Ever wondered how it would look if iconic characters from well-known paintings were part of our everyday life? Let’s take the idea even further and imagine them living in Budapest, traveling on the metro with you. This vision is the primary theme of a new series of pictures by artist and photojournalist Márton Neményi, who got the idea from a similar set of artworks by Russian artist Alexey Kondakov.
Not a long time ago, Alexey Kondrakov transported some characters from famous paintings to the streets of Kiev in a series of modern photograhs. His intention was to show us what it would be like if these subjects were living among the ordinary people of our present-day existence.
Of course, it wasn't long before a Hungarian version of this series appeared, thanks to Magyar artist Márton Neményi. Unlike Alexey, he used pictures shot with his mobile to pair the scenes of everyday life with famous Hungarian poets, politicians, or musicians – cut out of paintings, of course. In these works we see a firewood-hauling peasant lady depicted by accomplished 19th-century painter Mihály Munkácsy, the cello-playing woman of the expressionst/avant-garde artist Róbert Berény, and Soma Orlai Petrich’s portrait of revolutionary poet Sándor Petőfi – hanging out aboard modern Budapest’s trams, spending time in its parks, waiting in its metro stations, or relaxing in a shopping mall, along with other quintessential locales of the capital.
To see more medium-melding photos from this series, check out Márton Neményi’s Facebook page.
