This is the official opening day of the ArtCorner blog, so I thought that I would introduce myself.

I’m Amitai, Vice President of OverstockArt.com, I will be moderating and enriching this blog to make it into a real resource for art connoisseurs and home decorators. I have been in the Wall Decor business for over a decade now, and it still manages to surprise and delight.

There will be many contributors to this blog. From interior designers with design tips, artists that will reveal to us the world behind the oil painting, and even regular people that want to share their decor and creative ideas.

And that’s about it! I’ll be covering new and interesting development in the wall decor world. Feel free to say hello!

“Less is more” – Mies van der Rohe
“Less is more only when more is too much” – Frank Lloyd Wright
“Less is a bore” – Robert Venturi

Modern Design was born at the turn of the 20th century. But as design does, this movement acquired from its predecessors, namely the Bauhaus and International styles. Bauhaus was an architectural school founded in 1918. The faculty and students of the school would develop a style of architecture that favored simplicity and the integration of technology. International Style became the term used once the ideas of the Bauhaus began to catch on around the world. Swiss architect, Le Corbusier and his idea of an open interior became the basis of International and eventually Modern design. (more…)

The tradition of purchasing print reproductions of masterpiece oil paintings for wall decor is one that OverstockArt is out to break. For decades, prints of famous Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso paintings have decked the walls of hotels nationwide as well as the homes of art lovers who lacked the disposable income necessary to afford the prohibitive price of original artwork. Accordingly, the company hopes to dispel myths that all gallery quality oil painting reproductions are exorbitantly priced.

“The intricacies and pure essence of an oil painting created by a master cannot be captured on a flat print,” said Stacy Sasson, co-founder of OverstockArt, when questioned about her passion for the product her company offers. Chiming in with reflections on hotel room decor crimes, Henry Sicard, the owner of a prime apartment building from Chicago and a loyal customer of OverstockArt recalls his experiences with prints of masterpiece oil paintings. “They lacked the original depth, texture and that warm glow of an oil painting!” According to Mrs. Sasson, the company was founded with the primary goal of providing art lovers with artwork reproductions in their original medium: Oil on Canvas and with a dedicated customer base (some of who have returned more than five times) art lovers apparently cannot get enough of OverstockArt.

Today, OverstockArt is gearing products and activities to accommodate a not-so-unexpected new group of customers. With the ongoing boom in the hotel/tourism industry, Mrs. Sasson expects more hotels to ditch prints for oil paintings. Her philosophy, “Hotels stand to gain from replacing print reproductions with oil on canvas. Aesthetically and educationally speaking, prints just don’t cut it any longer.”

Check out OverstockArt online at www.overstockart.com or call their toll free number, 1-866-686-1888 for more information.

Summary
Have you ever considered the impact of décor in your work environment? Why do successful companies invest so much in something that doesn’t seem to help their bottom line? This article will help assess the reasons for buying wall décor and its benefits. Read on for precious information regarding whether décor is right for your business, and how to go about making these buying decisions. (more…)

Perhaps the most prolific post-impressionist painter of all time, Vincent Van Gogh gave us his mind, his heart, his soul, and, most notably, his ear. His works are probably better known generally than those of any other painter in history. His masterpieces have graced art lovers’ walls for nearly 150 years. Born in 1853, Van Gogh was the son of a Dutch Protestant minister. Early in his life, he possessed a moody temperament that would later haunt him in his efforts to become a successful artist. His brief and turbulent life is thought to epitomize the mad genius legend. His difficult and contradictory personality was rejected by the women loved, and his few friendships usually ended in bitter arguments.

(more…)

The undisputed leader of the Fauve Group, and regarded as one of the great formative figures in 20th-century art, Henri Matisse was a master of the use of color and form to convey emotional expression. (more…)