Zephir and Flora

Employees of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin Brandenburg carry the painting Zephir and Flora (18th century) by an unknown artist to its previous spot, after 25 years of being in storage and many months of restoration at the New Palace in Potsdam, Germany, 13 October 2011. The 2.81 meter high and 3.21 meter wide oil painting is presented, due to the 300th day of birth of Frederick the Great in 2012

Flor Art Painting of Chrysanthemums by Renoir

Flowers and Floral landscapes have meanings and symbolism in just about all cultures and historical periods. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they are so often reflected in art, and there are endless flower paintings that are widely recognized today. Many famous painters made flower paintings a significant part of their portfolio, and their flower art often helped define their legacies.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, a painter from the mid-1800 impressionist movement, chose flowers as the subject for many of his paintings. Renoir did his study and painting in Paris, and his work was often an experiment with landscapes and outdoor scenes of Parisian daily life. His focus was often on trying to paint by using light in new ways, which appears in his paintings of roses, chrysanthemums, and other spring flowers, which still stands as some of his most famous work
Renoir was friends with fellow impressionist painter Claude Monet, who set the standard for impressionism flower paintings. Iris, water lilies, and flowers in ponds and gardens at Giverny appeared on canvas like never had before when Monet found his true inspiration. In fact as he matured, Monet focused so much on floral art that he invested more and more time in gardening so that it grew more colorful flowers as subjects. Claude Monet ’s flower art is likely the most famous in the world.
Henri Matisse is yet another French artist who had a broad range of interest, subject and works, but often gravitated to beauty and nature. He was influenced by Monet and other impressionist painters, and incorporated some of this form into his own style of beautiful colors with broad strokes.
Art from Matisse varies from females to still life, but flower paintings from Matisse are also highlighted in his portfolio. “Still Life with Magnolia” typifies the simple, colorful, unique style of Matisse.
No discussion of flower paintings is complete without the impact made by Vincent Van Gogh on the world of impressionist art. Van Gogh brought his own bursts of color and style, mainly in daring outdoor or landscape painting, often including flowers.
However there is one floral varietal most associated to Van Gogh: sunflowers. His stunning collection of sunflower paintings is world recognized, which almost treat each flower as it's owns subject. In these paintings there is an emphasis on the pure brilliance and sensory joy of the blooms in his paintings.
Impressionist flower paintings dominant galleries world over, but there continue to be examples of famous abstract flower paintings, and realism.
An American icon, Georgia O'Keefe is a 20th century artist who partly defined her works through realistic flower paintings, usually close ups of flowers such as roses and iris, emphasizing colors as purples and pinks. Her tendency towards oversized flower works, showing the details of the petals, pistils, and interior tend to convey symbolism, and have a show her unique style.

Museum Quality Oil Paintings

Ever thinking of owning a reproduction of the old masterpiece you went up to the other day?Ever thinking of grace you wall with a museum quality reproduction of it? should it be by Van Gogh, Renoir,Monet,Sargent, Rembrandt ,Bouguereau or any other world famous old masters?
Come to Arts-Memory.com to get it at the affordable cheap Prices, with Stock Paintings available

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Tuscan Paintings Wholesale

One of the most densely populated (and popular) regions in Italy, Tuscany is located in the heart of Italy, stretching from the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the western border of the Apennine Mountains. Its major cities include Florence, Siena, Pistoia, Prato, and Pisa, and it is divided into ten provinces: Arezzo, Firenze, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Pistoia, Grosseto, Massa Carrara, Livorno, and Prato. Tuscany's population of 3.5 million (a 2004 estimate) is not evenly distributed, however; the Tyrrhenian coastline and the Florence-Pisa area have the hightest concentrations of people, while the more mountainous and agricultural areas are sparser.And yet, Tuscany is an area where the smallest towns are as historically rewarding and charming as its larger ones. As previously mentioned, Tuscany is an incredibly popular draw for people around the world, and every year sees roughly a million tourists from the United States alone. In a way, Tuscany is a microcosm of Italy, and brings the best of that country to the forefront: its beauty, history, culture, cuisine, and people are indeed remarkable, and few leave behind Tuscany unsatisfied. From the cultural significance of Florence, the Renaissance stronghold of the powerful Medici family, to the Elsa Valley area between Florence and Siena where one finds dozens of towns teeming with artistic treasures, to the serene northern beauty of the hill towns and the valleys along the Apennine ridge, Tuscany has something for everyone. It is a large region of 9000 square miles, and there is much to be explored. Tuscany is the ancient homeland of the Etruscans, a ancient group about which very little is known (although many scholars suspect that these people migrated from Asia Minor); in fact, the very name of Tuscany originates from the Romans' name for the Etruscans: Etuschi. In 351 B.C., the region was annexed to the Roman Empire. The fall of the Empire saw Tuscany's descent into chaos--like much of Europe, the area was prey to attacks and pillages from Visigoths and other barbarian tribes. As stability entered the region, it prospered. In the Renaissance, Florence emerged as the seat of power in Tuscany due to its wealth in the textile trade and the emergence of the Medicis, a Florentine banking family whose name became synonymous with the Renaissance, as seen in the impressive list of artists who worked in the city and saw patronage by the Medicis (and the Pope): Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli, Piero della Francesca, and Leonardo da Vinci During the 15th and 16th centuries, Tuscany entered a period of wealth and stability. In 1737 the Medicis' reign of power finally ended, and in the period that follows we find Tuscany in flux, annexed by Napoleon to his empire and partitioned into smaller regions by him (at one point he gave Tuscany as a whole to his sister as a gift), until 1860, when the area became part of a unified Italy. (Florence briefly served as capital of the new country from 1865 to 1870.) Turmoil found Tuscany in the early part of the 20th century, as social unrest was heightened by clashes among workers and peasants with landowners and industrialists. Because of this, Tuscany was easy prey for the emerging Fascism movement. However, Tuscany survived being at the forefront of World War II, emerging once again to claim worldwide attention as an area rich in history, beauty, and cultural significance.

