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Amusing Mashup Pairs a Classic Painting with Animated GIFs

Nearly 53 years ago, the famed illustrator Norman Rockwell painted The Connoisseur for The Saturday Evening Post magazine. It shows a man standing in front of a Jackson Pollock-esque style painting at a museum or gallery. Today, that same character, in his matching suit, is back to see a more modern form of art known as the animated GIF. He can be found on the Tumblr aptly titled The Gif Connoisseur.

Just like its predecessor, the man stands with his back to us, but this time watches explosions, optical illusions, abstract textures, and much more. It's an amusing idea that produces entertaining cultural mashups by pairing a traditional painting style with a contemporary digital art form. And, you can see even more of these creations on the Tumblr page.

The Original Norman Rockwell Painting, The Connoisseur

The Gif Connoisseur Tumblr
via [Visual News]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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