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3D Artist Refreshes The Look Of Artists From The Past
Interview With Artist
Artists inspire other artists, hence they get a lot of tributes, ranging from paintings, to musical pieces, to busts and sculptures dedicated to them. It's no different with Hadi Karimi, who dedicates his time to recreating some of the most legendary artists from the past few centuries in 3D modelling programs like zBrush, Maya, and others.
The thing that catches the eye the most is the level of detail in each and every one of his recreations. Hadi's 3D images are extremely lifelike and high-quality masterpieces that stand out as works of art of their own. And even though AI recreations are catching up, they're no match for the skilled hand of Hadi.
And it's not only about just making them really detailed. He puts extra work into his research and tries to find out what they really looked like, rather than just trusting the interpretation of other artists' renditions. Most of the time, the paintings are exaggerated and flattering, but far from the actual truth. Hadi uses life and death masks, and compares a lot of versions of paintings and photos before he decides what exactly he'll try to remodel. Which is why his 3D renders look so refreshing.
These are not all of his works that made the list, since it focuses more on truly great artists that have passed. But you can check out all of his portfolio on Instagram and the pages linked below if you want to see more. The artist said that he'll do more works on the theme of "women in history" next, so keep your eye out!
More info: Instagram | youtube.com | hadikarimi.com | Facebook | twitter.com | behance.net | artstation.com
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Ludwig Van Beethoven
"Beethoven is often portrayed as this heroic figure that resembles more of a greek god than a human who dedicated his life to music. To reconstruct his face I only used his life mask and also a bust that was made by the same person who made the mask. He also had a death mask, but due to his illness, he lost so much weight that the mask is almost useless for this purpose."
Elli Rahim 5 years ago
He looks so serious and stern. I can almost see him as the Emeritus Professor at a famous University.
Ashasaurus rex 5 years ago
If they make another Beethoven movie, Frank Whaley would be perfect.
The author has given an exclusive interview to Bored Panda! First and foremost, he told about his background as an artist: "I started my journey almost ten years ago. Not as a 3D artist, but as a digital painter. Photoshop was the only software that I actually knew how to work with. Then I found interest in learning more and more software like 3Ds Max, C4D, Maya and finally realized that I’m kinda better at being a 3D artist than a painter and now I believe it was a good decision."
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#2
Frédéric Chopin
"Chopin was a very introverted and private type of person, he has only two confirmed photographs, which one of them is deteriorated and hard to read anything out of, the other one was taken during the time that he was seriously ill and his face is swollen and disfigured. Also in his lifetime Chopin had his portrait painted and drawn by a variety of artists, but the problem with most of them is that they’re more flattering than realistic. So all that I could rely on was his death mask. After death all the muscles lose their tension and all left is a disfigured face. I did my best to breathe life into it, don’t know how close this is to what the man actually looked like!"
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
Chopin was incredible. His Nocturne Op 9 No 2 is incredible, his Fantaise-Impropmptu is amazing, his Polonaise in A flat major is a work of art.
Wolfstar 5 years ago
I know! I love his Fantasie-Impromptu, though it's difficult for me to play it (small hands). He was such an incredible composer.
Load More Replies... Elli Rahim 5 years ago
He looks handsome, intelligent and on the verge of asking a difficult question.
Pangolin Pal 5 years ago
Actually, this rendering is quite close to Delacroix's famous painting of Chopin, although of course not as heroically flattering. Taking into account all the problems with a death mask, I bet this is reasonably close to what he looked like in life. (I especially like his big nose, which Chopin used to joke about in his letters to family and friends.) Awesome job.
Mya Lugar 5 years ago
The upper lip looks as full as the lower in artist conception, not in death mask.
F. H. 5 years ago
The artist has probably taken another problem of death masks into account: Wet plaster is heavy and presses down on the soft tissue.
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As mentioned above, Hadi spends much of his time doing research, he gives an in-depth explanation of the process:
"My works are in two different categories, which are very similar but require different approaches.
The first category is likeness portraits of celebrities (like Will Smith, Marilyn Monroe, etc.) which is pretty straightforward, since everyone knows exactly what they look like and I use as many references as I can find to capture their likeness with details.
