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This Artist Painted The Backs Of 16 Iconic Masterpieces, Offering A Fresh Perspective On Art History
We tend to think of famous paintings as complete images, rarely wondering what exists beyond the frame or outside the artist's chosen perspective. Yet simply turning these masterpieces around raises an intriguing question: what would the scene look like from the opposite side? Spanish artist Domingo Geronimo Mattle answered that question with a deceptively simple idea that quickly went viral, capturing the imagination of millions by revealing a fresh perspective on some of art history's most recognizable works.
In his ongoing series, "The Other Side," Mattle paints the unseen backs of iconic masterpieces by artists including Leonardo da Vinci, Johannes Vermeer, Gilbert Stuart, and Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck. Rather than parodying the originals, Domingo thoughtfully extends their visual worlds, imagining what the artists never showed us. The result is a collection that feels both familiar and entirely new, encouraging viewers to look beyond the canvas and reconsider paintings they thought they knew by heart.
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#1
American Gothic By Grant Wood
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#2
Arnolfini Portrait By Jan Van Eyck
martymcmatrix 1 week ago
I'm devastated to be that nitpicky, but the couple should face towards an open door with two people standing in the door frame...🤷🏽
David Lang 1 week ago
Ya, they kinda had the exact reference in that reflection. Strange not to use that.
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Janissary35680 6 days ago
"What's goin' on back there?" (And not the same dog BTW.)
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Gerry Higgins 1 week ago
We should see th e artist painting them . He's reflected in the mirror behind them in the original.
Peter Waite 5 days ago
She's facing slightly sideways in the original, but not in the obverse image
Vasil Petrov 5 days ago
Seriously... the chandelier on both pictures is in the background... and the dog is facing forward... AI was used at some point here...
Joanne Earle 6 days ago
I cannot stand the original of this painting. I've always hated it. But the back is clever.
Morgan Dusin 6 days ago
Not really, since it's AI and not remotely correct
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Ashley Elmore Drew 1 week ago
Some of these are from the perspective of the subjects flipped around...not the viewer flipped around. It isn't a mistake.
Morgan Dusin 6 days ago
It is a mistake, these are all made by AI. Just look at the gross misshapen hands in number #4 and you'll see. It IS a mistake.
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#3
The Emperor Napoleon In His Study At The Tuileries By Jacques-Louis David
#4
Portrait Of Louise Vernet By Horace Vernet
#5
Lady With An Ermine By Leonardo Da Vinci
#6
The Princesse De Broglie By Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
#7
Apollo And His Muses By Pompeo Batoni
#9
Girl With A Pearl Earring By Johannes Vermeer
Morgan Dusin 6 days ago
This isn't even from behind anymore. She just got bored and stopped looking a the audience.
#11
George Washington By Gilbert Stuart
#12
Ginevra De' Benci By Leonardo Da Vinci
#13
Steve’s Jobs
#14
David With The Head Of Goliath By Caravaggio
#15
Salvator Mundi By Leonardo Da Vinci
#16
Saint Margaret Of Antioch By Guido Reni
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What do you think ?
liam newton-harding 1 week ago
I have no idea what the artist is trying to say here...this is a one trick pony that ends after the first picture.
Tamarillo3 5 days ago
Maybe that IS the point. It’s just for fun. No big hairy message. Just a different point of view. I absolutely loved this. And the painter has insane skills to mimic the Masters so perfectly. But everyone’s a critic…
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Auntriarch 1 week ago
I confess I was expecting the Mona Lisa, and more humour (after the first on)
Otto Katz 1 week ago
I can't tell if he was painting the backside of the famous painting? Or having the model turn around? Was he asking the model to face away? They don't make sense. Also, did they actually do the painting? or are they photoshopped, and then printed on canvas? or are they all just AI? I'm not liking this whole batch.
Glen Ellyn 1 week ago
Actually, I would rather see the original presented first, and then the "reimagined" view.
Mike Barrette 1 week ago
If we were seeing something interesting like the first one I'd get it, but mostly they're just paintings of backsides. Don't see the point.
