ZILBER THREE

LOOK UP IN THE SKY - THE STORY OF SUPERMAN

CLASSIC BEAUTIES GET A PHOTOSHOP TREATMENT

“What would have happened if the aesthetic standard of our society had belonged to the collective unconscious of the great artists of the past?” So asks Italian artist Anna Utopia Giordanoin her Venus project, which re-imagines classic artistic depictions of Venus with a modern and extreme Photoshop makeover. What begin as mostly Rubenesque beauties are transformed into busty, slim-waisted figures more closely matching the ideals we are bombarded with today.

Giordano’s reworking of the classics raises a number of questions about the aesthetic standards of our current society and its obsession with near impossibly adolescent figures. Is our current ideal healthy or even possible for most women? Is todays preference even as attractive as the more “natural” figure depicted in the original versions of these paintings? As the standards of beauty have evolved through history we have seen vast fluctuations in ideals. From the plump beauty standards of China’s Tang Dynasty, to the waif-thin ideals of 1920s flapper style and the voluptuous 1950s, we’ve seen standards change for a long, long time.

In our current era, we are marketed standards of beauty like never before. Advertisements portraying that ideal hang on every corner of the street and internet, subtly effecting our perceptions of what looks beautiful and setting up standards that put pressure on men and women alike. How do the beautiful women in these classic paintings hold up to a modern treatment? While some may appear to have found some healthy improvement with their digital nip and tuck, others turn out looking disturbingly thin and adolescent. Which do you find more attractive?

Above: J.A.D. Ingres – Venus Anadyomene
Below: Alexandre Cabanel – The Birth of Venus

Angelo Bronzino – Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time

Botticelli – La Nascita di Venere

Hayez – Venus

Tiziano – Venere di Urbino

William-Adolphe Bouguereau – The Birth of Venus

Velazquez – Venere e Cupido

Artemisia Gentilischi – The Sleeping Venus

Westal Richard – The Power of Venus

Via: hurricanevanessa.com

RETRO 22

ne man’s trash is another man’s treasure…once David Irvine gets a hold of it. Irvine, a visual artist from Canada, collects framed paintings from thrift shops, garage sales, and front curbs and paints over them with his twisted, hilarious style. What some may see as a crappy 70‘s winter landscape, David sees as the perfect stage for an Octopus finger puppet show. A tree in the woods? Why not revamp it with some inebriated Disney characters and toilet paper? David’s creative upgrades add vibrance and fun to some of the most dull paintings. When making a re-directed masterpiece, David makes it a rule to never cover up the original artist’s name.

See more of David’s amazing recycled art- including eerie lightbulb ornaments, lid and bottle top art, and eye-ball furniture- on Flickr and Facebook.

VADI TKACHEV WORX

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