3 ms·

I've visited Dafen several times, had conversations with artists there, and purchased some paintings. The quality ranges from gradeschool-esque to fine art, ev

by eitally 11y ago

I've visited Dafen several times, had conversations with artists there, and purchased some paintings. The quality ranges from gradeschool-esque to fine art, even if most of it isn't original. I have no problems with factory-style creation of art, either. If people don't buy it, they won't create it. The vast majority goes to commercial properties looking for semi-generic-but-in-a-specific-style-or-color-scheme art for their public spaces or private rooms, and although it's blatantly obvious how crappy a hotel room painting is, it still beats staring at blank walls. These folks have found yet another way too bootstrap themselves out of poverty, and with startups like instapainting or https://www.nobilified.com/ https://www.nobilified.com/, it's easier than ever for them to have a global reach. Good for them! Good for us!

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
frozenport 11y ago
Here is the problem: why can't we have these guys painting actual art? A decade ago I was visiting the Dominican Republic and saw street vendors who sold touristy paintings that took them less than an hour to complete. Beach, sunset, palm. They weren't good but they were unique.
- chrischen 11y ago
  We have both: People who paint photos as our main product, and people doing creative art: http://www.instapainting.com/artists http://www.instapainting.com/artists. But most people just go for turning a photo to a painting. It's simply where the market and demand is.
  - frozenport 11y ago
    That slightly different, what I didn't like was the following picture, filled with identical works: https://www.instapainting.com/blog/assets/factory.jpg https://www.instapainting.com/blog/assets/factory.jpg
    - chrischen 11y ago
      Those exist in China, as well as the artists you describe, as well as smaller studios doing anything from copying paintings to passion pieces. We don't use the one in the picture because they basically just mass produce things for Kmart, Wal-Mart, etc, but the smaller studios are usually actual artists that can do custom pieces.
- eitally 11y ago
  They do. The article gives an unfair impression of Dafen. It isn't just these assembly lines of mechanical make-work to churn out thousands of what essentially have more in common with a numbered print than a bespoke painting. There are also hundreds of smaller shops, and thousands of individual artists who do direct commission work for customers and patrons. There are also formal galleries with beautiful collections of truly fine pieces. It's a sight to behold, for sure. My favorite painting from there is about 3'x4'and cost about $190. I then paid about $400 to have it re-stretched and framed when I got home. :-/
  - chrischen 11y ago
    Yes, the bottom half of the article talks about the misconception of China as just full of assembly-line factories. We visited the smaller studios too and they are actually the ones supplying oil paintings for Instapainting.com.
- bootload 11y ago
  "Here is the problem: why can't we have these guys painting actual art?" Ever created visual art? Most art you see is commercial art. Capital-A, Art is personal. To create an original piece of art takes a lot of effort, be it something visually inspiring, a novel concept or deeply felt emotion. Apply some technique and maybe you might come up with something good, maybe? "En plein air" isn't always practical. Think of a photographs used in the way you describe, as the "Cheeze-Wiz" of inspiration for commercial art.
  - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
    I don't know. Isn't that backwards? "If its easy, its not real" is too simple. Art may be defined by the artists' effort, or by the effect is has. Plenty of folks are impressed/astounded by 'street art'. Why is it not real, just because the artist had the chops to make it look easy?
    - bootload 11y ago
      "Isn't that backwards? "If its easy, its not real" is too simple." good point @Joe, what I'm trying to explain is, it's inspiration that's hard. The Muse. Art that comes easily, rarely looks/feels bad.
Cookingboy 11y ago
Kinda off tangent, I thought it looked super familiar, and then realized that example painting of the guy raising a glass is based off this: http://www.c-ville.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/GATSBY.png http://www.c-ville.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/GATSBY.png

by eitally 11y ago

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

frozenport 11y ago

Here is the problem: why can't we have these guys painting actual art? A decade ago I was visiting the Dominican Republic and saw street vendors who sold touristy paintings that took them less than an hour to complete. Beach, sunset, palm. They weren't good but they were unique.

chrischen 11y ago
We have both: People who paint photos as our main product, and people doing creative art: http://www.instapainting.com/artists http://www.instapainting.com/artists. But most people just go for turning a photo to a painting. It's simply where the market and demand is.
- frozenport 11y ago
  That slightly different, what I didn't like was the following picture, filled with identical works: https://www.instapainting.com/blog/assets/factory.jpg https://www.instapainting.com/blog/assets/factory.jpg
  - chrischen 11y ago
    Those exist in China, as well as the artists you describe, as well as smaller studios doing anything from copying paintings to passion pieces. We don't use the one in the picture because they basically just mass produce things for Kmart, Wal-Mart, etc, but the smaller studios are usually actual artists that can do custom pieces.
eitally 11y ago
They do. The article gives an unfair impression of Dafen. It isn't just these assembly lines of mechanical make-work to churn out thousands of what essentially have more in common with a numbered print than a bespoke painting. There are also hundreds of smaller shops, and thousands of individual artists who do direct commission work for customers and patrons. There are also formal galleries with beautiful collections of truly fine pieces. It's a sight to behold, for sure. My favorite painting from there is about 3'x4'and cost about $190. I then paid about $400 to have it re-stretched and framed when I got home. :-/
- chrischen 11y ago
  Yes, the bottom half of the article talks about the misconception of China as just full of assembly-line factories. We visited the smaller studios too and they are actually the ones supplying oil paintings for Instapainting.com.
bootload 11y ago
"Here is the problem: why can't we have these guys painting actual art?" Ever created visual art? Most art you see is commercial art. Capital-A, Art is personal. To create an original piece of art takes a lot of effort, be it something visually inspiring, a novel concept or deeply felt emotion. Apply some technique and maybe you might come up with something good, maybe? "En plein air" isn't always practical. Think of a photographs used in the way you describe, as the "Cheeze-Wiz" of inspiration for commercial art.
- JoeAltmaier 11y ago
  I don't know. Isn't that backwards? "If its easy, its not real" is too simple. Art may be defined by the artists' effort, or by the effect is has. Plenty of folks are impressed/astounded by 'street art'. Why is it not real, just because the artist had the chops to make it look easy?
  - bootload 11y ago
    "Isn't that backwards? "If its easy, its not real" is too simple." good point @Joe, what I'm trying to explain is, it's inspiration that's hard. The Muse. Art that comes easily, rarely looks/feels bad.

Cookingboy 11y ago

Kinda off tangent, I thought it looked super familiar, and then realized that example painting of the guy raising a glass is based off this: http://www.c-ville.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/GATSBY.png http://www.c-ville.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/GATSBY.png