Art That Looks Expensive, But Isn’t

Having a home without art is like having a table without chairs. From contemporary art, to digital art, to murals, to pop art, to graffiti, to original artworks etc., art is a great way to incorporate color, style, and culture into your home. Additionally, art is a form of self-expression. The art you choose says a lot about you and your taste without you having to. I’ve always thought of the art pieces around my house as small squares that reflect my character, my hobbies, and things that mesmerize my eyes when I look into them. However, as much as I love art, I don’t find it necessary to spend an absurd amount on a painting unless it’s a truly unique piece, or a piece I’ve had my eyes on for a while. When I originally bought art for my house, I had no idea what kind of art I was looking for. I figured I would just browse a bunch of websites and go to small art stores until I found a couple that satisfied my vibe and it worked out perfectly! So, no, you don’t have to spend an astronomical amount of money on art if you don’t want to and yes, you can still find very fancy, unique looking pieces for an affordable price. You just need to know what’s out there, what websites there are, what stores there are, what deals and promo codes you can find. You need to be resourceful, but luckily for you, that’s what I’m here for! I have listed some of my favorite affordable art websites below.

Brands:

Society 6
Tappan collective
Empty wall committee
Canal street
Pop canvas
West elm
Cb2
Etsy
Dwallart
Clock canvas
Motiv-art
Anthropologie
Wayfair
Greatbigcanvas
Uttermost

Graffiti

Graffiti is a form of art that dates back to pre-historic times and manifests itself in multiple styles. It is derived from the Italian word “graffio” meaning scratch. Graffiti is most commonly known for its “illegal” reputation as it involves the unauthorized drawing/writing on public space. In some ways, graffiti can be understood as attention seeking behavior, while in others, it can be understood as an expressive art form. Gangs were very much associated with graffiti and would use graffiti for the purposes of claiming territory, for honoring friends and family that have died, as a way of speaking up, and more. Graffiti was most commonly found on subways, under bridges, on street lights, on billboards, etc. And of course, it was especially prominent in New York as legendary artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat were notoriously known for their graffiti drawn around the city.

Calligraphy

Although some people think calligraphy is just beautiful handwriting, I’ve always seen it as a visual art. Something about how aesthetically pleasing the letters are has always stood out to me more than just any pretty handwriting. To give you some context, calligraphy originates from the Greek word “kallos” meaning pretty and the word “graphein” meaning to write. The main tools that are needed to create calligraphy are a pen and a brush. The end of the pen must be either pointed, round, or flat. There are many styles of calligraphy, some that require a certain pen. A few common calligraphy pens/brushes are: Dip pen, Ink brush, Quill, Fountain pen, and Qalam.

Pop Art

If you like the works of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, then you like pop art. The pop art movement in the 50’s and 60’s was initially seen as a cultural phenomenon, but later transformed into one of the most universally accepted art forms. Pop art is a style of art that is based on modern mass media and popular culture, hence where the term “pop” comes from. It manifests itself in many ways, sometimes anonymously, sometimes aggressively, sometimes as a comic strip, etc. It is most familiarly known for the way it broke boundaries as being an art form that lacked cultural hierarchy. Additionally, pop art is commonly known for the way incorporates commonplace objects such as newspapers, celebrities, soup cans, etc., into its works. A very famous work that portrays this is Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup I.”

Art Deco

Art Deco, also called “style moderne” is a style of visual art that originally appeared in the 20’s. This style of art had a major influence on the design of buildings, on fashion, on cars, on jewelry, on boats, on furniture, on trains, etc. It combined modern styles with rich materials. The Great Gatsby house is a very accurate representation of a modern home with gold accents and rich finishing’s.  

Drawing your own art

If you’re like me and you suck at drawing, then you probably don’t want to be in charge of drawing the art that’s going to go in the rooms of your home. But if you do enjoy drawing, then you should definitely try it and here’s why. Drawing, or art therapy, is known to be extremely therapeutic and can therefore positively affect your mental health. If you’re someone who feels lonely or down often, picking up a brush and drawing might relieve you. Art therapy is therapeutic if you’re a happy person too! And hey, if you’re really good, it’ll be an even bigger flex to say that you drew all every painting in your house.

Cheap canvas prints

Cheap canvas prints

Classic Artists:
 

Frida Kahlo
Banksy
Andy Warhol
Vincent van Gogh
Claude Monet
Kaws
Keith Haring
Basquiat
Jackson Pollock
Roy Lichtenstein