Bence Hajdu takes internationally famous paintings from revered artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, and removes all visible characters to create a series of abandoned paintings.
Hajdu wanted to get down to the bare bones of the portraits. He took away all of the noise created by the images of people sitting, standing or fishing, and left just the structures of the buildings or landscapes. The result is a bare image, where the focal point is the artistry of the background. The space in which the characters dwell often goes unnoticed by the public, and he wanted to address this directly.
The abandoned paintings breathe new life into classic illustrations. For instance, with Claude Lorrain's 'Seaport with the Embarkation of St. Ursula,' without the presence of the crowd, viewers are able to marvel at the strokes of the brush to create the water and the picturesque scene before them.
Photo Credits: designtaxi, designboom
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Abandoned Artistry
- Removing prominent characters from famous paintings to showcase the artistry of the background creates new appreciation for classic illustrations.
- Decontextualized Masterpieces
- Removing specific elements such as people from revered artwork creates new interpretations and renewed interest in classic pieces.
- Minimalist Approach
- Taking away the noise of prominent characters to showcase the background in artwork is a minimalist approach to creating art that could inspire other minimalist approaches in various industries.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Fine Arts
- Fine art institutions could explore the minimalist approach to showcasing different parts of artwork.
- Marketing and Advertising
- Marketing and advertising industries could use the minimalist approach to showcase certain aspects of their products or services that often go unnoticed.
- Film and Cinema
- The film and cinema industry could use Hajdu's approach of removing characters to highlight the background settings to add additional meaning or depth to a scene.
