Fernando Botero, Jack Vettriano, Alfred Gockel, Romero Britto and commercial appeal of art

I decided to write about artists that have commercial success. My selection of artists is neither random nor scientific. There are other finer artists that collected by museums worldwide but have little of general public interest.

Fernando Botero and Jack Vettriano paint realism. Both artists are very popular with general public and their reproductions are sold widely. Botero is represented by a number of galleries and was schooled in art while Jack Vettriano is either schooled nor represented any longer. Their work copied left and right. Both artists use color pallet that one can find in many houses across the world. The colors are soft and warm. Both artists use composition that narrates a story. This story is sensual but safe. Even most serious issues presented in near PG format. They do appeal to Anglo-American general public. They appeal to the same people who shop at antique markets.

Jack Vettriano has a retro fill to his art while Bottero is humorous and rounded figures suggest animation. Jack Vettriano took Edward Hopper Nighthawks out of the café and followed them everywhere in his imagination. People who liked “Godfather” and “Once upon the in America” like Vettriano art. It gives them an opportunity to reenact glorious gangster era in the safety of their homes. On the other side of his images, glamorous “Singing butler is absolutely adored by housewives who need to decorate dining rooms. “Last Supper” and still life are so irreversibly old fashioned. Jack Vettriano fits into it just right. Same colors, more glamour.



Alfred Gockel and Romero Britto are on the opposite side of the market. Nether of them were schooled in art. They paint in distorted but not entirely abstract manner so one can easily read the meaning. Both of them are not entirely accepted by establishment but they do have a commercial success. In general their subjects and pallets appeal to European (and non traditional Anglo-American segment) minded market. Both produce large number of prints. In one are Britto has a definite advantage. His art is easily scaleable and adoptable to decorating surfaces of any product. Brittos colors are eye-catching and therefore are great for decorating commercial windows and facades. However, in the home decor segment aggressive colors are favored only with the lovers of modern and ultramodern décor. Gockel art on the other hand has bright but softer pallet and can fit anywhere from modern to antique décor.