Comments on: Deep Thought Thursday: Dating artwork on the Internet

By: K. Henderson

K. Henderson — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:52:15 +0000

I don’t put the date on my work online because I think it’s irrelevant. Nor do I put the date on the painting itself. Although, my work sells fairly quickly, I still have a few older pieces available. If the work lives up to my standards, it’s on my website and available for purchase.

By: Fabrizio Van Marciano

Fabrizio Van Marciano — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:11:47 +0000

Ive personally found that my newer pieces sell a lot faster than older ones. This may be because improvemnets were made in newer pieces where they are not so visible in older ones, I’m not sure. However this also depends on the nature of the work such as colour, theme, meaning. This doesn’t stop me from dating any of my work, never thought that it would be such a great issue. Great point though thanks for sharing.

By: April Field

April Field — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:35:50 +0000

personally I’d prefer to see both new and old works. I don’t have a website myself yet, but I think that as a viewer, that if there are only old works, then the site might seem dated, or like the artist hasn’t been productive in recent years. But, if there are only new works, then I wouldn’t have any knowledge of their progression as an artist, which is always a good thing to see.

By: Darla Dixon

Darla Dixon — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:04:17 +0000

It really is a non-issue for me…but if something I did a long time ago isn’t as good as recent works, I would want to mention it’s older or put the date on it. But in most cases, if the art isn’t good, I wouldn’t want to show it online anyway.

By: Patricia C Vener

Patricia C Vener — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:46:45 +0000

Wow, I must be really out of the loop, it never occurred to me that there was anything positive or negative about putting a date with one’s work online.

By: Will Eskridge

Will Eskridge — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:01:39 +0000

I just sold a painting of mine that I did 12 years ago. I find that people generally don’t care when it was made. If the piece speaks to them, it speaks to them and they must have it.

However, I would agree with others in that the caveat is you should have current work as well. As a collector of art myself, I find it disappointing when an artist’s website or online work was last updated 3 or 4 years ago. I might love a piece of art from years ago, but if they aren’t currently active it’s a turn off.

By: Darla Dixon

Darla Dixon — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:32:16 +0000

I think when it’s a piece I’ve done that I no longer have (a piece of art that was done by commission, for example), then the date is fine. It does seem to matter if it’s a work that’s currently available for sale. I think the perception would be, if it’s 2010 now, and the artwork is from 2003, then for 7 years, nobody bought the artwork, so even if the viewer really likes it, they’re going to have a kind of second guessing of their own good taste in their mind. If nobody else liked it, then maybe, they think, that they shouldn’t get it either…there’s less demand for that piece.

By: Maria Brophy

Maria Brophy — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:58:13 +0000

It’s nice to see the progression of an artist from one point in time to another. I agree Rhomany that it doesn’t matter if you have old works shown, as long as there are new ones, too. Keeping the website fresh and updated solves the problem of “old” and “outdated.”

By: Sandra Reid

Sandra Reid — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:03:18 +0000

A lot of people have not seen my art at all so I have a mix of old and new works online, all dated underneath with the copyright. As Rhomany says it shows progression in the development of your style.

My preference in a ‘perfect world’ would be to only have new work online but currently that is not possible. I am, however, working towards the goal of just showing new pieces as it is important to keep a blog or website looking fresh all the time.

By: Rhomany

Rhomany — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:05:11 +0000

I agree with Nina. Plus, a lot of people like to see the progression. There’s a reason art collectors go after ‘early works’ of the masters.
I suppose some people might see it in a bad light if you’re touting work from years ago and nothing new, but in general the body of work showing the growth of the artist is sought after or a piece that says something to the onwer. Age is largely irrelevant.