Art Journal
Art, Memory & Collecting
Stories behind the paintings, and ideas for living with them.
A place to look more closely at original paintings, the pop-culture memories behind them and the questions that come up when choosing art for your home.
Read the first story ↓First story · A guide for new collectors
How to start collecting original contemporary art
You do not need to know the art market to begin collecting. Most people start by finding a work they want to look at again. The subject draws them in; then they notice the colour, the way it is painted, or a detail they missed the first time.
If you are considering your first original painting, it helps to enjoy that reaction while also asking a few practical questions. What are you looking at? Why does it matter to you? And what should you know before deciding to live with it?
Start with a subject that interests you
Some collectors are drawn to landscapes or abstract work. Others connect immediately with images from films, comics, music or television. Familiar subjects can be a way into contemporary art: you recognise something, but the artist’s interpretation gives you a reason to look more closely.
Marco Santos brings pop culture into oil painting through three different series. In one, contemporary figures meet the visual language of the Old Masters. In another, pop icons appear in everyday situations. Pop Symbiosis combines figures from entertainment worlds in unexpected ways. Explore the paintings below and see which ideas hold your attention.
Why choose an original painting?
An original painting is the physical work made by the artist, rather than a reproduction of its image. On a screen you can see the composition; in the actual painting you can look more closely at its surface and details.
This does not mean prints have no place in a collection. They are simply a different choice. If you want the work the artist painted, check that the listing describes it as an original and read its medium and dimensions.
Choose a painting you want to live with
A first painting can be the work that makes you stop, look again and imagine it as part of your own space. It can begin a collection or simply become an image you enjoy living with.
A connection can begin with a character you love, a surprising reference to art history, or a scene that makes you laugh. It may also deepen after you discover what the artist was exploring. When a work brings that personal connection together with an artist’s way of seeing, you already have a meaningful starting point for your collection.
Look closely at the details before buying
Once a painting catches your interest, check its dimensions, year, medium and availability. If a frame is shown, confirm whether it is included and whether the measurements refer to the canvas or the framed work.
Home isolation
Canvas: 30 × 45 cm · With frame: 36 × 51 cm
Buying online?
Check who handles the purchase and delivery. A gallery or platform may have its own shipping and return conditions. For a work offered through direct enquiry, ask for those details before making a decision.
Imagine the work in a room
Interior views can help you picture how a framed painting might feel at home. They are a visual guide, not a substitute for checking the stated dimensions and measuring your wall.
Choosing a work · A practical guide
How to choose your first original painting
A film scene, a character or an unexpected detail can be the beginning. Here is how to turn that first connection into a painting you can enjoy in your own space.
You may already have found the image that catches your eye. Choosing your first original painting then becomes a matter of bringing that connection together with a few clear details: the physical work, its size and the way to acquire it. You do not need a fully planned collection to make a meaningful first choice.
Follow the connection
Notice what draws you to the work: its subject, colour, atmosphere or the memory it brings back. The painting can tell a story that already has a place in your life.
Picture the physical painting
Look at the full image and the detail photographs. Read the medium, canvas size and framed dimensions, then measure the wall where you would like to hang it.
Open the artwork’s page
The individual page brings together the painting’s story and practical details. Follow its gallery link or contact button to ask about the work that interests you.
A small painting can tell a complete story
Home isolation is an example of a familiar film image meeting a real moment in everyday life. Painted during the pandemic, it imagines quarantine with Kevin from Home Alone. Its canvas measures 30 × 45 cm; the framed work measures 36 × 51 cm.
Those two measurements describe different things. The first is the painted canvas, while the second is the space occupied by the finished framed work. If you already know where the painting will go, use the framed dimensions when planning its position.
Choose the interpretation as well as the reference
In Catlady and Raccoon with the Carrot Soup, Catwoman and Rocket Raccoon enter a composition inspired by Gerard David’s Madonna and Child with the Milk Soup, with BoJack Horseman also part of the scene. The appeal can begin with a character, then grow through the relationship between the figures, the composition and the references you discover.
The close-up above lets you explore the painted image. Together, the full photograph, detail view and artwork description help you understand the work you are choosing.
From the artwork page to your collection
Check the information about the signature, certificate of authenticity and framing in the individual listing. The purchase route also appears there: some works are offered through galleries, while others can be discussed directly with the artist.
For a painting offered by direct enquiry, send its title through the contact form to ask about its price and delivery. For a work offered by a gallery, its button takes you to that gallery’s current listing. Practical questions about buying and framing are also answered in the FAQ.
Cinema, memories & collecting
From screen to collection: choosing art inspired by cinema and pop culture
The films, music and characters we grow up with can become part of an art collection. An original painting gives those familiar stories a new setting and a lasting place in everyday life.
For someone who loves cinema, a collection can begin with a character or a scene that has stayed with them. A painting offers another way to experience that connection: through colour, composition and an artist’s interpretation of the story.
In Marco Santos’s work, references from films, television and comics enter the language of figurative oil painting. Sometimes they meet compositions from art history; sometimes they appear in an ordinary room or combine with characters from another fictional world. The familiar image becomes the beginning of a different story.
When a film becomes a personal memory
A film can carry more than its plot. It can recall a particular time, a person or the first experience of seeing a character on screen. In American Hero, the pairing of Clark Kent and Lois Lane brings the world of the Superman films into a quiet rural portrait. For a viewer who grew up with those films, the connection may feel immediate.
The painting also opens another conversation through its reference to American Gothic. That meeting between cinema and classical or historical images runs through Crossover: When Pop Culture Meets the Old Masters.
A familiar character can reflect a shared experience
Quarantine Hero brings a superhero into the experience of staying at home during the pandemic. Deadpool’s relaxed pose and the image of Caesar connect fictional worlds with an event the viewer remembers from real life.
In Pop Icons in Everyday Life, these encounters connect popular culture with ordinary spaces and experiences. A collector may respond to the humour, the film references or the memory of that moment.
Your collection can connect different worlds
You can build around an interest in cinema, a favourite genre or the way an artist brings different stories together. The connection between works does not have to be the same character or a matching colour palette. It may be a shared sense of humour, a reference to art history or the feeling of discovering something familiar in an unexpected setting.
Pop Symbiosis offers another approach, combining animated characters and superheroes. Explore the series to discover how familiar faces can become something unexpected.
Continue exploring
Have a particular painting in mind? Its individual page includes the story, dimensions and purchase information. You can also contact Marco Santos with the title of the work you would like to know more about.
Starting a collection ↑ · Choosing your first painting ↑ · Cinema & collecting ↑