Question 1

What is the process for commissioning a portrait?

Accepted Answer

The process for commissioning a portrait is very easy.

1. Contact us TODAY via email at cjrobbins@thegentlemanartist.co.uk to begin discussing your commission
2. Allow us to join with you in developing a vision for your portrait
3. Enjoy the benefits of a powerful personal avatar, a peerless professional image, and a family heirloom that will last for generations to come

Because we only accept a very few commissions each year, a waiting list is necessary. A reservation fee of $5,000 (nonreturnable) will secure your position on the waiting list, and work on your commission will begin at the appointed time. 50% of the fee (minus the reservation fee) will be due at the beginning of work on your commission, with the balance due upon completion.
 
Amounts for additional services chosen from the concierge menu must be determined on a case by case basis.

Question 2

What will my experience be like?

Accepted Answer

Commissioning a portrait from The Gentleman Artist is like commissioning a bespoke suit of clothes. We must first discover and develop a vision of what the ultimate version of you looks like. What are the greatest virtues and attributes you wish to embody? Such things as pose, dress and setting will need to be decided.
 
Because your time is precious, The Gentleman Artist typically works from photographs. When your vision of your portrait has been established, a photoshoot will be scheduled (if applicable), so that the necessary references for creating your portrait can be obtained. When the references have been reviewed, and you have given approval of the final design concept, work will begin on your commission.
 
The concierge menu of additional services has been designed to make your experience as luxurious and extraordinary as possible. If there are any additional services that would make your experience even better, do not hesitate to ask. We will do all we can to provide the most unparalleled service in the art industry.
 
We use the same materials as the old masters, which means that your portrait will endure in beautiful condition for centuries to come. Your portrait will be a source of immense inspiration now and into the future. Because each bespoke portrait is a one-of-a-kind object, because each one takes from six months to a year to complete, and because each may have a market as small as one person, no refunds can be given. That is why these portraits are not for the diffident.
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However, adjustments can be made along the way, and we will continue to work on your portrait until you have a final result that you love, or until one year from the commencement of work on your commission. If at that time you are still unhappy with your portrait, we can begin again. But that will, of necessity, be treated as a new commission.

Question 3

Why are only a few commissions accepted each year?

Accepted Answer

When you commission a portrait from The Gentleman Artist Studio, you can expect to not only receive a premier product, but a premier service experience throughout the process. The availability of commissions is limited so that the highest standards of service and attention can be delivered to you.

Question 4

How long will it take to complete my portrait?

Accepted Answer

The highest level of care and attention is given in creating each portrait. As a consequence, from design approval to delivery, most portraits require six months to complete. Portraits from the Executive Size Range and above may require up to a year, and portraits from the Majestic Size Range may require up to eighteen months to complete.

Question 5

Why does it take so long?

Accepted Answer

Unlike a photograph, a painted portrait is an elaborate construction. Every mark on a painting requires the artist to take a deliberate action, each one calculated to move the whole work toward a supreme vision. Because of this, careful evaluation of the results is required throughout the process. The Gentleman Artist will not call a portrait finished until it meets his exacting standards, and yours, for conveying an image of you that is inspiring, dignified and ennobling. In order to be called a premier portrait, it must elevate. Photographs can be commemorative. Premier portraits by The Gentleman Artist are inspirational and aspirational. That is why they are not for the diffident.

Question 6

How profitable is an investment in art?

Accepted Answer

Very!

It is human nature to modify, to embellish, and to beautify our environments. You may pick any group of people from any place in the world, and from any point in history. If you do, you will find one thing as universal as the basic necessities for sustaining life - people make art. We decorate our tools, our weapons, our clothes, our homes, and even our own bodies. We sing and dance, we tell stories and put on plays. We may not understand why we do this. But the fact that we always do seems to be conclusive - there is something in it that we find absolutely necessary.
 
Few things contribute more powerfully to our ultimate health, wealth and happiness than our environment. Beauty is always inspiring and uplifting. Imagine a long hallway with oak paneled walls. On its walls hang portraits of yourself, your children and your ancestors. As your posterity wanders this hall, they stop in front of each portrait, and relish telling again the stories of their long-departed family members. Now imagine your great-great-grandchildren standing before your portrait and knowing that you were the one who built the empire that they have inherited.

Question 7

How important is the artist's name recognition?

Accepted Answer

Are you considering buying art as a speculative investment? Do you hope to resell it for a profit in the future? If so, then an artist's name recognition can make a difference. But that is not why you invest in a premier bespoke portrait by The Gentleman Artist.
 
Using the same high-quality materials as the old masters - premium Belgian linen, hand-ground pigments, the finest cold-pressed linseed-based oil paints made by a company which has been producing them since the 17th century - a premier portrait by The Gentleman Artist will be an instant family heirloom that will last for centuries. By commissioning a premier bespoke portrait from The Gentleman Artist Studio, you will be establishing for yourself an immortal legacy.

Question 8

What determines the value of art?

Accepted Answer

Many factors contribute to the value of art. First is rarity. An original piece of art is a one-of-a-kind object. It may be copied or 'reproduced', but there will only ever be one original.
 
The second is the fact that one artist can only produce a finite amount of work in their lifetime. Neither Rembrandt, Rubens, Sargent or Velasquez will ever make another painting.
 
Finally, the value of any given piece of art has a great deal to do with how you personally value it. How does it make you feel? How does it contribute to the beauty of your environment and the quality of your life? How much are those things worth? For instance, if a premier bespoke portrait by The Gentleman Artist can elevate and inspire you and your posterity to ever-greater achievements, would that be a valuable contribution to your life and legacy? What would that be worth to you?

Question 9

How much do people value portraits?

Accepted Answer

A tour of a stately home was featured in a documentary film on the British aristocracy called The Last Dukes. On the walls hung many beautiful and large portrait paintings of the family's ancestors. Also hanging on the walls beneath the paintings, hidden behind furniture were long, sharp knives. The knives were there so that in the event of a fire in the house, the servants could save the portraits by quickly cutting them out of their frames and throwing them out of the windows. Wouldn't you say that the family placed a high value on those portraits of their ancestors?