/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

11,563 Subscribers

28

Eduard Charlemont - Dutch Kitchen Interior (c.1880) [3605x2623]

0 Comments
2024/12/02
07:37 UTC

177

Bernardo Strozzi - Vanitas (Old Coquette) (c.1637) [3919x4962]

1 Comment
2024/12/01
07:41 UTC

319

Richard Bergh - After the Sitting (1884) [3386x2480]

5 Comments
2024/11/30
07:30 UTC

412

Petrus van Schendel - Dutch Market by Moonlight (1853) [3985x4860]

1 Comment
2024/11/29
07:42 UTC

217

Bernhard Strigel - Emperor Maximilian I with his Family (after 1515) [4910x5907]

3 Comments
2024/11/28
07:48 UTC

336

Johannes Vermeer - Lady at the Virginal with a Gentleman; 'The Music Lesson' (1662-65) [4440x5089]

0 Comments
2024/11/27
08:00 UTC

963

Peter Paul Rubens - Head of Medusa (1617-18) [7264x3883]

2 Comments
2024/11/26
07:44 UTC

601

John Singer Sargent - El Jaleo (1882) [7590x5131]

7 Comments
2024/11/25
07:47 UTC

552

Grant Wood - American Gothic (1930) [4973x6001]

11 Comments
2024/11/24
07:31 UTC

209

Claude-Joseph Vernet - A Sporting Contest on the Tiber at Rome (1750) [5809x4226]

0 Comments
2024/11/23
12:18 UTC

695

Auguste Toulmouche - The Letter (1879) [2260x3952]

3 Comments
2024/11/22
08:01 UTC

356

Lawrence Alma-Tadema - A Kiss (1891) [4000x2952]

3 Comments
2024/11/21
08:39 UTC

198

Johann Victor Krämer - Portrait of the Artist's Parents (1905) [3508x2060]

0 Comments
2024/11/20
08:04 UTC

231

Edgar Degas - At the Races in the Countryside (1869) [6301x4012]

1 Comment
2024/11/19
07:46 UTC

118

Christen Dalsgaard - Outhouse Interior (1856) [2456x1770]

0 Comments
2024/11/18
08:23 UTC

266

Henry John Yeend King - At Water’s Edge (1932)

1 Comment
2024/11/17
08:16 UTC

97

Khan Asparuh with his company on his way to the Danube, (1867-1870) [1024x822]

2 Comments
2024/11/16
23:18 UTC

169

Vittore Carpaccio - Young Knight in a Landscape (1510) [5220x7500]

1 Comment
2024/11/16
08:05 UTC

124

Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Flora (1588) [1600x2050]

1 Comment
2024/11/15
08:02 UTC

144

Egisto Ferroni - The Necklace (1887) [4000x2793]

0 Comments
2024/11/14
08:17 UTC

268

Johannes Vermeer - Woman holding a Balance (c.1664) [7201x8143]

3 Comments
2024/11/13
08:00 UTC

136

Edwin Austin Abbey - An old Song (1885) [3000x1721]

1 Comment
2024/11/12
07:51 UTC

91

Jacques-Louis David - Leonidas at Thermopylae (1814) [4892x3626]

0 Comments
2024/11/11
07:58 UTC

243

John Singer Sargent - Mrs. Carl Meyer and her Children (1896) [1510x2269]

2 Comments
2024/11/10
07:51 UTC

154

Jean-Baptiste Robie - Roses, Peonies and Forget-me-nots in a Japanese Vase (1870) [3637x4480]

0 Comments
2024/11/09
07:55 UTC

194

Frederic Leighton - Light of the Harem (c.1880) [2456x3510]

0 Comments
2024/11/08
07:27 UTC

404

Ivan Aivazovsky - Ship on Stormy Seas (1858) [3000x2119]

3 Comments
2024/11/07
07:43 UTC

169

Maerten van Heemskerck - Portrait of a Woman with a Spinning Wheel (c.1531) [2000x2475]

0 Comments
2024/11/06
07:33 UTC

264

Vittorio Reggianini - The Recital (1908) [3200x2407]

4 Comments
2024/11/05
08:12 UTC

145

Ferdinand Bol - Aeneas at the Court of Latinus (1661-63) [6040x5722]

1 Comment
2024/11/04
07:58 UTC

Back To Top