Dane Griffin 1 week ago
Kinda wack as it's not really the other side, just asking the subject to turn around
Stu Phakemane 6 days ago
Given the positioning of arms and the direction of the bodies, it's very clear that all of these images are AI generated. Do better BP
Janissary35680 6 days ago
The artist needs to familiarize himself with the concept of "chirality" before continuing this series. He could actually begin by examining Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait more closely. It has many lessons to teach on the subject.
Bee 4 days ago (edited)
When I read the title to this collection, I thought 'what a fantastic concept'. This artist had a fantastic idea, but totally ruined it with inaccuracies. I don't think a single picture (I'm not calling them paintings) shown is a true to its aim. Such a missed opportunity for greatness.
QuincyForrest 5 days ago
W*F is up with the bathtub venue? This is just plain dumb. And the "backsides" are ?? This is AI slop. THUMBS DOWN.
Forrest Hobbs 1 week ago
I'm not sure what to think of this lot, but at least it does seem to be made by a real human. Thank you.
person (i think) 1 week ago (edited)
The concept was fun, but the poor AI e*******n took that away
Paulina 1 day ago (edited)
I don't know... It's definitely titled wrong, because those are not "the backs of the paintings", but rather characters in the paintings facing away from the viewer. I'm also pretty sure those weren't painted on canvas. Maybe created in Photoshop (or maybe even AI, as others suggested) and then printed, but no paintbrushes were involved ;) Also, apart from one UFO joke, they're kind of boring... So much list potential!
liam newton-harding 1 week ago
I have no idea what the artist is trying to say here...this is a one trick pony that ends after the first picture.
Tamarillo3 5 days ago
Maybe that IS the point. It’s just for fun. No big hairy message. Just a different point of view. I absolutely loved this. And the painter has insane skills to mimic the Masters so perfectly. But everyone’s a critic…
Load More Replies... Auntriarch 1 week ago
I confess I was expecting the Mona Lisa, and more humour (after the first on)
Otto Katz 1 week ago
I can't tell if he was painting the backside of the famous painting? Or having the model turn around? Was he asking the model to face away? They don't make sense. Also, did they actually do the painting? or are they photoshopped, and then printed on canvas? or are they all just AI? I'm not liking this whole batch.
Glen Ellyn 1 week ago
Actually, I would rather see the original presented first, and then the "reimagined" view.
Mike Barrette 1 week ago
If we were seeing something interesting like the first one I'd get it, but mostly they're just paintings of backsides. Don't see the point.
Dane Griffin 1 week ago
Kinda wack as it's not really the other side, just asking the subject to turn around
Stu Phakemane 6 days ago
Given the positioning of arms and the direction of the bodies, it's very clear that all of these images are AI generated. Do better BP
Janissary35680 6 days ago
The artist needs to familiarize himself with the concept of "chirality" before continuing this series. He could actually begin by examining Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait more closely. It has many lessons to teach on the subject.
Bee 4 days ago (edited)
When I read the title to this collection, I thought 'what a fantastic concept'. This artist had a fantastic idea, but totally ruined it with inaccuracies. I don't think a single picture (I'm not calling them paintings) shown is a true to its aim. Such a missed opportunity for greatness.
QuincyForrest 5 days ago
W*F is up with the bathtub venue? This is just plain dumb. And the "backsides" are ?? This is AI slop. THUMBS DOWN.
Forrest Hobbs 1 week ago
I'm not sure what to think of this lot, but at least it does seem to be made by a real human. Thank you.
person (i think) 1 week ago (edited)
The concept was fun, but the poor AI e*******n took that away
Paulina 1 day ago (edited)
I don't know... It's definitely titled wrong, because those are not "the backs of the paintings", but rather characters in the paintings facing away from the viewer. I'm also pretty sure those weren't painted on canvas. Maybe created in Photoshop (or maybe even AI, as others suggested) and then printed, but no paintbrushes were involved ;) Also, apart from one UFO joke, they're kind of boring... So much list potential!
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