Interview with a Forger

I am quite fond of my faux Vermeer, which arrived via one of those sites. The brushwork is confident; the colors, vibrant.

Close-up of my “Vermeer.”

But painting is an awkwardly intimate art form, quite different from the mechanical printing press or an MP3 anonymously shared across networks. A painting has within it the traces of its own production, the labor in a brushstroke. The hand of the creator is visible in the work itself.

This familiarity leads to some inevitable questioning: Who painted my Vermeer? How did they paint it? How did this strange bit of global capitalism evolve? What kind of life does this painter lead? Does this painter even like Vermeer?

With so many questions, I reached out to my Chinese reproduction gallerist for an interview. He was eager to talk, on the condition that I withhold the website with which he is associated.

Here is our conversation, slightly edited to account for the language gap:

Did you paint my Vermeer?

I am a writer. I can’t paint. I sell art for a living.

So you own the website?

Yes. We have over 100 skillful painters in our gallery.

Oh, it’s a physical gallery too?

Yes, in Xiamen. There are about 5,000 painters in Xiamen who do oil paintings full-time.

Does your gallery display reproductions of classic western art as well?

Yes, most of the paintings are reproductions. We reproduce paintings on demand, so there are usually very few in stock. Here is a picture from the gallery:

Gallery in Xiamen, China. I added the animation, illustrating my feeble art history skills.

How many paintings does your gallery create?

We create hundreds of paintings every month.

Wait, you do hundreds of oil painting reproductions every month?

Yes, most stay in China, but about half go to America and Europe. I ship to Florida a lot.

What is the technique for reproducing a painting?

We print out an image on a large sheet of paper, and then we paint it by eye.

Sounds simple enough. How long does it take to paint a reproduction?

Usually, we arrange the paintings in turns. Different paintings styles need different painters. It takes 2-3 weeks to finish. If you need it urgently, we also can finish it within one week.

How much does it cost?

It varies by size, style, and complexity. [Note: I paid $135 for two reproductions, a Vermeer and a Van Gogh, which included shipping.]

Who is your favorite artist?

I respect all the original artists though their works are different.

Which artist does your gallery reproduce the most?

Claude Monet.

Are the reproductions good enough to be mistaken for real masterpieces?

No, it is impossible. No one can do it. Even the original artist can’t do it.

Can’t do what?

Can’t fake their own painting.

That confuses me. Anyway, do you consider what you do forgery?