How to choose a painting as a gift

It's hard to find a more versatile gift than a painting. It is appropriate to give it to everyone and always. But! Only if it fits into the style, color, character, mood… Only an attentive attitude to many subtle nuances will eventually make a gift painting an aesthetic pleasure, and not an annoying interior misunderstanding.

The oldest works of fine art were left to us by primitive ancestors. For them, rock art was an attempt to capture the fleeting beauty of the world around them, a need for self-expression, a symbolic message to their kind, a magical protection from everything hostile and frightening. The goals of fine art have remained unchanged to this day. We will be guided by them, choosing the right picture from all the genre, thematic, stylistic, plot and technical diversity presented these days.

To whom, where and for what – three questions that become a sure clue on the choice of genre, plot and technique of painting.

High calm and solemn tone

When the recipient of the gift is an official person with a solid position, and the gift will be presented within the framework of an event with the Black Tie dress code, the bet should be placed on the major and pomposity, emphasizing the status and privileged position in society.

Belonging to the ruling elite and high military ranks is traditionally emphasized with state symbols. Alternatively, an amber panel "Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation" or a panel "Coat of Arms of Russia", executed in the precious technique of Zlatoust engraving.

Picturesque views, which are considered to be symbols of the country, region, and city, are no less suitable for the occasion. Russian Russian Enamels, such as the wall panel "Old Moscow" on an engraved frame from the world-famous brand "Russian Enamels" or the panel "St. Basil's Cathedral" (finift) are dear to the heart of a Russian person and recognizable by foreigners.

Another official option is the theme of battles. Whether it's portraits of outstanding generals or scenes of grandiose battles that brought a resounding victory, they will certainly find their place in the high office.

The simple joys of home comfort

Radically different principles when choosing a painting for relatives and friends, which is given to decorate the home interior. Here, just the battle scenes, the raging sea, incandescent volcanic lava flows and the hurricane uprooting trees are extremely inappropriate. At home, they create excessive anxiety and depression. And at home, we all want peace, serenity and beauty so much, of course.

It is difficult to advise something specific for the design of a home interior. There are established stereotypes, but they are very conditional. Fruit still lifes are considered a familiar decoration of the dining room and kitchen, soothing pastorals are good for the bedroom, the atmosphere of the nursery is supported by paintings with a fabulous plot, elements of play and wonder, the living room benefits from floral motifs, the front hall proudly shows portraits of ancestors, landscapes are the most universal genre, the tonality can be found consonant with the room of any purpose.

And yet, when it comes to private life in a particular territory, there can be no question of any universality. The picture will have to be selected for the prevailing color scheme in the interior, for its general style, for the character, hobbies, hobbies of the recipient of the gift and, of course, for the mood with which the gift would like to be presented.

It is impossible to mention all the subtleties within the framework of one article, but we will mention some of them.

Painting therapy? It's possible!

The psychological perception of the picture depends on the characteristics of the personality. Thus, highly excitable natures, prone to violent manifestations of emotions, are recommended paintings in calm tones, without hints of aggression, violence, disasters. Anything that excites the nervous system is taboo for them. But it would be nice to cheer up the overly melancholic: a riot of colors, unexpected contrasts, unusual and exotic techniques will help a lot.

According to psychologists, everyone has their own influence on a person, knowing this it is easier to determine the color scheme that should prevail in the picture intended for a particular person.

• Red – stimulates active activity, warms, but for people with unstable mentality it is a powerful irritant.
• The same goes for orange – for optimists it is sunny, joyful, uplifting, but the depressive nature of the autumn landscape in orange tones will drive you into deep melancholy, and bright orange African motifs will completely drive you out of yourself.
• Yellow is the most positive of the entire color palette: it stimulates the brain, creates a cheerful mood, creates a feeling of cloudless happiness and lightness of being.
• Green – relieves nervous tension, creates the illusion of unity with nature, gives harmony and peace.
• Blue – gives a feeling of coolness and free flight, satisfaction. However, dark and dirty shades of blue can also be depressing.

When choosing a painting, it is worth evaluating which color is predominant and drawing appropriate conclusions, trying on its effect on the person who is to become its master.

The painting is a symbol

The plot of a painting can be a great wish or praise without any words. So a pair of swans rising from the water surface is a poetic farewell for the newlyweds. A ship symbolizing good luck with inflated sails is a great gift for a person starting a new and difficult business. The mountain peaks rising to the sky represent unshakable stability – the wish is equally suitable for both the owner of a large business and the head of the family.

The language of flowers, the now popular teachings of Feng Shui, Christian symbolism – anything can be the key to solving a picturesque plot. The main thing is that the proposed code of interpretation does not contradict the credo of life, religious beliefs and moral attitudes of the recipient.

