way.
posted on Oct 4, 2007 - 45 answers

What's the next best thing to having an original Van Gogh? What's the third best thing etc? Are there reproductions that look almost identical in every respect? Or to put the question another way, what's the best I could get for under $2000 if I wanted a Starry Night (or any other priceless painting) hanging on my wall?
posted on Sep 25, 2007 - 18 answers

how can i paint my laminate top guitar? [more inside]
posted on Sep 25, 2007 - 5 answers

I recently had a painting restored and one of the details has been significantly changed. Do I leave the restoration alone or do I try to repair the repair? [more inside]
posted on Aug 13, 2007 - 9 answers

Is anyone familiar with a surreal painting that shows a man and a woman lying in a bed that is floating down a river? [more inside]
posted on Jun 23, 2007 - 5 answers

Your experience with and-painted art - tacky or good value? [more inside]
posted on Jun 19, 2007 - 10 answers

I have a vision for decorating my bathroom. It sort of involves an amateurish take on trompe-l'oeil -- I know I've seen it before, but I can't think of where. I'm hoping the Hive can put me on the right path to creativity. [more inside]
posted on May 8, 2007 - 10 answers

I'd like suggestions for a seascape/dreamscape in pastel/seashell colours that may or may not include shells, but hopefully includes water that I can paint on the wall of the pool shed/poolside shaded sitting area. [more inside]
posted on May 6, 2007 - 4 answers

Looking for a series of photographs that look like paintings of (IIRC) American suburbia taken at night time. [more inside]
posted on Apr 13, 2007 - 3 answers

Suggestions for portrait painters in Vancouver or San Francisco? We're trying to find a painter to commission two portraits for an anniversary present. The painter should be within striking distance to either city and have portraits in their portfolio. And yes, we are generally thinking of paintings, but should you know of a fantastic photographer in the same vein, post it here too. [more inside]
posted on Mar 27, 2007 - 3 answers

Identify this weird art please. Painting of a woman being mounted by a dog (or horse)? [more inside]
posted on Jan 14, 2007 - 13 answers

How to get my artwork in a gallery? [more inside]
posted on Jan 3, 2007 - 10 answers

I'm looking for fun web-based drawing/art games and toys and apps. [more inside]
posted on Dec 26, 2006 - 9 answers

i am looking for any information anyone may have about the following image
posted on Dec 20, 2006 - 12 answers

I want to find some art (for my wall) which has a humanist nature. It should capture that feeling you get when you realize some deep truth in physics or math, or when you're contemplating the universe. Know anything that fits the bill? [more inside]
posted on Dec 19, 2006 - 23 answers

Lost some good bookmarks in a crash. Trying to find a page of paintings by an unknown European artist, urban scenes of the early 20th century. [more inside]
posted on Nov 16, 2006 - 4 answers

Please help me name a painting. I have an old photocopy of a painting depicting a man being held on his back by two busty women. One of the women has a cloth wrapped around her head, and the other is slicing the man's neck open with a sword. What's it called? Who painted it? [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2006 - 3 answers

Any recomendations for a blog/space service good for artists who want to showcase their paintings - something like the "music" category on myspace? [more inside]
posted on Sep 24, 2006 - 4 answers

I first saw it on a postage stamp. Now I really (pathologically) like Josef Alber's Homage to the Square: Glow. Looking for suggestions work that expresses similar emotions (with caveats inside). Also, I would love to get a print of it and/or see it some time before I die. It doen't seem to have been exhibited for 14 years. I understand nothing about art museums or prints. Please help. [more inside]
posted on Sep 5, 2006 - 10 answers

How much should we expect to pay for an artist to create our logo on canvas? [more inside]
posted on Jul 6, 2006 - 11 answers

My father is looking for an easy way to showcase his paintings online. I'm thinking photo blog. [more inside]
posted on May 24, 2006 - 10 answers

Can anyone identify the artist, title, and location of this artwork? (It's a cropping of a larger work, and it may be a version of the Last Judgement, that's all I know....)
posted on May 23, 2006 - 5 answers

I want to start painting with acrylics. What are good, inexpensive supplies to get? What are some good resources/websites to learn how to start? [more inside]
posted on Apr 25, 2006 - 5 answers

I have two paintings signed by Salvador Dali I am in the process in having them authenticated as legit or copies. To possibly save some resources I would like to do background on the paintings, but I am unable to find any information, any suggestions? [more inside]
posted on Apr 21, 2006 - 17 answers

Fellow artists: I want to paint and collage over photos printed onto canvas. Looking for advice about pitfalls, materials that work, etc... [more inside]
posted on Apr 12, 2006 - 11 answers

How do I wire heavy paintings for hanging with thick, braided wire? [more inside]
posted on Feb 5, 2006 - 9 answers

Art Restoration : I have an old oil-painting that is pretty grungy due to decades of living with smokers and hanging near a fireplace. I'd like to get it cleaned, but I don't know the first thing about a) finding a restorer, and b) what I can expect to pay to have the work done. [more inside]
posted on Jan 17, 2006 - 10 answers

What do you do with works of art that you like? When you go a museum or take an art history course and you find some paintings and things that are particularly good/touching/etc, do you buy posters? Get an artist online to paint a reproduction? Just think about them from time to time? [more inside]
posted on Dec 14, 2005 - 28 answers

