Lifeline Of An Aspiring Artist
Long before the advent of the Internet, Art Galleries were the haunts of the rich and the famous and it was populated by paintings and sculptures of famous artists and sculptors. Art is very much a personal choice. A picture that one might find to be extremely artistic might not appeal to another. This is more so in the case of Abstract Art. The meaning attributed to a painting by an artist may be quite in variance to what is felt by the viewer of the same.
Budding artists could only dream of putting up a show in any of those galleries unless he or she is already well known and can stand on his own reputation, happens to have a patron or is a genius and is recognized as such. Some geniuses gained recognition long after they had departed this life.
The advent of the computer and the development of highly sophisticated software changed the whole face of art and the way it was exhibited and sold. The concept of the “Online Art Gallery” was the reason for the sea change. No longer did the new artist have to tote his wares from some petty gallery to another, practically begging for a display. When he did get to do so and if Dame Luck smiled down on him and he did make a sale; the chances of his setting the price on his work was remote. Most budding artist led a hand to mouth existence.
The Online Art Gallery set about making changes in the fortunes of these artists. These galleries could feature just about any aspect of the fine arts. All an upcoming artist had to do was to create a portfolio of his works and upload the same to one of these galleries. Even the traditional galleries now put up information on their paintings, sculpting and other works on online art galleries. Paintings of old masters, paintings of aspiring artists, sculpting, digital art, photographs and videos – all of them can be displayed in an online art gallery.
Nowadays, when practically every one is computer savvy, a hopeful artist can build his own web site (provided he has the expertise to do so) or get a customized one built for him (Consultants will do it for him) and put on show all of his works. All the necessary details in respect of a particular piece of art can also be attached to the item. Since he owns the web site, it is left to his choice as to what he wants to display on it, how he want it to be seen and when he wants it to be seen. A little initial outlay is all that is required from him. If they so desire, then a few of them could get together and start a web site.
Another option would be to join one of the many Online Art Galleries. There are a number of online sites; some offer their services free of charge but with limited options like keeping a work of art for only a limited period of time on the particular site. Others offer premium services for a fee, the quantum of the fee depending on the range of services offered and those accepted. The fee charged might be as low as a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. The beauty of this is that the artist need not be well known, have a patron or be a genius. And anyone can see it.
On an online art gallery an artist can put on a new painting on display or remove one. Some of these galleries handle all the logistics of displaying a painting and its sales. Since most works of art get sold from under the hammer, these galleries handle these details; from conducting the auction, packing and dispatching to billing and collecting the proceeds from the purchaser. Once the sale if effected, the gallery deducts a percentage of the proceeds as service charges and the artist gets the balance.
An online art gallery is thus a boon to an aspiring artist. He gets the required exposure, in fact world wide exposure, and the opportunity to sell them online. All he has to do is paint the next Mona Lisa.