Recently, I had a blog post about whether or not landscape photography works as a fine art which you should read before the rest of this article. In order to keep a refresher brief:

    “Not all landscape photography is going to qualify as fine art by definition. You also don’t have to follow this guide in determining what photography is and is not fine art. Art has always been subjective and putting objectivity to any degree won’t work for everybody. That being said, I think I can objectively say that by definition landscape photography can be fine art.”

    Now, with that out of the way we can move on to the discussion for this blog post. Should landscape photography be in galleries or on your wall? There are some important distinctions to be made when it comes to what type of landscape photography art you are looking for or works well in a gallery setting.I think this boils down to your response to it fitting in one of three categories. Of course this is going to be a bit subjective and as with any art it should be up to you whether you like it or not and nobody else.

- Interesting

    This is the most subjective category where anyone can decide whether or not a piece deserves a spot in a gallery. Nothing other than how people connect with the art really matters in this category. If someone can connect with a piece or sees it as something beautiful they would like to look at then it qualifies to be in a gallery here. No thoughts are given to the value added, appreciation, or whether or not it passes a peer review or gains critical acclaim. If the art deserves a place on someone’s wall then it is part of a personal gallery. This is my favorite category of art because nothing else matters other than a love for the art.

- Intrinsic Value

    This revolves around the idea that a piece of fine art is naturally beautiful, interesting, or creates value outside of the price or immediate connection to monetary values. Art that is good or exceptional similar to how Interest works but with a twist. This could be a piece done by an emerging artist that is not known yet for their art, but their work is seen by critics as having potential. 

    This type of work has values that pass peer review and gain approval qualifying as fine art. This can be the most difficult area to break into as a new artist as it takes skill, luck, and time to become recognized in a prestigious way like this. Typically, this is also a prerequisite for success as an investment for collectors as well. Fine art recognized as being beautiful fine art by critics. This is the type of art you might see in an art gallery listed for lower prices and showing as an emerging artist.

- Investment Value

    Some people out there are collectors with one main goal in mind. That objective is to put money into art that will appreciate in value over time. This is done through limited editions done by well known or rising names in the art world. This category is what most people think of when it comes to art buying and buyers. 

    It is valid to see art solely for its monetary value. Many of the biggest news pieces are actually centered around this number when a piece sells for a record amount or a collector’s net worth is assessed. It is impressive, but a common criticism of this is that it is a bit contrived. Nonetheless, if a work meets this criteria it can earn its spot in a gallery. This type of artwork will show up in the most prestigious of galleries as well as museums around the world. The real upper echelon of the art world.

- Conclusion

    So long as you can fit the art into one of these categories then the answer is yes. In an ideal world the art you have in a gallery is all things you like personally, is critically acclaimed, and is appreciating in value, but that is not always necessary for it to make sense to hang something beautiful on a wall especially if you enjoy looking at it. Naturally, if you like something then the odds are others out there will like it too!