/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

7,157 Subscribers

79

Carlo Maratti - The Flight into Egypt (c.1664) [3010x3760]

1 Comment
2024/11/01
08:03 UTC

210

Jozef Israëls - Fishermen carrying a Drowned Man (probably 1861) [7689x4089]

1 Comment
2024/10/31
07:35 UTC

145

P. C. Skovgaard - A Beech Wood in May near Iselingen Manor, Zealand (1857) [3457x4189]

0 Comments
2024/10/30
07:39 UTC

165

John Ruskin - In the Pass of Killiecrankie (1857) [1771x2040]

1 Comment
2024/10/29
07:27 UTC

186

Jean-Baptiste Pater - The Fair at Bezons (c.1733) [3793x2937]

3 Comments
2024/10/28
07:37 UTC

439

Julius Victor Berger - Studio Interior (1902) [2375x3508]

3 Comments
2024/10/27
07:29 UTC

357

Richard Bergh - Nordic Summer Evening (1900) [5132x3903]

1 Comment
2024/10/26
06:56 UTC

287

Eugene de Blaas - No Love Without Envy (1901) [3174x2671]

0 Comments
2024/10/25
06:33 UTC

403

Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880-81) [3973x2933]

5 Comments
2024/10/24
06:51 UTC

301

Lawrence Alma-Tadema - In A Rose Garden (1889) [6720x4969]

1 Comment
2024/10/23
06:42 UTC

165

Hans Krell - Portrait of Princess Emilia of Saxony (c.1530) [2928x3595]

2 Comments
2024/10/22
06:44 UTC

238

Michael Ancher - By Grandmothers Sickbed (1879) [8096x6982]

0 Comments
2024/10/21
06:55 UTC

156

Aelbert Cuyp - Landscape with Horse Trainer (1655-60) [3017x2100]

0 Comments
2024/10/20
07:19 UTC

614

Johannes Vermeer - The Geographer (1669) [6011x6733]

2 Comments
2024/10/19
06:59 UTC

214

Alexandre Calame - Lake Lucerne (1851) [3460x2412]

0 Comments
2024/10/18
07:04 UTC

193

Henry Bone - Portrait of Charles X, King of France (1829) [4046x5509]

1 Comment
2024/10/17
06:47 UTC

316

Frederic Edwin Church - The Icebergs (1861) [5940x3393]

1 Comment
2024/10/16
07:17 UTC

93

Peter Paul Rubens - The Drunken Silenus (1618-25) [4085x3954]

0 Comments
2024/10/15
06:55 UTC

391

Edward Poynter - Helena and Hermia (1901) [1610x2047]

1 Comment
2024/10/14
06:38 UTC

188

Louise-Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun - Portrait of Madame Du Barry [2463x3306]

1 Comment
2024/10/13
06:50 UTC

391

Edgar Degas - The Ballet Class (1874) [3321x3587]

1 Comment
2024/10/12
07:16 UTC

96

Thomas Hart Benton - Hollywood (1937-38) [3600x2364]

1 Comment
2024/10/11
06:55 UTC

140

Edward Burne-Jones - Laus Veneris (1873-78) [2410x1594]

0 Comments
2024/10/10
06:38 UTC

446

Carl Bloch - A young Baker cooling down (1888) [2711x3975]

0 Comments
2024/10/09
06:53 UTC

177

Julius Leblanc Stewart - Five o’clock Tea (1883-84) [4452x3169]

0 Comments
2024/10/08
06:57 UTC

160

Thomas de Keyser - Group Portrait of unknown Men (1625-30) [2084x2500]

0 Comments
2024/10/07
06:49 UTC

30

Friedrich Brentel - Philipp Ludwig zu Rappoltstein auf dem Totenbett (1637) [1781 x 1137]

0 Comments
2024/10/06
14:17 UTC

501

José Villegas Cordero - Spanish Siesta (1874) [2504x4000]

3 Comments
2024/10/06
06:42 UTC

249

Jean-Achille Benouville - Bathers in a Forest (1846) [2388x2400]

0 Comments
2024/10/05
06:35 UTC

1,155

Johannes Vermeer - View of Houses in Delft (c.1658) [4272x5254]

4 Comments
2024/10/04
06:45 UTC

Back To Top