I guess I'm in a talkative mood tonight. A rare occasion, but not an unwelcome one. I think it's good for a person to have some things to say, because if he can't - well, it's pretty sad.
Americans make $100 in, like, 1-2 days tops, so it's a reasonable price tag. America, after all, is the most important country on Earth, and art commerce pricing is oriented primarily toward Western users, since they're the most financially capable. So not only are supply and demand working as intended, it's also a reasonable price for the amount of time and effort that goes into it. A little on the high end, but still.
Now that I think about it, it's not even that expensive. Art commerce is inherently an international form of luxury. Paintings are shippable, and buyers are bidding on paintings from every corner of the world. Of course, they all have to compete with the purchasing power of Western clientele, hence the price tag.
I have a good example: there's a Russian painter (artist?) who goes by bero (@beruwko) online. I'm sure some of you have heard of her. She mostly paints on canvas with oil. Despite living in Russia, she is obviously oriented toward Western clients, because it simply pays better, and the paintings are sold in like a couple of days after becoming available. The listings on her site are in dollars, and worldwide shipping is free and included.
Here are some stats on monthly wages in Russia:
Median income (the level that divides the population into two equal halves) - 657.05 dollars (or 55 028 rubles) (73.4% of the average);
Modal income (the most frequently occurring value) - 354.37 dollars (or 29,677 rubles) (39.6% of the average).
Keeping in mind numbers mentioned above, I'll post some of her paintings, and you can play a game where you guess the price of each piece (in dollars). The actual prices will be put in spoiler tags, and in the links. No hints! Oh, and if you will press on a spoiler, it will open ALL spoiler tags, so be careful.
1. Cirno's Genesis - 40 x 50 cm. Pricetag: $1200
2. Lullaby - 25 × 35 cm. Pricetag: $620
3. Moe Bloodlines - 50 × 70 cm. Pricetag: $2200
4. Stars We Could Reach - Etude - 25 × 35 cm. Pricetag: $300
5. Tender Harm - 25 × 35 cm. Pricetag: $680
6. Bouquet of Hearts (the only one not sold btw, you can buy it now!) - 40 × 60 cm. Pricetag: $1400
7. Croissant Enjoyer - 24 × 30 cm. Pricetag: $500
8. Where Worlds Meet - 40 × 50 cm. Pricetag: $1250
9. Icon of the Voice - 60 x 50 сm. Pricetag: $1500
10. Speaking in Ripples - 25 × 30 cm. Pricetag:
$400