More than 300 licensed street artists carry on the traditions of painting in the Parisian quarter of Montmartre, adding to the allure and romance of the city, but the increasing appearance of imported knock-offs in galleries and shops is putting their livelihoods at risk. These assembly line style paintings are mass-produced in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe and sold in other countries for a fraction of what these artists can charge for their original pieces.
This situation sheds light on the complex cause and effect involved in every dollar that we spend. Lost in the discussions surrounding sustainable and socially conscious initiatives put in place by big businesses, allowing us to feel better as consumers, is the impact that these corporations still have on individual artisans and craftsmen who can deliver quality but can’t meet the bottom line. The BBC quotes an artist who aptly points to the true difference in what is being sold, describing the imitations by saying “these imports have no soul.” And isn’t that something worth paying for?
[via BBC]
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