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Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by fatjokes on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @09:21AM (#6166373)
The only thing I discovered after browsing through that site is that I am too poor to own art.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by splat on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @11:19AM (#6167042)
The example of Herbert and Dorothy Vogel shows that that's not true if you're willing to work at it: http://mentalfloss.com/article/48844/how-working-class-coupl...
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by nissimk on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @02:03PM (#6168128)
Thank you, that's a really inspiring story.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by JulianMorrison on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @09:28AM (#6166422)
You're too poor to own art whose primary defining characteristic as art is that it's too expensive for poor people to own.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by fatjokes on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @09:53AM (#6166548)
Link to poor people art please? (And please don't let it be Homer Simpson art---i.e. garbage smashed together. And I don't count digital prints as art.)
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by reverend_gonzo on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @10:08AM (#6166626)
Check ebay, check etsy, search google for specific types of art if you know what kind of stuff you're looking for. Art in other (poorer) countries is also far cheaper than art in first world nations.

Of course, well known artists will command serious prices, but for every well known artist, there dozens of other lesser-known artists with comparable quality and styles that you can get a lot cheaper.

Or commission your own art if there's something specific you're looking for. Once again, if you're looking for something down by a specific person, you're going to pay for that brand, but if there's a styler you're looking for, you should be able to find someone to do it for a lot less.

Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by josephjrobison on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @05:27PM (#6169294)
Completely agree. If you know where to look and know what you like, there are tons of lesser known artists that can very well be just as good as every other artist. I saw a good post on Quora [1] that recommends you look at University student art shows as a really good tactic. I happen to know a lot of artists sell their art on eBay and not every one of those sells for the price that same artist would sell the piece for at an art show.

[1] https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-strategies-for-buying-ar...

Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by JonnieCache on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @10:38AM (#6166798)
Find your local art college and attend their graduation show.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by mturmon on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @12:08PM (#6167380)
Good suggestion.

Group shows at a small gallery, or benefit auctions for local arts-related organizations are another idea. You can get access to more mature work that way.

You don't generally want solo shows at galleries, but at group shows, people will show smaller works. You have to be well-informed enough to know the gallery and their artists, of course.

Benefit auctions often feature works that local artists have laying around in their studios and donate to the auction (partly for the tax write-off, although that is monitored now). You have to be confident of your eye, and choose the right auction, one that is connected to local artists with actual talent.

All of the above requires footwork and an independent interest in contemporary art. This disqualifies 99.9% of people.

Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by moens on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @12:46PM (#6167616)
I cannot agree more. There will be a lot of so-so, but... there will be some stunners as well. Not sure where all these people end up, but there are some amazingly talented young artists out there... many of whom can and do produce better art than most of what you will purchase at an art auction. They just don't have the name or the history yet!

Often a single collector or gallery will make all the difference for a young artist. One single person that buys enough of their art for them to make it on that part-time coffee house job and still pursue their art.

Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by daveid on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @12:59PM (#6167693)
You could commission a new piece of art and it wouldn't cost as much as some of those: https://artistsnclients.com

Disclaimer: I am dev/founder of A&C

Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by grey-area on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @10:12AM (#6166658)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portraits_by_Vincent_van_Gogh#D...

Some of them he couldn't even give away!

Seriously though, if you want cheap art then visit some art student graduation shows or visit the cinema. Amazon has probably moved into this area because it is high margin and they'll get a big cut and compete with eBay, not through any desire to democratize fine art, so I doubt they'd want the prices low.

Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by pessimizer on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @10:41AM (#6166814)
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by JulianMorrison on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @03:01PM (#6168498)
Attend a "con" where artists go to sell their work. I picked up some good art in Hyper Japan in London a week ago. A print, but the original is digital and it was signed by the artist (DestinyBlue on Deviant Art). Bonus: getting to meet the artist.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by jianshen on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @02:15PM (#6168205)
What price range do you consider "poor people art"? If an artist (even an amateur) spent say 20 hours on an original piece that you absolutely loved, how much are you willing to pay today to that artist?
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by phinnaeus on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @12:47PM (#6167619)
Why don't digital prints count as art? I have some lithographs that I got framed, they look amazing.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by sliverstorm on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @02:52PM (#6168441)
I'm not an art purist, but I'd speculate that you run into issues with sheen and shadowing with medium like oil paints, which have a 3D shape on the canvas. It would be difficult to accurately capture & faithfully reproduce.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by JulianMorrison on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @03:08PM (#6168537)
Now I'm imagining a plotter with the ability to control pressure, height, and angle, and a paintbrush rigged with accelerometers for motion capture…
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by bcbrown on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @05:44PM (#6169399)
I'm a big fan of Northwest Coast Native American art, which you can get for under $500 framed at places such as www.thelegacyltd.com
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by prawn on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @10:12AM (#6166659)
There are price selectors on the left to filter by under $100, up to $250, etc. If you're looking for originals at that pricepoint, you might be limited to abstract pieces that are quicker to produce.

Outside of this site, there are studios in China which will replicate pictures or paintings quite affordably - I have a 2000x1000mm copy that cost more to stretch than commission (The original: http://luxxurylivving.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Francoi...).

Another option is to hit up student exhibitions at high school or college level and find rough gems.

Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by dougk7 on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @10:02AM (#6166593)
What I discovered is I may be too poor to own art but I can create it for people who are rich enough to own it. With time and the right opportunities I can increase the price until my name == expensive art.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by mhitza on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @09:42AM (#6166489)
If you like printed digital art, you can buy them from [Curioos](http://www.curioos.com/) at a relatively cheap price.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by Mekza on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @10:01AM (#6166587)
Curioos is NOT "digital art", It's barely a printer for "Digital painting".
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by mhitza on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @02:48PM (#6168412)
I was not aware of the distinction till now.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by fatjokes on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @09:55AM (#6166558)
Thanks. In a related note, if you can get your hands on high-res digital versions of these prints, http://www.phdposters.com is great for cheap poster printing.
Re:Amazon launches Amazon Art marketplace by myth_drannon on Tuesday August 06, 2013 @09:25AM (#6166402)
Etsy has more choices and much cheaper