Apr 7 2010Real People Painted To Look Like Paintings
That's a real-ass live human woman right there! You see, DC artist Alexa Meade paints people to look like they're in paintings. Maybe art isn't dead! But you know what is? The opossum on the sidewalk right outside my apartment complex. It's true, I even poked it with a stick when I was walking the dogs.
I paint representational portraits directly on top of the people I am representing. The models are transformed into embodiments of the artist's interpretation of their essence. When captured on film, the living, breathing people underneath the paint disappear, overshadowed by the masks of themselves.
Whoa -- that was a little deep for me, Alexa. And I'm not just saying that because I hang out in the shallow end of the intellectual pool, but -- GOTDAMNIT CAN YOU KIDS GO FIVE MINUTES WITHOUT SHITTING IN THE WATER?!
Hit the jump for a ton more of worthwhile amazingness, as well as the link to even more in higher-res.
Hyper-Realistic Acrylic Body Painting [mymodernmet]
Thanks to Momcilo, who paints paintings to look like people. Groundbreaking.
Reader Comments
1. Zach - April 7, 2010 11:29 AM
Awesome!!! So cool!
2. Isaac - April 7, 2010 11:31 AM
Those look fucking awesome.
3. Timbo - April 7, 2010 11:33 AM
That's pretty frikkin awesome
4. spiderLAW - April 7, 2010 11:34 AM
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
5. nye - April 7, 2010 11:35 AM
fucking awesome!
6. nye - April 7, 2010 11:35 AM
You fucked it up spider, you were supposed to say something with the word AWESOME IN IT GOD DAMN YOU!
7. Boomer - April 7, 2010 11:37 AM
Wow... thats all I can say. Just... wow.
8. -Lmega5- - April 7, 2010 11:37 AM
incredibly awesome....
9. catch22 - April 7, 2010 11:39 AM
I am impressed
10. Posttache - April 7, 2010 11:44 AM
Its scary creepy weird confusing mind bottling.
11. Lady Virgen - April 7, 2010 11:47 AM
Very creative. The artist really got the essence of multimedia art.
12. DH - April 7, 2010 11:47 AM
@10 Really? Bottling? Let me have some of that when you're done.
... VERY awesome.
13. Jd - April 7, 2010 11:49 AM
nice.
14. Cinema Obsessed - April 7, 2010 11:51 AM
Pretty amazing... I had to see a real person next to her to really wrap my mind around it!
15. Brian - April 7, 2010 11:58 AM
Awesome.... Just Awesome
16. Ark - April 7, 2010 12:00 PM
Those are incredible, only when you look at the eyes can you really tell they are real
17. Durand - April 7, 2010 12:18 PM
@16 I was thinking the same thing, only with the hair.
18. i1patrick - April 7, 2010 12:21 PM
@DH....epic fail dude, "mind bottling" was a joke line from "Blades of Glory" (Will Ferrell movie). Posttache (10) used it correctly as a pop-culture reference here. Before you criticize someone else's post, you should do probably do a quick Google.
19. Richard McBeef - April 7, 2010 12:37 PM
@18 - repeating jokes from "Blades of Glory" is an epic fail in itself.
recognizing it and then talking shit about someone who didn't memorize the "Blades of Glory" script is an even epic-er fail.
20. Taylored - April 7, 2010 12:40 PM
@18
I think it is Topeka now.
21. Dishy - April 7, 2010 12:44 PM
The artist's statement was clear and made a lot of sense. Usually these sorts of statements are opaque and insecure and full of jargon.
Kudos Alexa Meade. Your work is awesome.
22. Pat - April 7, 2010 12:45 PM
Very, very talented.
23. JBULLFROG - April 7, 2010 12:49 PM
Truly brilliant.
I give it a week or two before we see some ad agency implement this technique in their next TV spot.
24. Dishy - April 7, 2010 12:55 PM
Is there an artologie.com? 'Cause there should be.
