To own rather than reproduce: what makes a painting an original
January 16, 20263 min read
At Totem Sauvage, an original is a painting that exists only once: numbered 1/1, signed Camille on the reverse, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, and never reproduced. Its relief (laid on with a knife on cut Isorel for the totems, painted by hand on panel for the Gentlemen portraits) is found in no print. Here are these signs one by one, without any talk of value.
One piece, and only one
The site states it plainly: no reproduction is produced, and there is neither a reproduction nor a limited edition. What you buy is the original. A limited edition shares one motif among several people; here, the motif exists once, on a single wall. Camille herself began by trying to reproduce photographs exactly, for hours on end. She found her style the day she understood that the raw essence of the animal was her subject.
A relief an image cannot hold
The totems are painted in acrylic with a palette knife, on Isorel, a rigid fibreboard panel cut to the animal's silhouette. The impastos layer up, and the colours mix directly on the panel. On Le Solstice, as across the Les Cavaliers collection, the panel follows the outline of the rearing horse: no rectangle, no frame, the mark of the knife across the whole surface. A photograph shows the effect, never the full relief, because it shifts with the light.
The same goes for the portraits: the ground of L'Écuyer is in relief, with foliage, and the portrait is painted by hand. A reproduction gives you the motif, never that relief nor the hand that laid it.
The signature and the certificate
Each piece is signed Camille on the reverse, numbered 1/1, and delivered with a signed certificate of authenticity. This document establishes that the painting is by her hand and that it is unique. It says nothing about the price it might one day reach, and we promise none: you acquire an original to live with on your wall, not to invest in.
An original is not necessarily out of reach
Prices are clear: 120 euros for a Gentlemen portrait, 190 euros for a horse from Les Cavaliers. Below 150 euros, payment is made in full; from 150 euros, a 30% deposit is possible and holds the piece for three months, the balance being due before shipping.
How to choose
Look at the piece under raking light if you can, then ask yourself one question: do I want to see it again tomorrow? The rest, size, palette, wall, comes afterwards. A reproduction is chosen on a screen; an original is better seen up close, which is why each piece's page gives its dimensions.
