When it comes to mixing pop culture with classic icons and urban environments, blending sacred and profane, adding sense of humor and, sometimes, also denouncing aspects of an ultra-consumer and over-connected world, Japanese graphic designer Shusaku Takaoka is certainly one of the pioneers of this genre.
His is a generation of creative minds who act mainly in their spare time, by putting at the centre of every composition the same characters, masters and artworks — Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits, Mona Lisa, Botticelli’s Venus, Nathalie Portman or the Girl with a Pearl Earring — keeping them alive and passing on their message and beauty through a hip reality.
Ice Scream – from The ScreamThe Cleaning of Adam – from The Creation of AdamPest Control – from The Last SupperTwisting Gleaners – from The Gleaners by Jean-Francois Millet (1857)Maria taken away by the police – from The Sound of Music by Robert Wise (1965)Mathilda and Sunflowers – from Léon: The Professional by Luc Besson (1994), feat. Sunflowers series by Vincent van Gogh (1888-1889)Shining Arles – from Bedroom in Arles by Vincent van Gogh (1888-1889), feat. Wendy and Jack Torrance from The Shining by Stanley Kubrick (1980)Starry Jaws – from The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889), feat. JawsNetflix Addicted – from Cinderella (1950)Love Drops – from Aladdin (1992)My Dream – from The Notebook by Nick Cassavetes (2004), feat. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-unHand in Hand – feat. Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 Self-Portrait and Girl with a Pearl EarringAir Jordan (Nike)A Pair of Nike Clogs – from A Pair of Leather Clogs by Vincent van Gogh (1888)Venus on the Subway – feat. The Birth of VenusMona Lisa on the Subway – feat. Mona LisaF**k Off – from Girl with a Pearl EarringUrban Portraits – feat Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits
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