25. Troll - April 7, 2010 1:11 PM
Fake & Gay
26. Grrr - April 7, 2010 1:21 PM
Arrested Development did it first.
27. Closet Nerd - April 7, 2010 1:24 PM
I'd love to see this exhibit while munchin on some boomers.... just sayin
@10 Blades of Glory.... FTW
@19 "Blades of Glory" Fuckin ROCKS!!!!! I LOVE that movie!!!
28. atheistgirl - April 7, 2010 1:49 PM
That is freaky!
Too freaky!
These paintings eyes will follow you around the room.
http://www.oldweakandpathetic.com/gallery2/d/2823-4/ff2k3paint2.jpg
29. Not That Impressed - April 7, 2010 2:05 PM
While Alexa has some skill at painting, this isn't so revolutionary. This method is taught in basic color theory classes for undergrads in visual art. It's cool that she decided to dedicate some portion of an exhibit to this sort of artistic experimentation. But, I am really getting tired of modern art taking methods used in undergraduate basic courses and making inexperienced people think it's something special. Art is dead.
30. also not that impressed - April 7, 2010 2:22 PM
The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, CA has been doing this for over 50 years. It's been recreated many times, including on an episode of Gilmore Girls (yes, Gilmore Girls!). This is definitely not an original idea.
31. c45j - April 7, 2010 2:48 PM
this is crazy
32. Zanatrek - April 7, 2010 3:13 PM
Amazing
33. Benji - April 7, 2010 3:15 PM
My mind... SHE IS THE MELTED!
34. Katherine - April 7, 2010 3:32 PM
they didn't teach this in my color theory class.....
35. Nick Sydney - April 7, 2010 3:49 PM
that is amazing, you can't even tell some of them are real unless you lok at the eyes or hair
36. Dan - April 7, 2010 4:25 PM
Honestly this is the most impressive idea ive seen in art in a while!!!
Amazing!!!
37. Josh - April 7, 2010 5:02 PM
@28: Not just the eyes, the whole painting will follow you around the room haha
38. lameo - April 7, 2010 5:25 PM
So cool- I saw another example of this and was baffled by it. It was on Cracked in one of their articles of pictures that aren't photoshopped. Amazing stuff.
39. MyEyesHurt - April 7, 2010 5:29 PM
I can't think of anything original to add except for Wow...amazing...most incredible art I've seen in years.
40. Pepe - April 7, 2010 7:45 PM
Ha that dude third pic down is perv.
41. Preston Racette - April 7, 2010 9:08 PM
This is some crazy shit
42. blueZorro - April 7, 2010 9:11 PM
HFS! This is one of those things that makes me understand that artists understand more than the narrow minded people understand. You got that? Because I am on a rant about how fecking awesome this is and will always be. Before anyone brings me down just say "fecking" out loud. If done right it is pretty close to the F-bomb. It's a F-bomb substitute that 100% does not taste like fake sugar. That stuff is nasty.
43. Turbo - April 7, 2010 9:13 PM
omg! brilliantly done! so glad i just popped some fungus :D
44. Standupfan - April 7, 2010 11:09 PM
The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, CA (which someone pointed out uses the same technique) was parodied on Arrested Development as the Living Classics Pageant -- check it out
45. JJtoob - April 8, 2010 12:43 AM
And that, my friends, is why art majors get more ass than your math wizards.
46. Taborrr - April 8, 2010 1:22 AM
So friggin' cool! Serious talent!
47. DethFart - April 8, 2010 1:59 AM
@Troll: You finally spelled your name correctly, proceed to level 2 ...
48. Sharkwhisperer - April 8, 2010 2:45 AM
Its like being in the movie "What Dreams May Come".
