Advice and Opinion Required

I haven't purchased anything from these guys, but I do own three original paintings. Two were purchased on the streets in Rome and are the most amazing watercolours of Roman streetscapes I've ever seen. There were small (10cm x 50cm), but visually powerful. I think I paid $20 for each. The other is an original acrylic on canvas painting (75cmx90cm) I bought from a struggling Israeli painter from a Sydney streetside. Again, I liked the colour and motion in a modern, abstract piece. I paid $55. I think that was a steal because the materials (wood, canvas, paint) would not have been much more than that.

Given the amount of time they take, the cost of the labour would be a steal. I suspect many of the artists who do the reproductions do it out of love. That said, there are many, many very talented painters out there who can copy something very well. Perhaps not good enough to have the vision to become famous, but still very talented. The Vatican is filled with paintins of talented individuals who were not daVinci or Michelangelo, but they all had a good eye for the human body or detail. I've met many sidewalk artists who do bloody amazing reproductions in pastel. If you can get a good detailed, hi-res shot and compare it to the original, I would recommend it. I don't know if you'll get that particular reproduction, but you can always ask. They probably have more than one reproduction in stock and not necessarily done by the same person.

Let us know if you buy one, I'd be interested myself.

Good luck

Jireh