How to decide on a painting you can't see in person: a seven-step method
To decide on a painting you cannot see in person, confirm the exact size, ask what the surface does, test the scale on your wall, request detail photographs and video of that work, read colour as a range, view it if you can, and take time. These seven steps reduce the doubt a screen leaves.
Steps 1 and 2: Pin down the size and the surface before the colour
Step 1: read the dimensions as a physical object, not a number. Every work page states height and width in centimetres. Prism Garden, for example, is listed at 100 x 100 cm (39.4 x 39.4 in), acrylic on canvas. A figure like that means little until it is measured against something in your own room: a console, a door frame, the width of the wall between two windows.
Step 2: ask what the surface does. A photograph shows image; it does not show relief. Ask whether the paint is flat or built up, whether any area is metallic or glossy, and how the canvas is finished at the edges. These questions help explain why a work can feel different from its photograph. The page why a textured painting looks different in person covers the surface side in more detail.
Steps 3 and 4: Test the scale at home, then ask for the pictures that answer your doubt
Step 3: mark the size on your wall. Cut paper or cardboard to the exact dimensions, or outline the rectangle with painter's tape, and leave it up for several days. Look at it in the morning, in the evening and with the lamps on. A tape outline costs nothing and is a low-cost way to check whether the work will feel too small or too large for the wall.
Step 4: request specific images, not more of the same. Detail photographs and video of a specific work are available on request through WhatsApp. Name your doubt when you ask: the left edge, the thickest area of paint, the way the piece sits beside a dark wall. A targeted request returns a more useful answer than a general one.
Step 5: Treat screen colour as a range, not a value
Your screen, the room's light and the photograph's own processing can all influence what you see, so a colour on a monitor is best read as a range. Compare the work's page with the room image and any detail photographs you request. If one image looks very different from the others, say so and ask which is closest. The page are the colours accurate when buying a painting online goes through what can shift and how to check.
Steps 6 and 7: See it in person if you can, and give the decision time
Step 6: use the viewing option if it is within reach. Part of the collection is on view at INTI, in Lago Sul, Brasília, and can be seen by appointment arranged over WhatsApp. It is a working clinic, not a gallery or open showroom, so visits are scheduled, not walk-in. For buyers elsewhere, the remote route is described in virtual studio visit for a remote international buyer.
Step 7: reserve or wait, deliberately. Works can be reserved during an acquisition conversation, with terms aligned individually. If you are still unsure after the earlier steps, the sound decision is to wait and keep asking questions, not to buy to settle the uncertainty. Ask about any terms you care about before you commit, and keep the answers in writing.
From the studio
From the studio: reading a work from far away
I trained as an architect, and I read a painting the way I read a drawing: first its scale against the wall, then its edges, then its surface. A buyer who cannot stand in front of a canvas is missing exactly those three readings, so I try to supply them in other forms. The works are large-format and built in layers, which is why a single photograph is rarely enough on its own.
What I would encourage is to decide the way a plan is approved: with the dimensions confirmed, a full-size outline on the wall and the details you doubted in front of you. A painting that still feels right after that is a decision, not an impulse. Prism Garden, from the Luminous Rebirth series, is a good example of a piece worth testing this way: at 100 x 100 cm it is easy to outline in tape and see against a real wall.
Frequently asked
How can I be sure about a painting I haven't seen?
Complete certainty is not available from a screen, so the practical aim is to remove the specific doubts. Confirm the dimensions and medium on the work page, outline the size on your wall, and ask the studio for detail photographs of the areas you question. If you can reach Brasília, a viewing by appointment is the most direct check. If doubts remain after that, waiting is a valid decision.
What photos and videos should I ask for?
Detail photographs and video of a specific work are available on request through WhatsApp. Ask for the images that match your hesitation, such as a corner, the area where the paint looks most built up, or the edge of the canvas, and describe what you want to see. A specific request gets a more useful reply than a general one.
How do I test the size at home?
Cut paper or cardboard to the exact height and width listed on the work page, or outline the rectangle on the wall with painter's tape, at the height you would hang it. Leave it up for several days and look at it in daylight and lamplight, from the doorway and from where you sit. If it still feels right, the size is likely right.
Can I reserve it while I decide?
Works can be reserved during an acquisition conversation, and the terms of a reservation are aligned individually with the studio. Raise it directly over WhatsApp, say how much time you need, and ask for the terms in writing before you agree to anything. Reserving is a conversation with the studio, not an automatic option on the page.
What if I'm still unsure?
Then do not buy yet. Keep asking questions, request further images, or arrange a viewing in Brasília by appointment. There is no need to decide quickly. This page does not describe return terms, so if they matter to you, ask for them directly and in writing before committing to any acquisition.
Ask for the details you need before you decide
Tell the studio which work you are considering and what you doubt. Detail photographs and video are sent on request.
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