And then the second category is facial reconstructions of historical figures (Beethoven, Chopin, etc.) which we kinda know what they looked like but not exactly, and the only references that are still available are paintings, death masks, life masks, and biographies or descriptions of their appearances.
Without a doubt, the second type is far more complicated and calls for more dedication and research."
#3
Franz Liszt
"Liszt was one of the few composers of the 19th century who lived a long life, and since he was very famous during that era (some call him the world’s first rockstar), there many photographs of him on the internet.
The photographs that I used as reference were taken in 1858 by Franz Hanfstaengl."
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
Liszt has a very particular set of skills.
Load More Replies... Wolfstar 5 years ago (edited)
I love his Hungarian Rhapsodies! I also really like Liebestraum No. 3, that's actually the first piece I've performed. And La Campanella is awesome, but it's a pain to play (I still have PTSD). Franz Liszt was called the world's first rockstar for a good reason. Apparently, women were so infatuated with him that they fought over his broken piano strings, threw their clothes onto his stage, and taking his cigar butts and tucking it into their cleavage. Lisztomania, they called it. Liszt is one of my favorite composers, besides Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Shostakovich. How about you?
Load More Replies... Wolfstar 5 years ago
Liszt is one of my favorite composers. I particularly like his Liebestraum No. 3. It's a piece that when you play it, it's just you and the piano. All anyone could do is to stop and listen, because the intense part evokes a flurry of emotions so great I actually don't know what to call them. And his Hungarian Rhapsodies, they're amazing. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is my favorite, since it starts off dark and dramatic then moves on to a folk-like dance (which is called a czardas). Sorry, I'm geeking out over him. Go check out his other works, like La Campanella (a pain to play, I have PTSD from it) and his Transcendental Etudes.
RoseTheMad 5 years ago
The result kinda reminds me of Robert Carlyle as Mr Gold/Rumplestiltskin ... idk why, and it's probably just me lmao.
Just like each individual is very different, the same applies to the time it takes to do each one of them, "As I explained in the previous answer, it really depends on the case. If we’re talking about someone who we know what they look like and we have lots of high-quality references, it could take 3-4 weeks. But if the subject is someone from hundreds of years ago, then that’s a different beast and could take months."
#4
Marilyn Monroe
"Took 6 hours for each frame to render. The problem with light-colored hairs is that it takes 2-3x the usual time to give a clean result.No turntables for this one."
Blue 5 years ago
What was the point in doing her ? There are movies and photos everywhere. I get Beethoven etc but modern actors ???
Amazon QT 5 years ago
Bc, like me, he loves to design and create these portraits. I’ve drawn Marilyn Monroe several times.
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Average Grizzlies Fan 5 years ago
All the way down to the shape of her eyebrows!
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Louise French 5 years ago
Still presents the myth that Norma Jeane Baker was beautiful when in her lifetime people who worked with her described her as very plain. Her sex appeal lies in her craft. Norma Jeane Baker created her alter-ego Marilyn Monroe, entirely self-made despite everyone who told her she wasn't pretty enough for Hollywood.
Amazon QT 5 years ago
And she did have a few plastic surgeries (at the request of MGM) which just enhanced what she already had spades of!!
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Dorothy Cloud 4 years ago
Again, beautiful. But her lips don't look that over drawn in the photo.
Elli Rahim 5 years ago
She's not pleased with how the interview went in the "colour photo" and has decided to take control of the conversation.
The artist is very open-minded about what he's going to do in the future. "Believe it or not, I never plan for my next projects, whatever comes up!
But I’ve been receiving tons of requests for famous composers like Mozart and Bach, so I think I'll have to respond in the near future."
He also told about how he does in Lockdown, which, luckily, didn't affect him as much. "Honestly, this lockdown hasn’t forced me to change my lifestyle that much. I’ve been a freelancer for a couple of years now and I handle most of my commissions by email and don’t even remember the last time that I had a business meeting with someone."
#5
Sylvia Plath
"'The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt.'
Couldn’t come up with a caption, also can’t argue with that quote!"
