Photoshop artist brings gods back down to earth | CNN

How would classical figures fare in the urban jungle? Ukrainian artist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alexey.kondakov.48" target="_blank" target="_blank">Alexey Kondakov</a> explores the idea in his series 'The Daily Lives of Gods'. <br /><br />Photoshopping characters from mythology and antiquity into the modern day city, he argues that by inviting these characters to "visit" our reality, we reveal a common humanity that binds us all - one that transcends the ages. <br /><br />Here, Kondakov takes "The Song of the Angels" (1881) by French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau and transports the Virgin Mary and child to a subway carriage, harangued by heavenly buskers.

The Song of the Angels —

How would classical figures fare in the urban jungle? Ukrainian artist Alexey Kondakov explores the idea in his series 'The Daily Lives of Gods'.

Photoshopping characters from mythology and antiquity into the modern day city, he argues that by inviting these characters to "visit" our reality, we reveal a common humanity that binds us all - one that transcends the ages.

Here, Kondakov takes "The Song of the Angels" (1881) by French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau and transports the Virgin Mary and child to a subway carriage, harangued by heavenly buskers.

Alexey Kondakov

Venus and Adonis —

Kondakov's inspiration came from an unlikely source: a Tumblr photograph of a group of people out drinking. Their composition, somewhat like a classical painting, struck a chord with the artist, realizing that despite the centuries that had lapsed since such artworks were created, social gatherings have remained much the same.

A pastiche of "Venus and Adonis"(1565-69) by Lucas Cambiaso, transformed into late night revelers, rendering bathetic a tragic moment from Ovid's "Metamorphosis".

Alexey Kondakov

Bacchus on the Throne —

Through the power of Photoshop, Kondakov, based in Kiev, invites these figures into our reality to pay us a visit and show what, if anything, has changed.

Caesar Van Everdingen's "Bacchus on the Throne" (1658/1670) shows the god of harvest and fertility seemingly exasperated by winter in Kiev.

Alexey Kondakov

David and Goliath —

Here Caravaggio's "David and Goliath" (1610) is inserted into a shady corner, reimagining the young hero as an urban vigilante.

Alexey Kondakov

Nymphs and Satyr —

Another Bouguereau, this time "Nymphs and Satyr" (1873), displaying a riotous scene at the back of a tram.

Alexey Kondakov

Apollon —

"Apollon" (c. 17th century) by Nicolas Regnier, the god of music, now a lonely busker on the commuter route.

Alexey Kondakov

The Kiss —

Italian Romantic Francesco Hayez portrays a couple from the Middle Ages in "The Kiss" (1859), the intense moment catapulted from courtly surrounds into a midnight train carriage by Kondakov.

Alexey Kondakov

Penitent Mary Magdalene —

Florentine painter Francesco Furini's "Penitent Mary Magdalene" (1635-45) ruminates in a shop front.

Alexey Kondakov

The Youth of Bacchus —

Kodakov takes the party from "The Youth of Bacchus" (1884) by Bouguereau to the underpass.

Alexey Kondakov

The Heart's Awakening —

Bouguereau's "The Heart's Awakening" (1892), capturing love's first pang in a quiet corner of Kiev.

Alexey Kondakov

The Ambassadors —

"The Ambassadors" (1553) by Hans Holbein the Younger find a new role as downtown barflies.

Alexey Kondakov

The Prisoner —

A lone nymph in "The Prisoner" (1891) by Bouguereau rides a bus, holding the gaze of someone outside the canvas.

Alexey Kondakov

Finally, in yet another take on the <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/01/tech/how-old-do-you-look-website/">viral Miicrosoft website</a> that can guess your age from a photograph, Kondakov reimagines Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam."

The Creation of Adam —

Finally, in yet another take on the viral Miicrosoft website that can guess your age from a photograph, Kondakov reimagines Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam."

courtesy alexey kondakov

Angels on the subway: Classic paintings reimagined into urban settings

CNN —

Ukrainian artist Alexey Kondakov has photoshopped characters from mythology and antiquity into the modern day city. Browse through the gallery to see all the images.