Art is purely subjective and personal. Artist come in various disciplines as painters, sculptors, photographers and the like. They express their thoughts in various medium, style, content etc. And each of these forms of art have their own dedicated following. To sell art one had to be an artist himself. Sell art is highly competitive and one has to devote all his or her energy into it. Whether it is selling your own art or as a dealer of art.
Other than the dealer side of it, an art competition is the most admirable way for an aspiring artist to get exposure for his art. A lot depends on the kind of competition that your painting is participating in. The more prestigious the competition the more the chances of your painting getting sold. Whether the painting that is exhibited wins a trophy or not, the possibility that it might get a favorable comment by the Judge of the competition is there and this possibility could make a sale. This first sale is a step in the right direction.
While rich people buy their paintings or other forms of art from reputed galleries, where collections of well known artist are sold, some people who are not that rich but have a good taste for a good picture make it a point to attend these art competitions and purchase what they like from here. It is all a matter of personal likes and dislikes.
Paintings were a form of status symbol and the rich and the elite bought them as such - not only as a beautiful thing to possess, but also as an investment. But the not so rich attended art competitions to see whose paintings or other objects of art were displayed and purchased what they liked. A budding artist has more chances of his art being sold. Once a painting is sold it is commented upon and further sales are possible. The more competitions an artist participates in the better his chances.
Most of them take care of the required logistics and take a commission on the proceedings of a sale. Here, on these online galleries, the artist gets a world wide audience of his work. Buyers also get to see a large collection of art on display making it a lot more easier for them to choose one that they like.
In these when the money market is swinging like a pendulum gone crazy, art seems to have established itself as a stable form of investment making the selling and buying of art a profitable business. Even the paintings of potentially promising artists are bought with the expectation that they might appreciate in value over time.
The most admirable asset that is required to sell art is a nose for good art. This aptitude gets sharpened with time and experience. With perseverance, dedication and patience, it is possible that one might, in due course, stumble upon that piece of art that will establish the reputation of the artist and that of the dealer. Even otherwise art sells.
So sell art. Yours or someone else's. You might become famous or make someone else famous. If you do, then you could even become rich and buy a few masters for yourself.