And last but not least, he gave his piece of advice for all of the aspiring artists and beginners, which comes from his own hard-earned experience:
"I’ve been doing art for more than a decade and have made a lot of mistakes, like working for exposure or even for free in hopes to get noticed or to be seen. But I can tell you with confidence, if you want to be an artist, there are no shortcuts. In this journey, you will feel frustrated and sometimes you might even feel that this is not the right path for you and want to give up. Just know that no one is born an artist, stick with it, and you’ll be rewarded."
#6
Felix Mendelssohn
"This was one of the more puzzling facial reconstruction I’ve worked on so far; comparing the death mask, life mask and the paintings, it’s kinda hard to connect them to one person.
Mendelssohn had two life masks made in his late twenties that one of them is at “Scottish National Portrait Gallery” and couldn’t be easily found on the internet. Thanks to @oxanatheharpist and @kasperschonewille for sharing with me their photos of the life mask and other helpful information."
Pangolin Pal 5 years ago
I especially love this one because it is not only incredibly lifelike and realistic, it also captures what Mendelssohn's contemporaries said of him - that he was a very kind, deeply compassionate person who went the extra mile to help others, strangers as well as friends. Also, kudos for the "executive decision" to lose the awful muttonchops! 19th-century facial hair styles were, um, let's say, problematic. . .
Wolfstar 5 years ago
YES FINALLY MENDELSSOHN!!! I love his Violin Concerto in E Minor, since unlike many violin concertos, the violin comes in immediately and it makes my heart stop every time I listen to it. I also love his String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12. It starts slow then picks up the pace then there's this heartbreaking note played by the violin that makes you stop and listen. Sorry, again, I'm geeking out. Go check out his other pieces, like the Italian and his Cello Sonatas.
Pangolin Pal 4 years ago
Because they're ugly as all-get-out and Mendelssohn's decision to grow them was a most unfortunate facial-hair fashion choice. He deserves this do-over!
Load More Replies... #7
Freddie Mercury
"Had so many requests for this one, hope it lives up to the expectations."
Stephanie Did It 5 years ago
Why do you need to recreate the man when we have countless actual photos of him?
Elli Rahim 5 years ago
Hadi Karimi - you've outdone expectations. Freddie is alive and thinking of the next party!
gargling_gargoyle 5 years ago
Nooo this does not do him justice! He was a beautiful man with a captivating presence. This guy looks like he works in some hole in the wall fast food place in NYC.
BoredDragon 5 years ago
Freddie! Oh, RIP to the greatest singer ever. You will be missed. Have I mentioned that Queen is my favorite band? (Followed by K.K. Slider <3)
#8
David Bowie
Týna Ef 5 years ago
on the chin it looks like shadow but agree with the lip
Load More Replies... #9
Friedrich Nietzsche
"Übermensch"
BoredPanda is awesome 5 years ago
Love the moustache and how they are giving each other the dirty look
Pangolin Pal 5 years ago
You have to wonder how much time he spent every morning grooming that epic mustache - and how on earth he managed to eat anything, but especially soup. . .
Elaine Dodge 5 years ago (edited)
Soup - by using a moustache soup spoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WNU-5SJRaE
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F. H. 5 years ago
Now you know why he's sometimes called "the man with the mole in his face".
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Phunny Philosopher 5 years ago
O.K., cool. Now how about you share some of your meticulously crafted 3D renderings. Oh? Don’t have any? Hmmmm. Methinks you are an armchair artist.
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#10
Johannes Brahms
"The mid-19th century was the time that photography started to become popular throughout Europe and paintings, life masks, ... began to fade. Daguerreotypes were very expensive and only the wealthy could afford but so were the masks and paintings!
Luckily there are many photographs of Brahms on the internet, even from his teenage years! I tried to picture him in his thirties (around 1860)."
Pangolin Pal 5 years ago
Another example of how the artist captures not only a realistic image of the person, but his personality, too. Brahms as a young man was a passionate, honest and honorable person, but painfully in love with the wife of his best friend and mentor, Robert Schumann. Clara Schumann certainly loved Brahms dearly too, but it is not known whether she reciprocated his romantic feelings. Brahms never did marry, nor did Clara after Robert's death, but Brahms and Clara Schumann remained very close friends for the rest of their lives. I can see so much of this story in this image of the composer in his youth.
