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Art history's greatest masterpieces have inspired creatives across generations to pick up a pencil or a paintbrush. For Adam Hillman, they motivate him to gather household items and recreate these famous paintings in his own unique style. Working with a wide array of objects, Hillman cleverly brings these works to the 21st century but keeps them easily recognizable, reminding us of their timeless quality.
Hillman often works with colored paper clips to create his own version of these masterpieces in a series he has cheekily titled ClipArt. These efforts show the versatility of this humble object. By layering them, he recreates the unnerving sunset of Edvard Munch’s The Scream, but also reshapes them to capture the distressed facial expression of the painting's main character.
Hillman also took the ClipArt approach to recreate Hokusai's The Great Wave, which turned out to be one of his most demanding works. The effort is noticeable, given that the metal bits need to be unfolded and cut to depict the towering wave. “I’ve been working on this since late November, and it’s by far the most time-consuming and detailed piece I’ve made,” he wrote. “Thanks for sticking with me!”
Aware of the creative possibilities of that iconic print, Hillman also recreated it with colored Tic Tac mints. Exploring their potential as an art tool, he then took in a more complex endeavor—recreating the Mona Lisa with hand-painted Tic Tacs. For this piece, he carefully stacked the mints in sixteen Tic Tac containers, which he then arranged to create the image. While his medium of choice doesn't really allow for details, the world-famous Mona Lisa can be seen when taking a step back.
Sometimes, the material he selects for a piece relates to the aesthetic of the original painting. His American Gothpick (Grant Wood’s American Gothic in toothpicks) feels even closer to the famous artwork thanks to the wooden nature of the toothpicks, whether they are painted or kept in their original color.
For his latest creation, Hillman chose a material that nods to the painting itself. Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is recreated with fake pearls of varying sizes, giving it a 3-D, bubbly look. Hillman titled his version Pearl Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Stay up to date with Hillman's creations by following him on Instagram, and purchase prints of his work on Society6.
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Adam Hillman gathers household items to recreate famous paintings from art history.
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Working with a wide array of objects, Hillman cleverly brings these works to the 21st century but keeps them easily recognizable.
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Hillman often works with colored paper clips in a series he cheekily titled ClipArt.
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But Hillman also works with toothpicks, mints, pencils, and any other object he can find.
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Adam Hillman: Instagram | Society6
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