How to Identify the Authenticity of a Painting and Print?
Paintings are beautiful. They are such a magnificent creation of the human mind that they hold the potential of affecting the feelings and thoughts of its audiences. Everyone is fond of art and the genre doesn’t matter. A love child of creativity and thoughts, artists have been using this as a medium to express their deepest opinions and beliefs since time immemorial. One of the strongest mediums of communication, the power of an art brush holds the command to state what the words fail to communicate. Right from beautiful murals to mesmerising creations on cloth, artists of the past have really worked hard on creating some of the most beautiful paintings which the human eye has witnessed.
Just like the rulers and monarchs of the yester years were fond of art, people of today are equally affectionate towards the subject. However, paintings are usually exceptionally priced and it’s only the rich who can afford to indulge in this luxury. Surely, there are all kinds of artists creating different forms of art, but most of the times people have to shell out a substantial amount of money in order to purchase a painting. Mostly seen as a piece of investment, paintings are much more than just a piece of dÊcor.
So, when you decide to invest your hard earned money in purchasing a painting, the last thing that you want is for it to turn out to be fake or a print. People are aware of the huge sums of money involved in the world of art and that is why they choose to deceit the innocent buyers. There have been numerous cases wherein art lovers have been conned and fake art prints are sold in the name of an original painting. If you wish to save yourself from getting cheated on, then here are some useful tips which can help you in distinguishing a genuine painting from its fake counterparts.
No better companion than magnifying glass: You would have seen in the movies that art connoisseurs use magnifying glass from different angles in order to check if the painting is real or not. You can also do the same. Try holding the painting up in different angles. This will help you in seeing any anomalies, if any. Use a magnifying glass and scrutinise the painting. One of the obvious differences between high quality art prints and paintings is that a real painting will have the impressions of real brushstrokes while you won’t be able to find the same on prints. The brushstrokes might vary in size and texture, but you need to look closely in order to find any irregularities.
The back says it all: The seller told you that the painting is more than a century old? Well, ask him to remove the frame and look at the backside of the painting properly. If the back looks fresh with no possible signs of wear and tear, then you know it’s fake. The conmen are so busy giving real-looking touches to the front of the painting that they almost end up forgetting about the back. Even if there would be some deliberate attempts to give a certain kind of look to the rear side, it would be easily noticeable with the help of a magnifying glass. Art prints on a canvas generally look extremely smooth with no traces of brushstrokes at all. Just give a good look to the backside of the canvas and if you are able to smell a rat, then become wary as it might be a fake!
Hold up against the light: This is an age-old technique which has been a saviour and is being used by the experts of today. Shining the light on a painting can magnify the flaws to a great extent and make them noticeable from the naked eye. Try holding the painting against light in order to highlight any possible errors. Another common practice is to grip the painting up to the light and scrutinising it from the back. If the painting is authentic, then you should be able to witness variations in the light which are a result of the varying degrees of impasto used by the artist. It is difficult to find the same on canvas prints and lithographs.
Artist’s signature never lies: A real painting always has the signature of its creator on the lower right-hand corner. Maximum number of times, the signature of the artist will have a dimension to it. However, it’s not only the signature which can help you distinguish a real painting from its fake equivalents, but you need to look deeper. Art prints generally don’t have any signature on them. And if someone has tried to fake the signature, then you can find it out by looking closely at the original signature. Any abnormalities can hint towards a fraud situation. Check for the flow and pressure as mostly the fake signatures have both of these.
Aforementioned tips are certainly helpful. However, it is always suggested that before investing a huge amount in a painting you must always get it double-checked by an art expert. There are so many things which a beginner might miss, but it is difficult for eye-catching canvas prints masked as paintings to get away from the eyes of an expert. Obtain the authentication documents and take a knowledgeable expert along. The additional money spent here is a kind of investment which will ensure that the painting brought by you is hundred percent authentic and original.