|
Claude Monet, Autumn Effect at Argenteuil, 1873; ©The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London.  Monet was a prolific artist who produced hundreds of paintings, often returning to the same scene, from the same perspective, dozens of times. And there are thousands of Monet reproductions. As a result, it's often difficult to identify a modern copy among all the authentic variations. In some cases, however, it's obvious. The reproductions below are good examples. No one who's truly familiar with Monet would accept versions like these as authentic, but viewers new to Monet love sharing them, and some are quite popular. In fact, many rather extreme contemporary interpretations have been used by art vendors on prints and other commercial products. Note that the last image below is a cropped detail, but appears online without saying it's an altered version, or that it's only a portion of the whole picture.  Altered version of a painting by Claude Monet.  Altered version of a painting by Claude Monet.  Altered detail of a painting by Claude Monet.
1 Comment
Giorgio de Chirico, Prometeo (Prometheus), 1909-10; Paolo Volponi Collection.  The reproduction below appears to be a modern painting based on the original, possibly with additional digital alterations. It's doubtful that the deep, comprehensive changes seen in the updated work could have been achieved solely through digital tampering, The latest sighting of this reproduction also included an incorrect title and date, providing the oddly seasonal title "Prometheus Autumn," 1908. The photo above, presumably more accurate, comes from an article about a 2019 exhibition at the Fondazione Magnani Rocca in Parma, Italy, where three different Prometheus paintings were displayed together for the first time. In addition to De Chirico's work, a painting by his brother Alberto Savinio, and a Prometheus by Arnold Böcklin also appeared.  Altered version of a painting by Giorgio de Chirico.  Corrections or suggestions?
Joan Miró, "Prades, The Village," 1917; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.  Someone decided to change all the colors in this early Miro, resulting in the modern reproduction below. Sometimes art vendors cater to a contemporary market by brightening photos of older paintings that might have become faded over time. But that doesn't seem to be the motivation here, since the original is popping with colorful hues. Another issue is that, although Miro's painting is somewhat abstract, it still retains a sense of the natural environment, with blue sky and greenery among the more angular forms. The reproduction has turned everything purple and yellow, without regard to the natural scene.  Altered version of apainting by Joan Miró. Henri Matisse, "The Terrace, Saint-Tropez," 1904; © Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  The reproduction below, possibly a digital variation, is a good example of altered art images that have been tinted a particular color, without any obvious purpose. If an otherwise natural scene looks as though you're seeing it through colored glasses, it's probably an altered copy. In addition to misrepresenting the artist's original colors, the process also removes a lot of the detail, tends to flatten the image, and blurs the the contrast between elements.  Altered version of a painting by Henri Matisse.  Corrections or suggestions?
Claude Monet, "Impression, Sunrise," 1872; Musée Marmottan, Paris.   The blue-tinted version below is very popular, despite the fact that it varies significantly from the original. Unfortunately, a commercial reproduction often gets more exposure than the real thing, due to mass advertising in the online marketplace, and the common practice of making copies from other reproductions, rather than from firsthand sources. Sometimes modern versions become so widely known that they become the standard rather than being recognized as newly created updates. It almost amounts to fake facts at that point, and unfortunately it's very hard to shake people's belief in the manipulated copies they've come to see as authentic.  Altered version of a painting by Claude Monet.  Corrections or suggestions?
Piet Mondriaan (Mondrian), Zeeland Church Tower (Church Tower at Domburg), 1911; Kunstmuseum den Haag.  It seems such a shame to change the colors on this already beautiful image of Zeeland Church Tower by Mondriaan (Mondrian). It's hard to tell if the darker, revised version below is a recently painted copy, or if it's just a digitally altered photo. The photo above, verified by other reliable sources as well, is from the Netherlands museum where the authentic painting is located.  Altered version of a painting by Piet Mondriaan.  Corrections or suggestions?
Vincent Van Gogh, Olive Trees, 1889; Scottish National Gallery.  Vincent Van Gogh produced many paintings called "Olive Trees," but the all-blue reproduction below isn't one of them. It's unlikely that the blue effect — along with the other color changes — could have been achieved by photo editing alone, so the modern interpretation is mostly likely a recently produced commercial artwork, rather than a photo that's been altered by a random user. Which makes me wonder: It certainly would have been just as easy to copy the colors of the original. Why turn everything bright blue?  Altered version of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh,  Corrections or suggestions?
Camille Pissarro, "Red Roofs, Corner of a Village, Winter," 1877; © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Jean-Gilles Berizzi.  I think we can rule out a simple photo edit in this case. The brightly colored image below is almost certainly a recently painted reproduction. Modern interpretations are fine if you like them. But it would be helpful if art vendors would mark their fresh creations clearly, so that viewers know to go elsewhere for a more accurate image.  Altered version of a painting by Camille Pissarro. |
REAL or REPRO?
A well-researched art resource that can help you find accurate images and spot altered copies. 100+ listings and growing daily. Browse at random, or search for something specific. Special requests are welcome.
Categories
All
Archives
January 2021
Disclaimer: This blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information provided, the material included here should in no way be considered the final authority on any issues discussed in the text.
|
RSS Feed