Wolfstar 5 years ago
Ahh, Brahms. I like his music very much, though I'm not a fan of Hungarian Dance No. 5 after being forced to play it over and over again. I like his Cello Sonata No. 1 and A German Requiem. He's not bad looking either. But back to the music. Just listen to his pieces other than Hungarian Dance No. 5. There's plenty of amazing pieces besides that one.
#11
Franz Schubert
Schubert wasn’t famous during his lifetime and probably couldn’t afford a highly skilled artist to paint his portrait, most of the portraits of him were done decades after his death when his music finally started to make it to the mainstream. All I could find as a reference was just one photo of a cast impression of his life/death mask, unfortunately the original mask is lost or destroyed in the market. I wish at least the private owners of the cast were more generous to share some pictures of it, but I guess that’d be too much to ask!
Marysue Watches 5 years ago
He's my favourite composer! I would have loved to have a chat with him!
#12
Clara Schumann
"This would be the last of the Romantics series and transition to the next series “Women in history”.
Wolfstar 5 years ago
I love her Impromptu in E Major. Go check it out! She was an amazing composer, but she's overlooked by her husband.
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
Definitely shouldn’t have been overlooked, but Robert was an excellent composer.
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#13
Robert Schumann
"There are a couple of daguerreotypes of Schumann that were taken in 1850 but all deteriorated and in terrible quality so I tried to search for some paintings of him made during his lifetime. It was really interesting that most of the paintings that I could find looked almost nothing like the man in those photos (maybe just the hair). Even more reason why paintings of that time aren’t trustworthy references!"
BoredPanda is awesome 5 years ago
amazing how you managed to do that with the quality of the images
Wolfstar 5 years ago
Schumann is amazing as well. His Cello Concerto is very beautiful and so is his Symphony No. 3. Go check them out!
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
One of the first pieces I learned by him was Wild Rider. Still remember that lol.
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#14
Audrey Hepburn
Dorothy Cloud 4 years ago
There's something missing around the mouth. I can't figure why it looks different.
#15
Kurt Cobain
"Each frame took 20+ hours to render, the shirt’s material was too expensive because of its transparency, and the mesh lights in the background made it worse!
Also finding high quality reference images for this one was surprisingly hard, other than a few close-up shots, all I could find was some blurry images."
Sam Kunz 5 years ago
What's the point of modern day people? Two photographs it looks like. Show Mozart.
#16
Grace Kelly
"I wasn’t very happy with my first portrait of #GraceKelly mainly worked on the color map, plus some tweaks to the skin shader and a new lighting setup."
Marianne Henry 5 years ago
Most are phantastic, don't understand why Grace Kelly' portrait is so bad. There are so many photos of her making it easy in this case.
Atropos Key 5 years ago
First, I would like to say thank you for creating these. Second, I would like to say MOREMOREMOREMOREMOREMOREMORE!!!!!!!!
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What do you think ?
Marvin HoG 5 years ago
I really thought this was going to be people we never had modern photos of, lots of busts and old paintings of, not a bunch of people we actually have pretty good photos of so already know perfectly well how they looked.
gargling_gargoyle 5 years ago
Technically, presented in this format on BP, the images are still 2-D. Obviously his renderings are a different story.
Moose Face 5 years ago
We see a lot of almost-there 3D portraits around here but these one are the first I've seen that really hit the mark.
Sasha Kuleshov 5 years ago
I'm afraid that Hollywood would use technology like this to revive dead people to keep acting :P
Marvin HoG 5 years ago
I really thought this was going to be people we never had modern photos of, lots of busts and old paintings of, not a bunch of people we actually have pretty good photos of so already know perfectly well how they looked.
gargling_gargoyle 5 years ago
Technically, presented in this format on BP, the images are still 2-D. Obviously his renderings are a different story.
Moose Face 5 years ago
We see a lot of almost-there 3D portraits around here but these one are the first I've seen that really hit the mark.
Sasha Kuleshov 5 years ago
I'm afraid that Hollywood would use technology like this to revive dead people to keep acting :P
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