Looking at the photos made by the artist behind The Canvas Project, you might not notice it at first. They'll just look like pleasant, but unremarkable views of city streets, skylines, museums, and parks. But then you'll see it.
You'll see that the people in these photos don't quite belong there.
That's because The Canvas Project is all about bringing the figures from classic paintings from history right into our world.
Everyone from 19th-century families to mythical heroes from antiquity can be found in everyday settings, just like anyone else. The combination is startling and humorous.
Combining two unlikely things is a bold move in art, but it can produce some very fun and unexpected results. It can also make us see the art in a new light, reminding us to be more creative, like the artist who spiced up drab thrift-store paintings with his own personal touches for unique works of art.
Check out some The Canvas Project's combinations below, and let us know your favorite!
[H/T: Designboom]
The Canvas Project takes figures from famous, historical paintings and places them in a modern setting.
This 1807 portrait steps out of its original scene and hangs out in front of a modern art museum.
In this piece, Juliet of Shakespearean fame gazes out over a view of modern London.
The figures and their new settings are specifically paired so that the positioning, the shadows, and even the colors look natural.
The results can be comical, but they also make us see the subjects of paintings, who might appear foreign and inaccessible to us, seem like real, living people.
It's easy to look into distant history and not feel a connection. But turning these old-fashioned scenes into ones we might see every day makes us look at these portraits differently.
And it makes the people in the paintings seem like people we might have known or been friends with. They seem suddenly not so different from you.
And there's also something fun about seeing all of the period costumes and fashions right in front of us. It's a little like peeking into the past!
And they also show us that our own snapshots and phone photos are maybe not so different, even from these old, large, painstakingly crafted paintings.
After all, they're both records of where we've been and what we look like.
Sometimes, figures from different paintings meet up, resulting in a fun mix of styles and fashions.
Here, some mystical-looking ladies from an ancient time splash in a fountain while some 18th-century friends have a dance party.
Some of the scenarios are downright hilarious, too, like this epic (and naked) battle in the middle of a calm street.
Or this daring sunbather hanging out in a very public place!
The Canvas Project removes the figures from their original contexts and makes us look at them in a whole new way.
They become suddenly much more sympathetic, like when their cars break down.
While of course the paintings don't look like photos, they're blended in as much as possible, and given corresponding shadows for an even more natural look.
And they can actually get pretty convincing!
