Apr 21, 2016 | By Alec

When artists are given access to 3D printers, they often grab this opportunity with both hands to create mesmerizing and thought-provoking sculptures that are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. But as British artist Daniel Warnecke shows with his latest work, you can also use 3D printers to create a modern 3D interpretation of those classic paintings and photographs that have dominated art galleries for decades and sometimes even centuries. His 21rst century versions of paintings such as the Girl with a Pearl Earring and Van Gogh’s Self Portrait will be on display in three London galleries over the coming weeks.

As Daniel Warnecke explains to The Creators Project, his work is all about merging the old traditions with new technologies and the modern society. “This is to emphasize the fact that we may be led down new paths as creators through contemporary processes and innovative methods,” he explains. But as the same time, he argues, it’s crucial to know where art forms have come from. “We must also look at why the masters were so successful to understand what it takes to create great portraiture and make it count.”

3D printing, he feels, is an unappreciated but highly innovative technology that can cross these boundaries between the old and the new. “We are on the brink of a 3D printing revolution. But what is the legacy of these objects? Will they ever be valued as highly as a photograph or a painting?” he wonders. To discover the artistic impact of 3D printing, he is therefore trying to set up a dialogue between the old and the new, and subsequently break through subjective tendencies that surround 3D printing.

To do so, Warnecke has developed a remarkable process for reintroducing traditional portraiture elements into 3D printing. Classic works, such as Thomas Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Diane Arbus’s Identical Twins, are scanned using 240 DSLR cameras. The resultant files are restyled in a modern fashion; the Blue Boy thus suddenly wears a track suit, while the Girl with the Pearl Earring wears ripped jeans. Van Gogh, meanwhile, gets a hipster look. As you can see in the photos above and below, Warnecke captures this modern look perfectly.

The results are then 3D printed and again turned into 2D through photography. “[This creates] a tension and irony within the work,” the artist explains. The two works of art are subsequently exhibited alongside each other. “By showing the sitters in two different viewing styles, one sculptural, the audience is forced to consider the entirety of the form as it holds spatial complex dimensions […],” he explains. “[It’s]  a comment on the way we perceive the 3D printed figurines as a form of portraiture.” If you’re interested, you can catch Warnecke’s work on display throughout the London area over the coming weeks. His 3D printed sculptures will be exhibited at the Birthdays gallery in Dalston on April 26th, and move to the GX Gallery Camberwell gallery on May 4th.

 

 

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