artsmemory asked:

Early European Interpretations – A Land Without People?

The depiction of Africa’s landscape and its wildlife has an immense history. From rock paintings that are mankind’s oldest continuously practised art form, to modern day oil paintings that still search, experiment, and feel their way down new avenues into the vibrant global art market. Oil paintings of elegant human figures, richly hued animals, and subtle hints of architecture that blend so calmly with this dramatic land, continue to inspire admiration for quality and sophistication.

The craft of oil painting was brought to Africa by white European explorers who chartered their way across the vast terrain of Africa recording the wildlife and landscapes they discovered. Much of this documentation was in the name of science and natural history. These naturalists and artists were inclined to represent the needs of the empire builders and governments who funded their trips. The landscape oil paintings of this time often reflected an idealised view of the continent, an undiscovered Eden, empty and free of its original inhabitants.

An early nineteenth century traveller in the Cape of Good Hope, William Burchell, who was a prolific naturalist as well as an accomplished artist characterises this school of thought. His landscape oil painting, “A Scene on the Gariep River” was so charming that; “It smothers every uneasy sensation of the mind”. This pleasing illustration displays the kind of landscape that Europeans of the time wanted to imagine existed in Africa. These idyllic paintings continued into the twentieth century with the work of J H Pierneef, and the Everard Group. For the majority of travelling European artists, the people they saw were simply part of Africa’s flora and fauna. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the twentieth century, major European artists, such as Picasso, began to study African motifs and techniques. This is now called his “African” phase, where Picasso produced many modern oil paintings, straying away from the conventional aesthetic representations, thus taking his artwork to a more philosophical and emotional level.

Progressive Landscape Views – Beyond the Colonial Era

Attitudes towards black African artists and their use of oil in landscape and wildlife paintings was often punitive or criticised, there was a general desire to keep the native artist “tribal”. The experience of one the earliest black South African landscape painters, John Mohl, demonstrates this:

“Mohl was approached by a white admirer and advised not to concentrate on landscape oil paintings, but to paint figures of his people in poverty and misery. Landscape, he was advised, had become the field where Europeans had advanced far in perfecting its painting. In response Mohl challenged this rhetoric and said: “But I am African, and when God made Africa, he also created beautiful landscapes for Africans to admire and paint.”

Through Mohl’s rural and urban landscape paintings he expressed a clear cultural defiance. By painting landscapes Mohl triumphed over the imperial ideals and expectations many Europeans had of the indigenous Artists in Africa. Although this European ideology may have been detrimental to the development of landscape oil painting in Africa, one common energy unites all African artists who choose landscape and wildlife as the subject of their artwork. No African artist whoever he or she may be can forget the material, the human side, the majesty and brilliance of creation.

Contemporary Oil Paintings – The Eternal Vista

Much has changed in Africa during the last century. Oil paintings of the radiant landscapes, the light, the heat, the life and the stunning beauty of this unique land and its wildlife will always be admired by those not fortunate enough to live there. Just as the people during colonial times would marvel at this realm’s incredible wonders, so today people from distant lands also appreciate its splendour. At the turn of the last century the only image of Africa people could behold were precious wildlife and landscape paintings created by artists.

Today in contemporary Britain we have many different media sources to experience the spectacle that is Africa. The Internet, TV, Video-on-Demand, DVD, Interactive games, Multimedia, the list goes on. Within this mélange of infinite images and interaction you may find that the only true way to experience this grandeur is through the eyes of those artists that are still painting the infinite and timeless scenes. Professionally produced and hand painted oil landscapes can truly connect you with the essence that is Africa. If you have visited Africa and followed in the footsteps of the early European artists, you will no doubt have fond memories of the continent. However, to own a contemporary oil painting will induce sentiment and wonder far richer than the memories themselves.

Deri Jenkins asked:


Early European Interpretations – A Land Without People?

The depiction of Africa’s landscape and its wildlife has an immense history. From rock paintings that are mankind’s oldest continuously practised art form, to modern day oil paintings that still search, experiment, and feel their way down new avenues into the vibrant global art market. Oil paintings of elegant human figures, richly hued animals, and subtle hints of architecture that blend so calmly with this dramatic land, continue to inspire admiration for quality and sophistication.

The craft of oil painting was brought to Africa by white European explorers who chartered their way across the vast terrain of Africa recording the wildlife and landscapes they discovered. Much of this documentation was in the name of science and natural history. These naturalists and artists were inclined to represent the needs of the empire builders and governments who funded their trips. The landscape oil paintings of this time often reflected an idealised view of the continent, an undiscovered Eden, empty and free of its original inhabitants.

An early nineteenth century traveller in the Cape of Good Hope, William Burchell, who was a prolific naturalist as well as an accomplished artist characterises this school of thought. His landscape oil painting, “A Scene on the Gariep River” was so charming that; “It smothers every uneasy sensation of the mind”. This pleasing illustration displays the kind of landscape that Europeans of the time wanted to imagine existed in Africa. These idyllic paintings continued into the twentieth century with the work of J H Pierneef, and the Everard Group. For the majority of travelling European artists, the people they saw were simply part of Africa’s flora and fauna. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the twentieth century, major European artists, such as Picasso, began to study African motifs and techniques. This is now called his “African” phase, where Picasso produced many modern oil paintings, straying away from the conventional aesthetic representations, thus taking his artwork to a more philosophical and emotional level.

