Thank you for your report!
We have received your report and it is currently under investigation by a forum moderator.
Help identifing this artist?
Welcome to the forum.
Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.
Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.
Message
Posted
Hi all,
I bought an oil painting from a boot sale at the weekeend in the south of England.
I was wondering if anyone could help me identify the artist by their style, or their signature? I tried Googling the signature image but I'm not getting any results.
Any help very appreciated. Thanks so much!
Jamie




Posted
This is one of those mass-produced paintings by maybe one artist, maybe a whole group of them; many originate in China. They cheer up and enliven many a wall, and they're skilfully done - but to a template. Think of them as mass-produced off-the-rack suits rather than a bespoke cut. The artist - at least this one is signed fairly legibly; it looks like 'Costenu', which sounds like a Greek or Romanian name; that wouldn't be surprising - is highly unlikely to be well-known, and the work isn't worth much.
I'm assuming it IS a painting, not a print - there's a difference in value, of course, but not as big a difference as you might think and hope. However, if you enjoy it - you obviously liked it enough to buy it - that's really all that matters; I don't suppose you thought you'd acquired an Old Master.
There was an artist named Georges Costeau - another possibility for the signature: but he didn't paint like this. This work is done with a stippling techique - many ways of doing it, but you lay in your basic shapes and tones (not without some skill) then in this case take a flat hog-hair brush and apply bright colours in stabbing motions to give the impression of, often, Spring or Autumn foliage. That's what makes the paintings quite attractive, we all like a bit of stand-out colour against darks to show them off, but - it is a bit of a trick which a reasonably competent painter can quickly master. The subject matter is invariably like this - trees, water, recession in quite delicate colour - but the snag is that the subject could be absolutely anywhere, there's nothing to anchor it to any particular place, or time. I will say it's a lot better than Bob Ross ... but I think you'll find it hard verging on impossible to identify the artist(s).
Posted
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed response.
Yes, I like the painting. £4 from the bootsale. I intend to transfer it to a modern frame - so thought I'd confirm I wouldn't be 'potentially' damaging a masterpiece first!
To my untrained eye it seems quite skillfully painted.
Thanks again,
Jamie
Posted
Clearly it is signed Cousteau, and I have to agree entirely with Robert’s appraisal here, which is not too surprising given that we both have a sound understanding about this type of mass produced work.
Mass produced by an amateur, but a proficient amateur hand… or many, it’s impossible to say.
Looks like an original painted quite thinly on a canvas that was taped off and removed to create a clean edge.
Overtones of Bob Ross as Robert has eluded to, but far better. Areas of stippling don’t do the work any favours, but a pleasant enough ‘’pretty’ painting from an imaginary source! The tree in the foreground does have some rather good areas of light falling on it…
Pick these up in the market halls in Turkey and numerous other countries for small change, definitely aimed at the holiday market but get it framed and enjoy it!
