21st Century Gadgets in Artistic Masterpieces: The Art x Smart Project by Dong-Kyu Kim

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Korean illustrator and graphic designer Kim Dong-Kyu modernized vintage paintings, adding 21st century technology to them. The project got its name, and this is not surprising, since modern gadgets from Apple are present on each of the works.

The supplemented works look fresh and original, although they do not always evoke positive emotions. Suddenly, the majestic and impressive masterpiece becomes depressing and sometimes even annoying to the audience, they want to shout: "Put your phone away and enjoy the view!" is a kind of criticism of our time, expressed on paper. There is no doubt that this project was created in order to show us how deeply technology is embedded in our daily life and what impact it has.

Everything in these pictures now seems so familiar. What if we had these technologies several centuries ago? This is exactly what the Korean illustrator explores, showing us a utopian reality where antiquity and modern times intersect. The author is generous with humor. For example, he took a classic Van Gogh painting called A Bedroom in Arles and turned it into a hipster studio apartment with a neon bicycle in the foreground and Apple gadgets with a bunch of wires connected to each other. In addition to the fact that these works are ridiculous to the point of absurdity, they involuntarily draw our attention to modern realities. Comparing originals and remakes can lead to feelings of loneliness and alienation.

Surprisingly, some of Kim Dong-Kyu's fantasies intersect with the original atmosphere of the art picture. For example, the work of Edgad Degas "Absinthe" draws the audience's attention to the woman's indifferent gaze, her indifference to everything that is happening, which sets up a depressive wave. In 1893, critics called "Absinthe" vulgar and perceived it as a challenge to morality. In the illustrator's interpretation, a woman is also in a state of alienation, simply ignored by others, since she is the only one who does not use a gadget.

Each creation of the artist is unique, each painting contains a piece of the soul of its creator. But like any other business, painting has its own nuances, artists have their own tricks and fascinating stories related to a specific work. Read 10 fun facts about paintings by famous artists in our review.