/r/vintageart

Photograph via snooOG

An art gallery of realistic paintings that have endured the test of time.

RULES:

1. Image must be a realistic painting by an artist no longer living and beyond U.S. copyright law
Single, finished, full-color paintings, pastels, or watercolors in high resolution only.
Museum-quality, public domain works only (ref: U.S. Copyright Law).

2. Realistic Art Only
Realistic art only, in which people, places, and things are distinct and easily identified.
No original, folk, abstract, modern, contemporary, computer-generated, avante-garde, surrealist, expressionist, or cubist art.

3. No Low-Resolution Images Vintage art posts must look fantastic on a 65" television with 4k resolution.
Post the sharpest, clearest, highest resolution, best-looking images you can possibly get. Absolutely no low-resolution.
The minimum size allowed is about 1500 x 1500, with some leeway if the width is greater than the height or vice versa. No paintings upsized (except using advanced AI--see below). The paintings should look clear and sharp, whatever the resolution, not grainy, out of focus or distorted in any way.

4. Only direct links to approved picture sites
Currently, approved sites are i.reddit.com, imgur.com or upload.wikimedia.org. If you're dropping an image into Reddit (the simplest way to post an image), you're fine. Best practice is to do exactly that.
This rule is mainly to avoid pop-ups and similar unpleasantness from other sites. Message the mods if there is a compelling reason to post from another site.

5. Limits on Posts per Day
Meals are better digested in small quantities. We usually observe a limit of five posts per user per day, which allows time for feedback and moderation.
This rule is not enforced strictly in the case of high quality posts, however. The lower the quality, the more likely this rule gets activated.
The purpose of the subreddit is to concentrate the finest images of all the best vintage Western art in this one subreddit and continually upgrade to better versions as technology improves.

6. Reposts Permissible
Try to avoid reposts of anything recent, but as long as your version is of good quality and also not an obvious downgrade from an earlier post, it is all right. Best of all are reposts that improve upon earlier posts in resolution and overall quality. Raise the bar, don't lower it.
Art subs that disallow reposts are married to low resolution versions for all time. We believe that camera technology improves, and that in the future, even better images may be posted.

7. NSFW Permissible, but must be marked
If you post paintings with incidental nudes, Reddit's algorithm will often mark (NSFW) automatically for you. Let Reddit do as it wishes. Remember that the NSFW designation merely indicates "not safe for work," it is not a judgement on merit or intent of the artist.
This sub attempts to fully conform to Reddit customs and policies. Do not post comments complaining about the NSFW flair. There are other web sites than Reddit, if you feel like the NSFW flair is too much to deal with.

8. Post Flair Required only for Framed or AI-modified Paintings
Some collectors like them, some don't, some judge on a case-by-case basis, but the consensus is that consumers like to be informed.
Post flairs aren't required for other types of posts.
AI-modified paintings posted here should attempt to remain true to the intentions of the original artist and preserve the precious vintage flavor of their work. Best use is to increase image resolution and overall quality.

9. Be Kind
Good manners are the key to every door in town.
Posters are kind enough to share art on Reddit. Art curation and posting consumes a surprising amount of time. It is not as easy as you may think. You won't like every artwork, but try to encourage the few that share to continue doing so. Also, remember that posting an artwork does not imply endorsement of the artist or their particular point of view. It is better to give than to criticize.

10. Title must be accurate and conform to the accepted format
Our title format is required here ...why? :
full name - Title (Date) [width x height in pixels]

If date is completely unknown, specify the painter's lifespan in parentheses beside the name. If an approximate date range is known, specify "c.", short for "circa."
Avoid file system reserved characters: >, <, |, :, ?, *, /, \, and ".
It is O.K. to add additional enriching information to the end.