Progressive Landscape Views – Beyond the Colonial Era

Attitudes towards black African artists and their use of oil in landscape and wildlife paintings was often punitive or criticised, there was a general desire to keep the native artist “tribal”. The experience of one the earliest black South African landscape painters, John Mohl, demonstrates this:

“Mohl was approached by a white admirer and advised not to concentrate on landscape oil paintings, but to paint figures of his people in poverty and misery. Landscape, he was advised, had become the field where Europeans had advanced far in perfecting its painting. In response Mohl challenged this rhetoric and said: “But I am African, and when God made Africa, he also created beautiful landscapes for Africans to admire and paint.”

Through Mohl’s rural and urban landscape paintings he expressed a clear cultural defiance. By painting landscapes Mohl triumphed over the imperial ideals and expectations many Europeans had of the indigenous Artists in Africa. Although this European ideology may have been detrimental to the development of landscape oil painting in Africa, one common energy unites all African artists who choose landscape and wildlife as the subject of their artwork. No African artist whoever he or she may be can forget the material, the human side, the majesty and brilliance of creation.

Contemporary Oil Paintings – The Eternal Vista

Much has changed in Africa during the last century. Oil paintings of the radiant landscapes, the light, the heat, the life and the stunning beauty of this unique land and its wildlife will always be admired by those not fortunate enough to live there. Just as the people during colonial times would marvel at this realm’s incredible wonders, so today people from distant lands also appreciate its splendour. At the turn of the last century the only image of Africa people could behold were precious wildlife and landscape paintings created by artists.

Today in contemporary Britain we have many different media sources to experience the spectacle that is Africa. The Internet, TV, Video-on-Demand, DVD, Interactive games, Multimedia, the list goes on. Within this mélange of infinite images and interaction you may find that the only true way to experience this grandeur is through the eyes of those artists that are still painting the infinite and timeless scenes. Professionally produced and hand painted oil landscapes can truly connect you with the essence that is Africa. If you have visited Africa and followed in the footsteps of the early European artists, you will no doubt have fond memories of the continent. However, to own a contemporary oil painting will induce sentiment and wonder far richer than the memories themselves.

Lucas asked:


Chinese oil painting reproduction attacks Europe and America art market

In the arts world, copy the original painting works or imitate the style of known artwork name ” oil painting reproduction.” These paintings because of lack of originality, inexpensive and mass production, lock-in a large number of artworks market in the low-end market. According to the World Bank painted wholesalers Maikeweida investigation, the U.S. market, a popular line of oil paintings from China, 70%, 80% from Shenzhen and Xiamen oil painting village, which from an unknown small village , Has become “the first Chinese oil painting village”, experts have been called “dafen mode” and “Wu Shipu” phenomenon.”

nonce, China’s oil production has started from the workshop of the successful transition to an independent operating large-scale industrial development pipeline, China’s national conditions, is very good at large-scale assembly line production.

     Xiamen is located in the Village Wushipu with respect to production, sales painting reproduction assembly line operations in order to copy the way the original works, and then selling low-cost, the formation of large-scale oil processing plant reproduction. Here, paint, brushes, canvas and other materials are extremely cheap, a small village there are hundreds of oil painting stores . The paintings are sold in the Chinese coastal cities such as Xiamen, this spring, based in Manchester, CEO of the Negev Qi, Ge • Security was also here that he was less than an hour on Decided to order a large, the painting will be completed this fall, when the full 6 40 feet long containers destined for Europe and the United States. Ge was that each of the framed picture to increase in the price of 25 dollars to 30 dollars, and each piece of work about 1 dollar freight, he was prepared to sell oil to those furniture stores, each in the price of 35-40 U.S. dollars, ” Oil retail prices in Europe will reach 100 U.S. dollars each to 125 U.S. dollars, while the retail price in the United States will reach 160 U.S. dollars each. “

     Chinese oil painting has the advantage of producing the oil into a pipeline of the operation, copying a very meticulous division of labor, not only to improve efficiency, lower costs even lower.

Chinese artists  low  pay

     In China, however, only a small number of artists like Chen Yifei, ZAO Wou-ki, Wu Guanzhong, and other works can be sold in Europe and the United States each hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in price, most of the Chinese artist’s works are priced at 500 U.S. dollars each Or even less. Many Chinese Creative artists of the only sources of those postcards or pictures from the Internet, and so on, Lucas copy of the 20,000 pieces of works of Van Gogh is on a roll from the Van Gogh-page book, is that they rely on the master copy of these To work to earn living expenses low.

     Most of the artists after two years of apprenticeship is a career began after the oil drawn, they pay less than 200 U.S. dollars per month “great-fen village,” China is not unique to the industry, the United States had a similar “fun village” model Running, but now, where the paintings were missing workers and designers.

     At that time, in the United States gathered in the northern New Jersey for a number of families, restaurants and hotels designed by the arts of painting, but these companies have abandoned the direction of the production, the main focus of the import business. Dalong to the company (daeryungcomopany), for example, 20 years ago, they have a division devoted to painting 7 painting in indoor workplaces, and four years ago, the last artist has left the company. The company members of the Week Helen (helencho) said: “It’s a good place to start when we can clearly tell what the market needs oil painting artist, but now, the Chinese people catch up.”

The United States trade alert

Chinese oil pipeline operations in the West not only caused concern in the art circle, but also Europe and the United States and around the world will be the artists, art galleries and even the industry will have a great impact. Many arts organizations of the United States have begun to guard against this phenomenon and to investigate whether or not to follow a series of Chinese oil paintings in the United States related to the copyright law. China’s exports of oil companies agreed that each copy of the paintings are handmade by the artist, so there will not be infringing copyright. However, the United States and the Visual Arts Gallery Association, Robert did not agree with this statement, “the 20th century, before the creation of works of art, of course, be free to copy and trafficking, but whether it works in modern times was’ reasonable ‘and copy sales are illegal.

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