manipulates human + nature into hybrid botanical bodies｜cal redback

cal redback manipulates human + nature into hybrid botanical bodies

cal redback manipulates human + nature into hybrid botanical bodies

(above) ‘herbraiser’
all images © cal redback

with sharpened skills in digital photography and retouching, and an interest in the manipulation of the body through photoshop, french artist cal redback has comprised a series of surreal compositions that deform and reform individuals with the natural world.

the collection of ‘treebeards’ sees the union of the human face and plant life, with half or parts of the features removed and replaced by the wild growth of greenery. a singular image titled ‘herbraiser’ continues the theme with a disturbingly realistic impression of a female face growing thorns in the same way a bouquet of roses she holds would. overall, the metamorphosis of mortal characteristics into alternate botanical life forms unite two categories of existence into one, redefining the term ‘human nature’ as a seemingly new species of hybrid creatures.

‘treebeard #4′

‘treebeard #3′

‘treebeard #2′

‘treebeard’

lauren wade imagines paintings photoshopped like fashion models

lauren wade imagines paintings photoshopped like fashion models

lauren wade imagines famous paintings photoshopped like fashion models(above) jean auguste dominique ingres, grande odalisque, 1814 reimagined by lauren wade
all gifs courtesy of lauren wade

the discourse about the media’s unrealistic portrayal of female bodies through the use of photoshop retouching continues to demonstrate the unattainable beauty standard society promotes. senior photo editor for takepart.com, lauren wade has seen a fair share of digital limb lengthening and tummy tucking, bringing the photos of already-thin models up to the ‘industry standard’. ‘of course it hasn’t always been that way.‘ she explains ‘throughout art history, painters from titian to rubens to gauguin found beauty in the bodies of women who would never fit into a size 0.‘ with this in mind, wade has taken the liquify tool to the famous ladies of renaissance and impressionist masterpieces, conforming them to the acceptable image that would suit the pages of today’s glossy magazines. rendering them in gif format, wade’s before-and-after-style images shed light on our present perceptions of beauty, and how drastically it has changed from the past.

titian, danaë with eros, 1544 reimagined by lauren wade

sandro botticelli, birth of venus, 1486 reimagined by lauren wade

francisco goya, nude maya, 1797–1800 reimagined by lauren wade

raphael, three graces, 1504–1505 reimagined by lauren wade

paul gauguin, two tahitian women, 1899 reimagined by lauren wade

edgar degas, la toilette, 1884–86 reimagined by lauren wade