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Artist Evokes False Sense Of Nostalgia By Distorting Faces Of Classical Portraits (30 Pics)
Interview With Artist
Ben Ashton is a self-taught disruptive figurative painter from the United Kingdom. The artist is known for putting a unique twist on classical art by purposefully adding a glitch or a distortion of sorts. As he shared, the artwork tries to convey a false sense of nostalgia by giving the viewer a feeling that they have seen this type of painting somewhere before.
Ben’s artwork heavily relies on distorting the face, making it look like it is melting or losing its details. The artist commented that hopefully, the distorted element in the painting will appear all the more jarring after that initial feeling of nostalgia. “That being said, I'm quite excited for the audience to find whatever they wish to find in my works, I am often pleasantly surprised with the variety of different ways in which my paintings have been interpreted.”
More info: Instagram | benashtonart.com
Ben with his paintings
Image credits: benashtonart
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In a further interview with Bored Panda, Ben shared more about his background.
“I taught myself how to paint whilst at university from various books and old scriptures written in the 1500s. Once I had learned the basic rules of painting, like an apprentice might, I then went about incrementally breaking those rules and subverting the things that I had learned.”
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Regarding the inspiration behind mixing classic portrait painting with modern distortion, Ben shared: “I think initially, I wanted to show the cyclical nature of history, how humanity is able to make the same mistakes over and over again. Historical portraiture gave me the ideal vehicle to express this as the history of portraiture spans the history of humanity itself. The protagonists in my paintings are often antiheroes who would like to convey notions of wealth and status but due to the interruptions have been made to look ridiculous. In using these modern methods of distortion I wish to subvert the original message historical portraiture wishes to convey.”
We were wondering which of the Old Masters Ben would be interested in collaborating with and why.
He replied: “I'm not sure whether I would necessarily like to collaborate with any of the masters but I would certainly love to meet a few of them just to observe. I would like to watch Hans Holbein and Albrecht Durer’s drawing process, both have very different styles of working and I tend to rate their drawings more than their finished paintings. I would love to watch Da Vinci’s workshop in progress, to observe the way in which he used his notebooks, and to sit in on the various conversations he would have with mathematicians and engineers. Finally, I would love to go out drinking with Caravaggio after finishing one of his commissions, that would be a wild night.”
Lastly, Ben added: “I’ve got my next solo show coming up, titled ‘Or You Could Panic’, in LA at the Corey Helford gallery. The show opens March 15 and will run for a month, I would love to see you there.”
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What do you think ?
ABC NrNine FCK CENSORISM 1 year ago
As a matter of fact, THESE ARE ART. It is NOT AI, for anybody saying so. Look at the artist's instagram, all the distortions are painted, not photoshop.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago (edited)
EDIT: I was incorrect. The artist did actually paint these himself. Though I'd like to point out that the photo of "Ben with his paintings" was NOT in the article when I first read it and made this comment, so I thought these were all Photoshopped. I admit to my mistakes, and I'm an idiot, but I'm not a d-bag - I wouldn't have accused the artist of art theft if that photo had been in the article originally. I apologize for what I said, and I'm leaving my original comment after this edit because I'm not going to lie about/hide what I originally said. I effed up; I apologize to Ben. ORIGINAL COMMENT: These aren't art. This is the digital equivalent of throwing a handful of paint at an actual painting by a classical artist and then claiming you're a painter (you're not.) Using the Smudge and Push brushes along with the Warp and Texture Effects tools in Photoshop on someone else's artwork and then claiming it as your own artwork is just art theft.
ABC NrNine FCK CENSORISM 1 year ago
I guess you know I'm also one of those who are quick with yelling about BP posting another bullshít listicle, but in this case, it is legit. All the distortions are painted, you can see it in the videos the artist posted on instagram. I don't know if the technique the artist uses is the analog equivalent of using warp effects in Photoshop, but the artist actually crafted these with their hands.
Load More Replies... ABC NrNine FCK CENSORISM 1 year ago
As a matter of fact, THESE ARE ART. It is NOT AI, for anybody saying so. Look at the artist's instagram, all the distortions are painted, not photoshop.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago (edited)
EDIT: I was incorrect. The artist did actually paint these himself. Though I'd like to point out that the photo of "Ben with his paintings" was NOT in the article when I first read it and made this comment, so I thought these were all Photoshopped. I admit to my mistakes, and I'm an idiot, but I'm not a d-bag - I wouldn't have accused the artist of art theft if that photo had been in the article originally. I apologize for what I said, and I'm leaving my original comment after this edit because I'm not going to lie about/hide what I originally said. I effed up; I apologize to Ben. ORIGINAL COMMENT: These aren't art. This is the digital equivalent of throwing a handful of paint at an actual painting by a classical artist and then claiming you're a painter (you're not.) Using the Smudge and Push brushes along with the Warp and Texture Effects tools in Photoshop on someone else's artwork and then claiming it as your own artwork is just art theft.
ABC NrNine FCK CENSORISM 1 year ago
I guess you know I'm also one of those who are quick with yelling about BP posting another bullshít listicle, but in this case, it is legit. All the distortions are painted, you can see it in the videos the artist posted on instagram. I don't know if the technique the artist uses is the analog equivalent of using warp effects in Photoshop, but the artist actually crafted these with their hands.
Load More Replies...
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