49. Bianca Bargas - April 8, 2010 4:16 AM
wow!!! at first, i thought they only used adobe here.. but when i look closer in the picture.. OMG, they are real people!!! this is really incredible.. this is one of the coolest thing i've seen for this month XD
50. FxxxH - April 8, 2010 5:10 AM
amazing
i love it
really creative, innovative, AMAZING
51. Brenda - April 8, 2010 6:07 AM
wow! no! it´s just amazing!! muuuuuuy bueno..
i have to look at them for looong minutes to belive they are real persons.. it´s just.. a huge idea!!
52. Mohammad Zeeshan - April 8, 2010 7:16 AM
I've gone through all this with my mouth opened widely, Amazing...
53. Mackie - April 8, 2010 7:57 AM
Check out Boo Ritson people!
She's been doing stuff like that a while back.
Saatchi gallery has her large photos...
a
54. octotrocity - April 8, 2010 8:50 AM
amazing
55. André Philippe - April 8, 2010 8:55 AM
WOW! Impressive! Is it for sale? LOL!
56. Monit - April 8, 2010 10:51 AM
Amazing Stuff
Love it
57. monikka - April 8, 2010 5:08 PM
inspiring and refreshing...
58. darkchoco - April 8, 2010 9:05 PM
This is so cool!
This artist is really brilliant don't you think.. who would've an idea like that?
59. Richard McLean - April 8, 2010 11:03 PM
Oh wow! This really hit home when the penny dropped!
I really thought they were real.
Painting dead? It seems the contrary!
Wonderful stuff!
60. yuyanda - April 8, 2010 11:45 PM
That is soo well done! Puts a whole different perspective on how you see art! It kinda makes perfect sens when u open your eyes to it. This shows hows the eye of the beholder can also be at the centre of it all. This is immense on so many levels.
61. Shreejith - April 9, 2010 5:12 AM
Creative!
62. Anise - April 9, 2010 3:27 PM
I don't think reinterpreting already existing methods is a failure to create something good in visual arts. Where I think this artist failed was at recontextualizing this. It's been done before, has she brought anything new to it?
63. adien - April 9, 2010 8:16 PM
u are freaky one..! great fuckin' art!!!!!
64. betsy - April 9, 2010 8:57 PM
i want you to come paint me!! This is the coolest medium that I have EVER seen!
65. vaisha - April 10, 2010 1:12 AM
WOW!!
66. sharon actor - April 10, 2010 8:56 PM
that shit is crazy! hard to believe those peeps is real.
http://www.sharonactor.com
67. Kitten - April 10, 2010 9:31 PM
I loooooove this. ;___; it makes me believe in art again. <3
68. amiboyz - April 11, 2010 6:37 AM
that's nice
69. Cheap Computers - April 12, 2010 4:53 AM
That's something really unique which is not seen on daily basis nor in any art exhibition, doing this and coming up with innovations is the real game in Arts.
I will say that she has done something realy nice work for which she should be given an award
70. sarah1of4 - April 12, 2010 6:11 AM
such an idea.. amazing! love the one with the guy in the subway.. he looks like a cardboard cut out!
71. Skate - April 12, 2010 10:48 AM
Awwwwwwwwwwesoooooooooooome!!!
72. Brett Croft - April 12, 2010 2:57 PM
this is art at its finest
73. Removal - April 12, 2010 3:56 PM
@ 29, hipster duface
74. javier - April 21, 2010 9:32 AM
wooowww awesome paint is incredible job... i cant believe but is so incredible see that job gog 4 you
75. ibby lerrick - April 29, 2010 11:26 PM
Hyper sick idea! my god!
76. annerss - May 2, 2010 8:54 AM
wow, this is amazing. it's really difficult to tell if they are real-second to last photo is just pure awesomeness :)
77. Sue Anne - May 9, 2010 5:54 AM
Wow,beautiful! Amazing how far one's creativity and imagination can go. She's oozing talent and creativity through her pores (and the pores of people she paints).
78. Sean - June 29, 2010 11:27 PM
so cool. The world is better with ppl like you.