Art students recreate iconic paintings by renowned painters

The Maiden by Gustav Klimt feels like a touch of many human topics of life coming together. When Akshara Rajan, an art student from the city, decided to recreate the painting, what impressed her the most was how the deep slumber of the woman in the centre with all the surrounding movements around her creates a whole world. “It was almost like a cocoon of change, like a calmness in chaos? Or a much-needed break? considering how we are currently out of touch with our normal rhythm of life. I chose different coloured clothes to recreate the picture because it added an organic feel, texture and dynamic. I took all the clothes I wouldn’t get to wear for a while —I felt it ironically set the mood for being locked down at home wearing the same sweatpants for days. My mom modelled for this project,” says Akshara.

 Like Akshara, there are 24 other art students from the city who have recreated classical paintings by renowned artists. This is part of an art project called Masterpiece Reproduction initiated by Maisha Studio, a design and art academy. Aishwarya Manivannan, founder and creative director of Maisha Studio, tells DT Next, “During the lockdown, we have been having regular online courses. I believe that students have a lot to offer in terms of ideas and skills. When I launched this Masterpiece Reproduction project, I wanted them to do something fun that would help them explore art history and teaches lateral thinking. Now, the public can also be part of this. They can send their recreation of a renowned masterpiece and we will share it in our social media.”

 The art project brought 16-year-old Rakshitha R back into the creativity loop and she is happy about her recreation. The youngster recreated Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci. I didn’t go for a well-known painting because I wanted to explore lesser-known paintings and see how I could recreate a painting like Lady with an Ermine that I hadn’t seen as often as I would see a Mona Lisa. My sister Rathi, has been a model for almost all my photography projects. My most favourite part of the whole process was trying to make my sister seem as pale as possible. I love creating different looks with makeup, but this was the first time I tried out a look like this. In the end, it came out great and I loved how it looked,” says Rakshitha