The point is the unit of measurement of the French painting market. Each standard stretched canvas format corresponds to a fixed number of points, and every artist applies their own value per point. This system, more than a century old, remains the implicit reference of Parisian galleries — and the most powerful tool for setting a defensible price.
The three format categories
All stretchers fall into one of three families:
- Figure (F) — compact proportions, historically used for portraits
- Paysage (P) — horizontally elongated, for landscapes
- Marine (M) — even more elongated, for seascapes
Each format number (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120) corresponds to three different dimensions depending on the category.
The full chart
| Format | Figure (F) | Paysage (P) | Marine (M) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 18×14 | 18×12 | 18×10 | 1 |
| 5 | 35×27 | 35×24 | 35×22 | 5 |
| 10 | 55×46 | 55×38 | 55×33 | 10 |
| 12 | 61×50 | 61×46 | 61×38 | 12 |
| 20 | 73×60 | 73×54 | 73×50 | 20 |
| 25 | 81×65 | 81×60 | 81×54 | 25 |
| 30 | 92×73 | 92×65 | 92×60 | 30 |
| 40 | 100×81 | 100×73 | 100×65 | 40 |
| 50 | 116×89 | 116×81 | 116×73 | 50 |
| 60 | 130×97 | 130×89 | 130×81 | 60 |
| 100 | 162×130 | 162×114 | 162×97 | 100 |
| 120 | 195×130 | 195×114 | 195×97 | 120 |
From format 5 upward, the number matches the point value. Smaller formats (0-4) carry decimal points (0.5 to 4).
Value per point by medium
The value per point depends on the primary medium and career phase. For an emerging artist:
- Acrylic on canvas: €15-20 per point
- Oil on canvas: €20-25 per point (longer drying time, technical complexity)
- Drawing / watercolor on paper: €10-15 per point
For a mid-career artist (gallery represented, solo shows), multiply by roughly 1.8. For an established artist, by 3 or more.
Three concrete examples
25F acrylic canvas, emerging artist:
25 points × €15 = €37512P oil canvas, mid-career artist:
12 points × (€20 × 1.8) = 12 × 36 = €43260F acrylic canvas, established artist:
60 points × (€15 × 3) = 60 × 45 = €2,700Why galleries trust this method
The gallerist can instantly compare your prices to those of other represented artists. If you price acrylic at €15/point while a comparable emerging peer prices at €18, the grid is readable and negotiable. Pricing each canvas on a hunch makes that analysis impossible — and unsettles serious buyers.
Handling non-standard formats
If your piece does not match a standard format, two options: apply the nearest standard format (what the Sepialy calculator does automatically), or switch to per-cm² / linear methods. Never invent a hybrid format — discerning buyers spot it.
Closing
The point system is less a constraint than a shared language. Adopting it embeds you in a tradition every collector, expert and gallerist knows implicitly. For an emerging artist, it is the fastest way to graduate from gut-feel pricing to a defensible grid.