How do you tell if a 'real' oil painting from a varnished print laid onto canvas?

Answer 1

Most artists could quickly tell you by simply looking at it. This ability comes from experience and years of practice.

But here is a very quick and completely reliable way for a non-artist or non-arts professional person to tell:

Look at the edge of the canvas. The canvas is stretched on stretcher boards and the edge of the canvas bends around the edges of the board. Look at these edges on the canvas.

If the images on the canvas wrap around the turned edges of canvas, if they do so in a uniform way, perfectly coming to the very edge of the turned canvas then it is obviously a print that has been printed on a canvas to look like a real painting.

Artists do not paint perfectly around the sides and edges of the canvas they are working on. Their brush strokes never stop in perfectly uniform manner at the turned edges of a canvas as the canvas wraps aroun d the stretcher bars. Machines stamping out and printing on a pre-cut piece of cloth have perfect edges turned perfectly to wrap around the sides of the stretcher bars.

Answer 2

The brush strokes of the varnish would show up the lack of texture on the print.

Answer 3

Take a magnifying glass and look closely to see if there are tiny dots on there. Even the best printer leaves dots instead of solid colors.

Also look at the direction of the texture. It should match exactly with the color border.

Answer 4

texture, feel an oil painting then a varnished. the oil will be much thicker and smoother

Answer 5

Many are using china artist...using printed on canvas + repainted it again = FAKE OIL PAINTING !

Take a look by american and britist today museum artist !

Genuine Painting look below

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=220099644120&rd=1&rd=1

Answer 6

Museums and Art Gallery will be able to tell you if you are still unsure after the above suggestions :)

Answer 7

Hi,

There are professional artists at http://forum.paintyourlife.com/ and they can answer your question in great detail.

Simple post the question in their forum, for free. They are actively seeking questions like yours to answer.

Karl