Any tips, books, exercises on learning how to paint with oils? [more inside]
posted on Oct 31, 2005 - 10 answers

What are the oldest realistic landscape paintings (or drawings)? [more inside]
posted on Aug 2, 2005 - 5 answers

Does anyone know some web sites with high-quality digital images of art masterpieces? Preferrably wallpaper-sized, and preferrably a variety of artists and periods.
posted on Jul 17, 2005 - 6 answers

I'm trying to find some artwork that I believe was posted to the front page a while back. The best description I can give is that it was paintings of various animals (mostly bunnies and bears) in odd situations including, but not limited to self-mutilation. [more inside]
posted on Jul 6, 2005 - 6 answers

I don't understand the painter Mark Rothko's abstract works. What is it that makes the art have any significance? [more inside]
posted on Jun 28, 2005 - 50 answers

ArtFilter: My mother remembers this print hanging in her grandfathers house. She's asked her father and aunt about it, but they don't have any information. Image 1 Image 2 She's sure its some mythological story or legend, and its driving her crazy. Any info as to who this woman is, anything about the original painting, anything at all would be a great help. We've searched google for every term we can think of, with no luck.
posted on Jun 6, 2005 - 12 answers

I've got some Chinese paintings from my late grandfather, and I'm having trouble finding more information about them. Here's what he had to say about them (image, transcript inside) and here's a scan I made of one of them (image). I don't know enough about this subject to make educated guesses, and the information from my grandfather is either inaccurate or just a dead-end. So basically, I'd like to know anything that you know about this. I'd be happy to scan more of the prints as well if someone needs additional information. [more inside]
posted on Apr 19, 2005 - 6 answers

Is it possible to get an already painted canvas "stretched" over a frame? [more inside]
posted on Mar 23, 2005 - 4 answers

I was at the MoMA the other day and came accross an amazing painting called The Diver. I am trying to find out the artist and the poem associated with it. Art history mefites? [more inside]
posted on Mar 8, 2005 - 6 answers

What's the best way to learn to paint in watercolors? [more inside]
posted on Mar 7, 2005 - 10 answers

A while back, a friend of mine introduced me to Kurt Halsey Frederiksen and I immediately fell in love with his work. Since then, I've been on the hunt for artists who have an equally "simple," yet beautiful and eloquent style. Can any of you recommend artists in a similar vein? (Preferably with online galleries or printed books of their art that I could purchase.) [more inside]
posted on Feb 17, 2005 - 5 answers

I remember a post on Mefi within the last 18 months about an artist who paints giant three dimensional words over otherwise bland nature scenes, as though the words were giant sculptures in the middle of the wild. Now I've forgotten his name, and can't seem to find the link... can anyone tell me the name of this artist?
posted on Jan 9, 2005 - 3 answers

Artistic Metafilter users, I need your advice! I have recently acquired some oil paints and a brush, and am very much enjoying using them so far. I wonder if anyone has some advice about the non-obvious stuff regarding oil painting. I've already discovered some things that I didn't know before (i.e. a bit of red paint and an equally-sized bit of yellow don't make orange, they make slightly lighter red), but please post obvious things anyhow - I probably don't know about them. I (to my shame) have spent almost the entirety of my artistic life using Photoshop and Lightwave, so this is very fun and confusing territory for me.
posted on Dec 30, 2004 - 23 answers

Long shot - anyone know of any public domain/ no copyright horribly twee paintings/ illustrations like this (not photos)?
posted on Aug 28, 2004 - 9 answers

Oil painting reproductions...

Although it's probably not the greatest piece of art by some of your standards, I have recently become interested in obtaining a print or reproduction of a Frederic Church landscape entitled "Aurora Borealis."

The interest came to me after my girlfriend bought me an interesting book on the Aurora and the Church painting was on the cover. I went online to see if there were any prints or oil reproductions and I found this one on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3527534910&category=20136

My question is as follows: I have never purchased things like this. First off, is the quality of such a reproduction any good? Considering there are no other options, I'm in a bind with that one. Another question, is the price fair?
posted on Aug 9, 2004 - 10 answers

I would like to start doing some messy art: oil painting and maybe some metal sculpture. But my NYC apartment doesn't have any space for this. I was wondering if there are any studios in New York City (or Brooklyn) that one can rent (or share) by the hour. I won't be using it enough to rent the space for long periods. I might use it once a week. I might go a month without using it. The perfect place for me would be reasonably priced and stocked with basic equipment, i.e. easles. If there isn't a place like this, someone should start one. Not a bad business model for luring wanabe artists.
posted on Jul 18, 2004 - 4 answers

Art question: I'm trying to track down a painting I can barely remember. It was called something along the lines of "Seated figure with cosmic train" but I'm not sure. It featured a man sitting in a chair with various colors radiating from his head, which resolved themselves into an image of a train bearing down on him. I last saw it in a psychology textbook some years back, and I have no idea why I want to find it again. It just bugs me somehow.
posted on May 14, 2004 - 2 answers

Art question:
What's the significance/history behind paintings of blue- or green-skinned Asian women?
[more inside, including a photo (SFW)]
posted on Apr 15, 2004 - 11 answers

Question about the process of portraiture in the late nineteenth century in general, and San Francisco artist Addie Ballou in particular. [More inside.]
posted on Apr 5, 2004 - 4 answers