An original Cuban painting or a print? How to choose what belongs on your wall
A practical guide to medium, surface, dimensions and documentation, using paintings from Yasnier Rivera’s portfolio.
Decide what you want to live with
Choose an original painting when the painted surface, brushwork and an individual work made by the artist matter to you. A reproduction can be a sensible choice when your main interest is a particular image. Establish what the listing offers before comparing prices: a full-frame photograph on a screen can make very different objects look similar.
Yasnier Rivera’s portfolio gives the medium and dimensions of individual paintings. Camino al Capitolio, with its red taxi and distant Capitol dome, is listed as oil and acrylic, 100 × 80 cm. Calle Neptuno is an 80 × 80 cm acrylic painting. Those details give you a starting point for discussing a particular work rather than buying by thumbnail alone.
Ask how the object was made
Confirm whether an offer is for a hand-painted original, a reproduction or an original print from an edition. The word “print” needs context. An artist’s print made through a printmaking process can be an original work in its own right; a printed photograph of a painting reproduces another work. A signature alone does not explain how the object was produced. The Met offers reproductions on paper and canvas, so the support alone does not establish that an object is a painted original.
For a painting, ask about the support, signature, condition, framing and documents supplied with the purchase. Request a photograph of the reverse as well as surface details. If a certificate is offered, check that it identifies the work’s title, dimensions and medium. Whether documentation of that kind accompanies a particular Yasnier painting needs to be confirmed directly; this guide does not promise a certificate.
Look closely, then measure the wall
The description of Camino al Capitolio draws attention to its layered paint. Ask for a close-up photographed in light from the side, where the surface is easier to see. In Calle Neptuno, look at the red bakery sign against the surrounding blues. Return to the image later and notice whether you still enjoy that particular colour relationship.
Mark out the proposed dimensions on your wall with removable paper tape, if the wall finish allows it. Add the frame’s width if a frame is part of the purchase. An 80 × 80 cm square and a 100 × 80 cm painting will occupy the space above furniture differently. The virtual gallery helps you explore a group of works, but it cannot measure your room or establish how colours will appear in its light.
When Yasnier’s portfolio is a useful starting point
Start here if you want figurative Cuban painting with Havana streets, older cars, people or musical subjects. Comparing several works by one artist lets you choose a subject you want to keep looking at. If you prefer editioned printmaking or spare abstraction, include artists and galleries that specialise in those forms in your search.
Choose two titles and email yasnierartista@gmail.com or call +48 604 580 332. Ask about availability, the current price, detail photographs and delivery or collection. Include your destination town and country. That gives the artist’s contact enough information to discuss the actual work and the complete purchase arrangements.