Brian Dettmer - 33: Graphics slideshow. Art History Through Sci Fi-Colored Glasses. Pastiche? Mash-up? The best form of flattery? Whatever you want to call it, artists have enjoyed riffing on historical paintings for ages. For some, it’s a fun way to learn and explore issues of color, composition, and application of paint by intimately copying from a master. For others, it’s a means to tap into the feelings and emotions already assoctiated with the original image, (for humour or drama.) Seeing John Mattos’ great modernist takes on Star Wars made me want to seek out other views of science fiction via the classics.
Here’s what I found.... John Mattos took on Marcel Duchamp’s mechanically abstracted Nude Descending a Staircase and brilliantly reset it with C3PO. Tim O’Brien hears his master’s robotic voice. Abbott Handerson Thayer, often noted as a painter of angels, punked up a bit by Greg Manchess. Cyril van der Haegen inserts unspeakable evil into N. It’s a tough race to see what has been parodied more: the Mona Lisa, American Gothic, or Napoleon Crossing the Alps. Safwat Saleem. Oh Shit! (or "Oh Expletive! ") is a series of illustrations about some of the best things life has to offer: zombies, unicorns, knife fights & space invaders. It is a series about ass-kicking and mayhem.
Oh Shit was also a Kickstarter project. See video below. Oh Shit: Unicorns! Oh Shit: Knife Fight! Oh Shit: 8-bit Attack! Oh Shit: Lions! Oh Shit: Torpedoes! Oh Shit: Flame Thrower! Oh Shit: Night Arrow! Oh Shit: Shark Attack! Oh Shit: Zombies!
The New York Public Library - Digital Gallery.