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This article will provide you with some insight into how we
can offer such low prices on Chinese art like wall scrolls and
calligraphy paintings. First of all you should know my wife is a
calligraphy artist and her family includes artists, teachers, scroll
makers and others who either create or sell Chinese art and/or
supplies.
My wife's family is the
reason we can offer you such low prices on quality
artworks.
False perceptions regarding Chinese art and products
Specialization is very common in Chinese culture and one of
the reasons why Western countries find it difficult to compete
with China in manufacturing products.
It is too easy for Americans and other Westerners to assume
low wages are the sole reason why products from China are so
cheap, but this is a narrow-minded view and does not give proper
credit to the millions of Chinese people who spend their lives
learning and perfecting their crafts or occupation.
In China it is more common than not to find entire
communities, towns or even cities who make one product, and the
service industries in those communities focus on supporting the
manufacture of that product. As an example, there is a town in
China well known for making socks, nearly everyone in the town
makes socks, the machines that are used to make socks, the
packages to put the socks in, etc.
The subject of conversation at the dinner table
When you and everyone you know creates art, or in the example
given above socks, invariably the subject of conversation during
meals is how to do it better. With so many people doing the same
thing for generations, the resulting product will almost always
be of very high quality and offered at a very reasonable price.
This type of specialization may indeed be the single most
important reason why manufacturers in China are able to make
products so well, and at such low prices.
Chinese products are of the quality retailers demand
Now you may be thinking, but Chinese products are often of
very poor quality. This is also misunderstood, as the truth is WE
demand cheap products. Chinese companies only produce products of
the quality and at the price point American retailers demand. It
is the retailer who most often designs the products, and they
often demand cheap products, not high quality.
Now think about what I have said, and then you can understand
why we can sell art at such low prices. My wife and her family
have spent generations creating art, wall scrolls and friends who
are artists and art dealers. This is a huge advantage for us as
it allows us to offer you fine art at a fraction of the price
most online stores charge.
Art students and workers are not artists?
You may read on other sites a lot of nonsense about art
created by students or "workers" who are not artists. I say to
you this is completely ridiculous, as anyone who spends their
time creating artworks is indeed an artist, even if they produce
art on a commercial scale.
There are people who would have you
believe if you create too many paintings you are not an artist,
or if you are a student somehow that makes the art you create
less worthy.
Though the majority of paintings and other artworks we offer
were created by my family, or obtained directly from artists
known personally by members of my family we also offer some
paintings by art students and "commercial artists" whose job it
is to create art.
What do you call someone who spends all their time creating
artworks?
Let us think about that for a minute, what do you call someone
whose job it is to create art? Do you know the answer? If you
think about this for a minute, the only name you can use for
these people is artist. Though I will agree that these people are
not well known or famous, I do not agree that they cannot create
fine art.
Who are these "workers" who not
worthy of being called artists?
I have personally met many of these people who must endure the
stigma of being called a "worker" not just online, but also in
China. Many "artists" look down on these people and the art they
create. But I have a HUGE amount of respect for many of these
people as there is a reason why they have taken this type of job.
Many of these "workers" cannot afford to go to art school
because their families are too poor to pay their tuition. These
people cannot even afford to buy the paint, paper, brushes and
other supplies they need to learn how to paint, much less afford
the services of an art teacher who can instruct them. They also
must earn an income in order to support their families.
By working as an "art worker" they receive instruction from
art teachers who are often very talented professionals, such as
professors at local universities. This is a great opportunity for
an aspiring artist who has no other way to pursue their dream of
becoming an artist.
Though it is doubtful they would admit it, many of the most
talented artists in China learned how to paint as an art worker.
In my personal opinion many of these people are some of the best
and brightest China has to offer.
These are often very hard working and
determined individuals who want to improve their lives and we are proud to help
support their dream of becoming a famous artist, able to support
their families and have a family of their own.
Who creates the "original" paintings offered on
this and other
sites?
Many Chinese artists used to be art workers, and they still do
the same commercial work to make ends meet, so what is the real
difference? Most of the original paintings you will see online
were created by current and former art workers.
The only
difference is dealers like us have learned to identify the most talented
of these artists and we select our artworks from among the best works
offered by these artists.
Our goal is to offer Chinese art at prices everyone can
afford
As I have stated previously in this article, we offer many
paintings created by famous and aspiring artists in China.
However, it is our goal to offer high quality Chinese art that is
both suitable and affordable for everyone, rich and poor alike.
We do not overly inflate the price of
our paintings to create a perception of quality, we want everyone
to have the opportunity to buy a beautiful Chinese painting for
their home or office.
A final thought on Chinese art
No matter how much you pay or what assurances you are given
that your painting is an original artwork, it is virtually
impossible for the seller to be sure of that fact.
There are many
examples of Chinese artworks that are partial prints that are
then hand-painted to give them the look of a hand-painted
artwork, and we offer a few of these artworks because some of our
customers want to purchase them.
If you want to buy real art your concern should be to try your
best to determine if the artwork is indeed hand-painted, and if
the quality is suitable for the decor of your home or office.
Determining if a piece of art is an original is simply too
difficult, even for a professional.
Buy Chinese art you personally enjoy and you will seldom be
disappointed, as it will add to the decor of any room it is
placed in. Buying art as an investment is best left to
professionals, unless you plan to devote years learning about the
art medium you plan to invest in.
The only other option is to
find a dealer whom you can really trust, which is difficult but
not impossible. We invite you to contact us if you are interested
in developing a relationship, we are happy to help others who
wish to sell or collect Chinese art.
Browse Our Site for Low Prices on Chinese Art
Follow the links below to view our paintings, wall scrolls and
calligraphy art. If you don't agree that our prices for the same
quality of artworks is the lowest online, call us and make us an
offer, we may be willing to accept your offer.
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