Oil painting reproductions are paintings that have been created by copying in oils an originaloil painting by an artist.
Oil painting reproductions are distinct from original oil painting such as are often of interest to collectors andmuseums.[1] Oil painting reproduction can, however, sometimes be regarded as artworks in themselves.
Oil painting reproductions can be labeled with several different categories, including:
The traces of oil painting reproduction can be found starting in the 16th century.[3] Traditionally, students of theOld Masters learned how to paint by working in the style of their teachers.
This process of mimicking their master’s work would enable a student to practice a skilled mode of painting before developing their own approach. Many famous artists employed this practice, includingJohn Singer Sargent,Edgar Degas, andPablo Picasso.[2]
Perhaps the most well known of all students who learned by reproduction wasLeonardo da Vinci. Beginning as an apprentice under the master sculptor and painterAndrea Del Verrocchio, Leonardo would have learned to paint in the style of the master himself. It is said that after Leonardo brilliantly aided Verrocchio in the painting ofThe Baptism of Christ, the master resolved to never touch a brush again[4]
There are several issues related toart forgery andcopyright violation that apply to the reproduction of oil paintings.[5]
Copyright laws vary from country to country.
In the U.S., there is no copyright infringement that applies to a painting 70 years after the death of its artist.[6][7][8]