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FRAMING INFORMATION
1st Art Gallery offers the option to receive your painting ready to hang or rolled in a tube.
Currently, the frames listed will be only ship up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached, the framing option is automatically disabled.
However, if you are interested in stretching or framing a painting larger than 24x36 inches (60x90 cm), please contact one of our customer success associates or let us know in your order notes. We will send you a catalog of our large framing styles and pricing options.
Unframed rolled canvas orders will arrive rolled inside a protective tube with an extra 1.5" white canvas on all sides so you can easily frame it locally.
Among the most exciting aspects to be observed in the work of the Hudson River School artists is the layered significance of their paintings. What at a glance could seem to be merely an expert rendition of a beautiful landscape, upon further investigation of the subject matter’s context and historical background often reveals under it hidden layers of meaning, celebrating the artists’ connection to their homeland and the subject of their paintings. As such, they have a Romanticist tendency to demonstrate some level of empathic connection to the subject of their work, which comes out as judicious care in the depiction of landmarks, climate, mood, and light.
This seemingly ordinary depiction of a natural wonder is just one such painting, finished in 1852, a time of high productivity for Frederic Edwin Church. Now in possession of The Fralin Museum of Art at The University of Virginia, the piece depicts a famous American landmark, the Natural Bridge, in the state of Virginia, a marvel often compared to the Niagara Falls. Although the rock formation seems to have been the product of American industriousness, it is, in fact, a natural occurrence, created by the natural erosion caused by a tributary of the James River. Church had traveled to the site a year before with the businessman and amateur naturalist Cyrus W. Field, the circumstance in which the artist had made some sketches of the setting.
However, the choice of subject matter is based on more than just the natural beauty of the geological formation, but also its patriotic connections. George Washington had initially surveyed the structure, and Thomas Jefferson had later bought the land where the landmark stood and built a small cabin to receive dignitaries interested in the natural wonder. As such, the Natural Bridge was intrinsically connected to American history and its pantheon of forefathers.
Being so, it is difficult not to understand the painting almost as an invitation extended to the observer to cross the natural threshold of this door into America, a suggestion represented in the picture by the couple portrayed in the bottom of the composition, which serves both to emphasize the scale of the landmark and to place the observer inside the piece. They beckon the observer to the natural world framed by the limestone arch.
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Real Oil Paints, Real Brushes, Real Artists, Real Art. The Certificate of Authenticity which arrives with every painting provides an assurance and verifies the authenticity of the hand painted fine art reproduction you purchased. Each oil painting is created by hand using only the finest canvas and oil paints available.
Important Notes About Your Painting:
If you have any request to alter your reproduction of The Natural Bridge, Virginia, you must email us after placing your order and we'll have an artist contact you. If you have another image of The Natural Bridge, Virginia that you would like the artist to work from, please include it as an attachment. Otherwise, we will reproduce the above image for you exactly as it is.
- Ordered without a frame, it will be delivered in protective tube within 21-28 business days.
- When ordering the painting framed - allow additional 5-7 days for delivery. The painting will arrive ready to hang.
- Every painting is painted by an experienced artist.
- No printing or digital imaging techniques are used.
- 100% hand painted oil painting on artist grade canvas.
- Painting comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
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- Enjoy Free Express Shipping.
- Hand crafted means unique to every owner. Each canvas reproduction may vary slightly in brush details due to the nature of being hand painted, so no two paintings are the same.
- For those customers who appreciate quality and want to own an artist's work as it was meant to be enjoyed we are here for you.
Free shipping is included in the price of the painting. Once the painting is ready and dry enough to ship, we will roll it and ship it in a sturdy cardboard tube.
We always ship express via courier to ensure your order reaches you as soon as possible - normally within three business days. The total delivery time from the moment you place your order until the package is delivered to your door is normally between three to four weeks.
If, in the unlikely event you were dissatisfied with the painting after reviewing it in person, it can be returned for a full refund for up to 365 days after delivery.
When you receive the painting; you are free to return it for more revisions or else for a full refund minus our actual shipping cost -- which is, on average, $25 per painting.
1st Art Gallery provides a full warranty covering manufacturing and material defects for paintings purchased from our website. The warranty covers damage for normal use. Damage caused by incidents such as accidents or inappropriate use are not covered.
Depending on the degree of damage to the warranted painting, it will either be repaired or replaced. This warranty service is provided free of charge.
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You may choose to purchase your painting framed, in which case, it will arrive "ready to hang". We offer more than 20 beautiful models, all hand finished and expertly assembled by our experienced framers.
Note that for safety reasons we can only frame up to a certain size. Once the maximum size is reached the framing option is automatically disabled.
If you are planning to frame your painting yourself, use an existing frame, or frame it locally, you may choose to order your painting with a stretching service, meaning that it will arrive mounted on wooden bars.
If you're considering not framing your painting at all, you may opt for a Gallery Wrap. The term Gallery Wrap refers to the way the canvas is stretched, which is by wrapping it around thick stretcher bars, about 1.5 inch thick, with the canvas being secured to the back rather than the sides of those bars.
All orders ship with UPS, FedEx or DHL and will arrive directly to your home or office. A tracking number will be emailed to you as soon as the order leaves our studio so you can track it online. All orders ship express and usually arrive within 4-5 days from the shipping date. Due to shipping restraints, many of our framed, stretched, and oversize paintings may take 6-21 days for arrival depending on the safest route determined by the postal service.
Unframed paintings are covered with a special protective film, are gently rolled and then placed inside a strong specially designed tube.
Stretched, Gallery Wrapped and Framed paintings are covered with protective bubble wrap, separated by foam board and then carefully put into the cardboard box.