Artists of Montmartre against the counterfeiting of foreign

[Евгений]

On the cobbled Place du Tertre in the heart of Montmartre of about 10 artists have launched easels and paint in anticipation of buyers.
Despite the cold, numerous cafes filled with people, and artists patiently waiting for customers.

The scale of this business much more than it might seem at first glance. Every year, come here more than 10 million tourists, and many of them want to bring home paintings depicting local landmarks.
Street artists have always been one of the main components of the romantic Parisian atmosphere. On Montmartre once worked masters such as Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso.
Numerous paintings from the Basilica of Sacre Coeur, and other Parisian beauties, who can now be found on the Place du Tertre, may not belong to the outstanding works of art, but the authors clearly have considerable skill.
In total there are about 300 artists, each of which received a special license. The vast majority of their clients - the tourists.

But the artists of Montmartre assert that now threaten the centuries-old tradition of cheap, "forged" paintings, imported from China and Eastern Europe. Such products abound in the local souvenir shops.
"These paintings are no souls, but they are much cheaper than our work," - said Pavlos Fassolis - artist originally from Greece, who works at Mormartre for several decades.
"The reason - that they are doing on the line: for example, one person all the time drawing a tree, and another - the sky" - explains the artist.

"And they often take the printed image, and then we put on a little paint to look better, - continues Fassolis. - It is very sad for all the artists of Montmartre."

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Other local artists to join our conversation and show me a portrait of a woman mounted on an easel near one of the souvenir shops. According to them, this is not a real painting, and printing and publishing imprint, on top of which was done a few brush strokes.

I am told that on his face painted woman has no color. This is because the drawing of facial features requires far more skill than simply adding a pair of three-strokes on the details of clothing.

The owners of several souvenir shops, in which I came, at first denied that sell paintings, brought to Paris from abroad. But after a few minutes of conversation, some still recognized, that are imported, foreign "canvas" and retouch their own.

Jewelry?

"My wife puts on them a little bit of paint, so that they become more original look, - said one trader, predpochetshy keep his identity secret. - This is not art, it's just decoration. For such a price can not expect more."
However, all the tourists whom I met on this day, want to fetch from Paris is not beautiful foreign picture, and this local picture, even if its quality is not very high.
Art - is part of the very Parisian atmosphere. I think it would be just terrible if the artists will lose their livelihoods - finds the British tourist Clare Sheddon. - I hope people will see the price of these prints, and immediately suspected that such a cheap work may not be original.

"We need to somehow protect the artists" - offers another tourist.
David Chazan
BBC News, Paris
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/int...00/7844762.stm
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Сообщение от Eugene

"forged" paintings, imported from China and Eastern Europe

Pure Kitay.Sovremenny China messed everything it touches. All that was previously a "piece", handmade, carried the energy of the creator of the the greediness of the owners of brands has become available shirpotreb.Odin of the aspects of cultural retrogression of humanity.