Michael Mapes Creates One-Of-A-Kind Portraits Pinned Together Like Insect Specimens (20 Pics)

"Part of the “Dutch Master” series, in which I re-examine various portraits by the Dutch Master painters. In this piece, factual content is combined with contemporary references to give the subject depth beyond the original painting."

"From the “Human Specimens” series. This work reflects my approach: first gathering information, then collecting and creating content based on my impressions of the subject. Here, the “specimen” is an art collector and dealer."

"This work was commissioned by a very high-end hotel in Manhattan. Baudelaire was chosen to represent the hotel’s interest in the history of the flaneur, a type of urban walker who wanders or saunters while observing the society around them. Baudelaire was part of that society in Paris. I spent five weeks in Paris collecting content for the work, including prints of portraits, paperbacks, postcards, ink nibs, postage stamps, Paris ephemera, and photos of residences where the poet once stayed."

"Portraits by 17th-century Dutch artists followed certain compositional conventions. In this work, I sought to represent those conventions by combining elements from numerous portraits of Dutch women. The result of this creative exercise was “Dutch Missa.” Only on closer examination does the viewer see that numerous subjects have been combined to form one."

"A work from my first year of working with this pseudoscientific metaphor built on entomological references."

"These two works are portraits of my parents. As is usually my practice, I took the primary photos of them myself. I then deconstructed the photos and used them to reconstruct a likeness that also includes other biographical elements."

"This is the first work created in the “Dutch Master” series. In this piece, based on a Rembrandt painting, I sought to examine and reinterpret the original. I combined elements of the painting with my research and interpretation, such as genealogical references, costume pearls, contemporary photographs, and references to Rembrandt. The combined effect is a work that directly references a painting from hundreds of years ago through a contemporary lens."

"From the “Pin-Up Specimens” series, this work examines paintings by some of the great pin-up artists of the mid-20th century. I reinterpret what the viewer sees by deconstructing the subject to include makeup brushes, pantyhose, lipstick samples, bobby pins, false eyelashes, and fingernails. By incorporating contemporary photos of women, fingerprints, and X-rays, I push these figures beyond being mythical icons."

"My technique for this work was unique. I painted a study in the likeness of the original painting, then added pinned giclée prints and other collage materials to the canvas."

"A commissioned work from the “Anatomy of a Muse” series. This work examines a Botticelli painting. Beyond images directly related to the painting, it incorporates material I solicited from the client, much of it connected to Italy: dried botanical specimens, sand, seashells, rocks, and fabric."

"One of my early still-life pieces. As in my other work, I deconstruct a subject, in this case a pear, and represent it as a collection of parts, some real and some depicted."

"One of my favorite works in the “Anatomy of a Muse” series. This commissioned portrait of Queen Elizabeth reflects the collector’s passion for the Queen. That passion was expressed by incorporating the collector’s personal items into the composition: photographs, jewelry, fabric, and paper samples. The resulting work is a portrait of both the Queen and the collector."

One of the early “Human Specimens” works. This subject was a muse of mine for years.

"One of the works from the “Vanitas” series. Vanitas is a genre dating back to the 16th century. These artworks symbolized the transience of life, the uselessness of pleasure, and the certainty of mortality, and thus the vanity of ambition and all worldly desires."

"Jane Morris was the wife of William Morris, the celebrated textile designer, artist, and poet. Jane was also a highly regarded embroiderer. This piece incorporates new techniques using cast resin with embedded specimens."

Many of my first works were based on people I knew, including specimen no. 7. I saw the potential to create a kind of portraiture that represented the person beyond the surface.

"This is another work from the “Human Specimens” series. What I learned about the subject informed the composition, as well as the kind of content I collected and created."

"Rossy Mendoza was a famous vedette from Mexico. This piece celebrates her life as a performer. It was part of the first exhibition of my work in Mexico City."