The painting is a compliment

A kind word is pleasant to everyone, especially what sounds incessantly. Such an eternally ready to raise self-esteem praise easily becomes a painting. Moreover, this compliment is appropriate, both literal and veiled. In the first case, it is a custom–made portrait. A good artist will certainly take care to capture not only the external, but also the inner beauty. And let's admit without feigned modesty: it's not only women who like to admire themselves.

By the way, posing that excludes the moment of surprise is not necessary to create a portrait. Now there are many artists who paint portraits based on photography, which is not difficult to use if necessary.

A well-executed friendly cartoon, although comically, but still reflecting what a person admires and is proud of in himself, will also produce the desired effect.

You can also praise distantly, hinting to the hunter about his fascination with a canvas depicting duck hunting, or by presenting a graceful "Ballerina at the machine" to a novice dancer, painted in oil and dressed in a luxurious gilded baguette.

Painting as an element of the interior

How the task is simplified when it is possible to select the interior for the painting. But, alas, in the vast majority of cases it is necessary to fit it into the circumstances already set by the designer, and this is much more difficult. Therefore, before you go in search of a suitable painting, you should thoroughly investigate the situation in which your gift is presumably, but with high probability.

The first condition is the appropriate size. The painting does not look good in an interior overloaded with details and does not like a background in the form of colorful or patterned wallpaper. It requires emptiness, monotony and proper lighting. Ideally, the painting does not have to attract excessive attention to itself, it should be perceived as an integral part of the interior, rhyming with its individual components, acting as a link between them or becoming the main accent, echoing the color spots of surrounding things and objects.

Style and content are equally important. African motifs are good for safari-style interiors, but they can raise a lot of questions when they find themselves among furniture with bent legs and bronze candelabra. There are standard templates that recommend marinism for the classic design of a men's room, rural motifs for country-style rooms, urbanism for modern solutions, etc. But, again, this is not a panacea. If you do not really trust your own taste and knowledge in the field of interior decoration, it is better to ask a specialist for advice.

The techniques are old and newfangled

Each requires its own circumstances. A few words about those that are currently most popular.

• Oil paintings – it is difficult to dispute their centuries-old popularity. Their genre and stylistic diversity is so rich that it is possible to choose a picture for the room of any functional and decor. As a rule, they are framed in wooden baguettes, which should be combined with furniture. Recently, the trend of decorating residential and office premises with paintings in stretchers has become more and more popular – it looks fresh and gives more creative freedom.
• Bas–reliefs - three-dimensional paintings allow you to create magnificent optical illusions and play with space without overloading it. Their subjects are very diverse, from ancient myths to abstraction. Bas-reliefs become a good neighborhood for marble, bronze, metal forging and natural wood. On a smooth wall or in a recess of a niche, they require lighting specially built for them, it is simply necessary for them to play at full strength.
• Paintings on gold leaf are a luxury that requires sophisticated furnishings. For a bedroom or kitchen, the thing is not the most appropriate, but in a solid office or an expensive living room, its warm radiance will become brighter.
• Paintings made of stone – their plot is often copied from famous canvases, but the texture is unlike anything else. In addition to aesthetics, paintings made of stone chips carry a special energy inherent in natural stone. When buying such an interior decor, it will not be superfluous to learn about the symbolism and useful properties of the minerals that are used in it – this will be a hint in the choice.
• Paintings on silk – a kind of decor that came from the East, logically awaits an oriental-style interior. But, it is often used in a mixed style. The advantages of such a painting are sophistication and almost airy lightness. It is appropriate even where a painting made of other materials would look bulky and clumsy. Perfectly combining with each other, paintings on silk allow you to create spectacular trellis curtains: they are hung close to each other without the slightest gaps.

5 ready-made painting ideas as a gift:

And finally, according to tradition, we offer you ready-made gift ideas using paintings:

• The three-dimensional Kaleidoscope glass panel is an exclusive interior decoration made in the fusing technique. Without committing to anything, it gives you a lot of opportunities. To whom and on whatever occasion to present this gift, it is guaranteed to be appropriate and unusual.
• The silk painting "Romance of the Moscow region" is an island of positivity, relieving tension from the eyes and giving a peaceful calm. And it is also a connecting link that allows you to rhyme cream wallpaper, simple wooden furniture and an unusually bold grassy green carpet.
• The rectangular painting "Doll standing at the bedside table" - a colorful bas-relief from the Italian designer Lino Zampiva will be an affectionate gift for the birth of a girl. There is always a place for such decoration in the little princess's room.
• The painting "Quiet Harbor" is to decorate the parental home with such a symbolic plot on the occasion of the golden wedding of the most loving and understanding or on the birthday of one of them. The meaning is very clear: the only place in the world where you can lower the oars, leave your little boat on the shore and take a break from the storms of life.
• The amber painting "White-maned Horse" is a gift for a born leader who has no competitors, who knows how to assess his strength and rush to the chosen goal at full speed.