Art History Santa Claus!
Forced Collaborations with iconic works of art to bring Christmas Cheer.
Over the years at my job as an art-reproduction photographer at an art gallery, I've made irreverent Christmas cards for the gallery with the artwork I've photographed. These are a fun opportunity to play chameleon with style and technique in an attempt to match the existing style of the artwork I'm modifying.
Rembrandt was the first to get the Santa Hat Treatment. I just adore the original self-portrait etching, but I always have an urge to poke fun at the self-seriousness of it. I've handled and photographed several impressions of this rare etching over the years. This is one of my photos of the actual thing, not from an art history book. I tried to match the drawing style with digital painting tools in Photoshop.
Aristide Bruant by Toulouse Lautrec is another work I've had the pleasure of photographing multiple originals. My holly is probably fussier than Lautrec would have done it...
Another favorite, Job, by Alphonse Mucha begged me to mess with it. I added the hat and holly, matching the drawing style as best as I could. I turned the brand JOB into JOY in the main text behind her head. In the original, she is holding a cigarette and smoke is wafting up. I swapped in a candle into her hand instead.
John Wayne here, based on Andy Warhol's famous print, was supposed to have a candy-cane gun but it looked sorta stupid, so I kept the gun. I don't know, I like the threat. Mandatory Fun! Same story, I painted over my digital photo of an original print.
Chairman Mao as Santa! Now that's just f@*$ed up! This one was rejected as a Christmas card. Cracks me up though. Also based on Warhol's famous print.
