Looking through different articles about home design in internet and printed magazines one can notice that almost everywhere examples of the wall decoration were only abstract paintings or just photos.
Does decorating your home with framed prints of The Mona Lisa, Water Lilies of Monet, The Starry Night of Van Gogh, and so forth seem to be out of fashion or is it a sign of good taste?
In fact, the majority of people in the world use reproductions to decorate their homes. Using museum pieces is not tacky, why would anyone think it is silly to hang art prints on your walls, when the originals are viewed in museums by millions of people every year?
Having an appreciation for great art is admirable, and using it to decorate your home – well, how wonderful it would be to come home every day to some of the greatest works of art in the world.
To sum extend it is no different than listening to a recording of a famous musician instead of listening to them perform live. Sure, it’s not the original, but who can afford buying an original?
On the other hand purchasing prints of well know works like Mona Lisa, The Starry Night, Scream make sort of a bland statement about your aesthetic. “The art that speaks most to me is the top ten most widely-seen works in the world.” “I like things that the rest of the world has told me are good.”
By concentrating only on the well-known works, it makes others think the only reason those pictures are there is not because the person is fond of them, but because the person is trying to look as if being knowledgeable, which is especially ironic when you include the most famous, popular paintings that even the most uninterested in art can recognize. It looks like an attempt to appear educated, instead of a display of taste.
So the right way to do is choosing world famous artist but also less known of his work, besides the popular ones. You can hung on your wall Monet’s “The Railway Bridge At Argenteuil” and then someone ask who is the artist and you say it is Monet who painted Water Lilies and then you can show your good taste and your intelligence and real interest in art. By the way this painting was last sold for 41 million USD.
To sum up, decorating walls with prints of famous artists paintings is a nice way to add some comfort, coziness and aesthetic atmosphere in your home.
