I kept wondering what makes a work of art good. Keep in mind that good is not mean that is easy to sell. I’ll try to answer the question. After that, will I try to answer the question of what makes it salable? First of all, your work must be beautiful. When it comes to the beauty of a painting, opinions can vary from person to person. Some may consider something beautiful, others may consider something else beautiful. There will always be shared criticism and opinions.
I consider an artwork beautiful that which brings it well with reality or imitates it well. Now the fact that it still has variations in surrealism or tends to impressionism does not matter. The important thing is to find a real-world correspondent in it. Abstractionism is not beautiful. That’s the point. But people have always been looking for something new. And then they asserted themselves in a different style, for example through abstractionism. If it hadn’t had admirers, it wouldn’t have persisted but we find paintings by Polock or Mondrian in the big museums and at the auction houses. Another thing that can make a work beautiful can be finishing it. That means it should be as close as possible to the actual model on which it is based. It doesn’t matter if it’s floral, animal, architectural, or human.
The fact that a work is beautiful in the classical sense does not necessarily mean that it is salable. But it helps a lot. And now we move on to the next question and answer.
What makes a work salable? One answer I know is your own belief that your work is worth a certain amount. Of course, you look left and right at other artists and see how on how much money they sell similar works. But let’s not forget that you can do the price yourself. I am referring to independent artists. Those who work with one gallery or another depend heavily on it. In the short sentence, you as an artist must believe in a certain value of your own work or at least the one who sells it.
Another thing to consider is the commercial ford. One is to sell in a crowded area where people with money come willing to spend and another is to sell in a hamlet. But if we consider things such as the Internet, Instagram, Facebook, smartphones, and Social Media, they allow you to make your work known to a large audience, then even the fact that you live in a little hamlet would no longer be an impediment.
Another thing that can help you sell may be your name and perseverance. If you have been known as a painter for a long time, it is almost impossible not to sell at least a few paintings. Your own charisma can also help you. The way to the big sales can be all this or a combination of them.
I tell you all this as a man who has sold works of art created by his own hand or the works of others. There is one more thing that can sell. The story. Your life story and the story of your work. And the smart advertising you do!