/r/vintageart

18,950 Subscribers

275

Emile-Auguste Hublin - Sisters (1872) [3653x4460]

1 Comment
2025/02/01
07:27 UTC

649

Carl Friedrich Lessing - Rocky Landscape; Gorge with Ruins (1830) [2487x2873]

2 Comments
2025/01/31
07:59 UTC

15

Charles-Joseph Natoire - Psyche in The Underworld (1735-39) [4904x7574]

0 Comments
2025/01/30
07:42 UTC

413

Julie Hagen-Schwarz - Self-portrait (1850s) [3659x4151]

1 Comment
2025/01/29
08:44 UTC

406

Frederic Edwin Church - Lower Falls, Rochester (1849) [6660x4351]

2 Comments
2025/01/28
07:51 UTC

337

Ludwig Knaus - Behind the Scenes (c.1880) [3660x2685]

3 Comments
2025/01/27
07:48 UTC

187

Ary Scheffer - The Battle of Tolbiac (c.1837) [450x401]

0 Comments
2025/01/26
20:11 UTC

290

Axel Helsted - With her Guard (1888) [3370x2700]

2 Comments
2025/01/26
07:37 UTC

864

Alfred Stevens - The Japanese Parisian (1872) [2467x3696]

5 Comments
2025/01/25
08:05 UTC

292

Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraaten - The Battle of Terheide (1653-66) [5950x3680]

1 Comment
2025/01/24
08:01 UTC

410

Jean-Achille Benouville - The Colosseum viewed from the Palatine (1844) [8000x5253]

0 Comments
2025/01/23
07:37 UTC

331

Abraham Janssens - Jupiter Rebuked By Venus (c.1612) [3000x2483]

4 Comments
2025/01/22
07:42 UTC

344

James Tissot - Tea (1872) [2709x3722]

2 Comments
2025/01/21
08:05 UTC

444

Barend Cornelis Koekkoek - Winter Landscape (1835) [2876x2384]

0 Comments
2025/01/20
07:39 UTC

443

Kristian Zahrtmann - A Florentine Flower Seller (1879-80) [3415x3757]

0 Comments
2025/01/19
07:39 UTC

494

Johannes Vermeer - The Art of Painting (1666-68) [6152x7377]

0 Comments
2025/01/18
07:51 UTC

370

Sandro Botticelli - La Primavera (Spring) (c.1480) [4900x3236]

1 Comment
2025/01/17
07:38 UTC

283

August Jerndorff - Cliff Edge (1870) [2404x3240]

3 Comments
2025/01/16
07:44 UTC

195

François Alfred Delobbe - A Moment’s Rest (1871) [4784x3349]

0 Comments
2025/01/15
07:58 UTC

1,866

Carl Moll - The Roman Ruin in Schönbrunn (1892) [2591x3508]

3 Comments
2025/01/14
07:50 UTC

207

Richard Ansdell - Market Square, Seville (1860) [4400x2697]

1 Comment
2025/01/13
07:41 UTC

183

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder - Flower Still Life (1614) [7568x5891]

0 Comments
2025/01/12
07:47 UTC

326

Giovanni Paolo Panini - Interior of St. Peter’s, Rome (1731) [3010x1915]

3 Comments
2025/01/11
07:42 UTC

34

Matteo di Giovanni - Hercules Slaying Antaeu (1470) [1349x1920]

0 Comments
2025/01/10
18:36 UTC

139

Moritz von Schwind - The Bread Cutter (Der Brotschneider) (1823) [3508x2663]

0 Comments
2025/01/10
07:56 UTC

154

Henryk Siemiradzki - Phryne at the Poseidonia in Eleusis (1889) [5738x2903]

0 Comments
2025/01/09
07:57 UTC

237

Frederick Judd Waugh - The Knight of the Holy Grail (c.1912) [2849x2285]

2 Comments
2025/01/08
08:09 UTC

200

Alfred Stevens - The Silver Ball (Le Boulle Argentee) (1875) [1710x2436]

1 Comment
2025/01/07
08:02 UTC

196

Hendrik Jan August Leys - Interior of an Inn (1849) [2958x2412]

3 Comments
2025/01/06
07:37 UTC

188

Judith Leyster - Boy playing the Flute (1630s) [3023x3511]

0 Comments
2025/01/05
07:42 UTC

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