Tuscany Landscape Art

Largest Oil Painting Base City All the World Over

Tsann Kuen Group, Taiwan's largest electronics chain store in terms of annual sales, reportedly plans to build a large-scale creative cultural park in Xiamen, according to Taihainet.com.

It is reported that the old plant of Tsann Kuen, which is located near Xinglong Road in Huli District, will be reused for the project.

The 57,000-square-meter creative culture park, according to the initial plan of Tsann Kuen Group, will include a professional oil painting reproduction base, a design centre, an art centre, a design training school and a health care R&D centre. The park is estimated to be completed by September 2011.

Among them, the oil painting production base is expected to be the world’s largest oil painting market, according to an executive of Tsann Kuen, who declined to reveal more specific information.

Currently, Xiamen has three oil painting production bases, which are Wushipu Oil Painting Village, Haicang Oil Painting Village and Mingfa Oil Painting Street. The annual output value of Xiamen oil painting industry has exceeded one billion yuan.

The Wushipu Oil Painting Village, located in Huli District, was named as "the second best in the world oil painting industry base". Among them, Arts Memory Xiamen Limited is one of those that have been here for almost 10 years.However, the limited land resource has hindered its further development.

Asian-themed oil painting

An oil painting created by Chinese artist Zhu Zebin to promote the 2010 Asian Games set a new record for Chinese paintings at a recent auction in Singapore.

The artwork, titled "Meet in Harmonious Guangzhou, Share the Asiad Passion", went to an unidentified Indonesian bidder at a Jan 4 auction for $16.7 million, China News Service reported.

The artwork depicts 22 Asian women wearing traditional clothes, each dancing or demonstrating a sport. The background shows landmarks of Guangzhou, the southern Chinese city that will host the 2010 Asian Games.

The painting is among more than 100 works that Zhu Zebin has dedicated to the Guangzhou Games. The 49-year-old artist says he fully supports the event and is proud to be a native of Guangdong province, of which Guangzhou is the capital city.

Zhu has been a favorite at art auctions in recent years. His work "Liftoff", which was also inspired by the Guangzhou Games, brought in $6.14 million at an auction in Taipei last year.

Zhu's works are also popular among diplomats. "Little White Rabbits", for example, was snapped up by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, according to the website of the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Oil on Canvas

Oil painting is a technique that has been used by eminent artists to create some of the finest artistic works we have ever known. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper”; Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “Café Terrace at Night”; Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”, are all famous examples of masterpiece oil painting. It is a difficult process, but once it is mastered, an artist can undoubtedly created oil paintings that are far superior in quality than water color paintings, acrylic paintings and other artistic mediums.
The Initial Preparation
Oil painting is a much superior technique of painting than other processes, such as, water color, charcoal sketch, etc. The linen canvas used in the best quality oil paintings is durable and stiff, letting the artist paint comfortably on it. Also, the pigments used in oil painting are of a special kind, which binds well with the oil used as a base. Linseed oil or walnut oil work best in oil painting. At times resin is combined with the base oil (the product is called varnish) to make the finished product glossy in appearance. The canvas is prepared by stretching it slightly and mounting it on the drawing board with clamps. The paint is mixed with oil and left for some time, allowing the paint to combine properly with the oil.
The Painting Process
In oil painting, the strokes need to be applied steadily, but with measured pressure. Extra pressure put on the brush will end up smudging the color in the finished product. On the other hand, if the pressure is too little, sufficient oil may not be absorbed in the canvas, thus shortening the life of the finished painting. Oil painting thus requires sufficient dexterity on the artist’s part to be done properly, and the correct pressure to be applied can only be determined through continuous practice.
The Finishing
Once the painting is complete and it has dried, the artist usually coats the entire painting with a coat of clear lacquer. This process is called “varnishing”. This process is performed even if the oil used in the painting already had varnishing resin mixed into it. This makes the painting waterproof and greatly extends its life. This finishing must be uniform; any spot left out will gradually degrade the painting over time. Once this process is successfully completed, the varnish is left to dry. Gradually, the colors set perfectly and the varnish dries up, leaving a smooth, glossy finish to the painting.
Creating an oil painting can be a tedious and expensive task. But done successfully, it can leave behind a true masterpiece that is valued by collectors for years after its creation.

Source: Painting Reproduction from China