Why Small Works Work for Both Artist and Collector

Paintings that measure a foot or less offer a versatility for painters looking to capture color notes, study a location, and sell to people with limited wall space or budget. Here's why six artists love them.

BOB BAHR

Galleries often have a large, tour-de-force painting near the entrance, dominating the visitor's eye as they walk in. Big paintings suggest more work, more concentration, more care to create a composition devoid of dead areas lacking interest. From Sorolla's large-scale series on the regions of Spain to Mucha's The Slav Epic, from David's large portraits of Napoleon to Rothko's oppressive and monumental suite of paintings in a Houston chapel, the impressiveness of big paintings is understood and self-evident. But smaller works can succeed in several ways and serve multiple purposes. Plein air painting favors smaller works because the changing light conditions make capturing the feeling of a scene something of a race against time; smaller pieces allow for a more complete painting. It would be interesting to know just how…

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Pleinair (Digital) - 1 Issue, December/January 2024-2025

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