What is Pastiche Art?
Have you ever seen a piece of art that resembles an acclaimed artwork or artist’s style? There’s a strong chance that artwork is a pastiche.
What’s pastiche? Pastiche art uses the distinct imagery or style of another artwork, while still infusing the artist’s own style. This allows artists to celebrate the great artists in art history, whether they’re paying homage to them or making a sociopolitical statement.
Pastiche isn’t anything new, and it has been used as a method to create art for years. There’s been many successful pieces that pay homage to famous artists like Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, Katsushika Hokusai, Leonardo da Vinci, and Johannes Vermeer.
Some of our very own Bluethumb artists create pastiche artworks, which they then add their own style too. You can view the full curation of pastiche art here.
In the Style of Frida Kahlo
‘Self‑Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird’ by Frida Kahlo.
Yasmin Shima is an artist who specialises in creating digital NFT artworks. Bluethumb’s latest NFT drop is made entirely of Yasmin’s artworks, making her the first of our artist drops. This new series ‘Free Frida’ has been created using pastiche, with Yasmins bright and colourful art style depicting Frida’s image as a modern woman.
Frida Kahlo was known for her self portraits and the creation of her iconic style and look. Being heavily influenced by Mexican folk art style, she used her heritage and country’s culture to create several pieces that are still seen today. Frida’s image and style has inspired many artists, just as Yasmin. But Yasmin has taken it the next level, introducing Frida to the modern world through NFT and using Frida’s look and name to circle the web endlessly.
Yasmin’s drop is live September 28th, and you can view the launch here. To learn more Yasmin and her inspiration behind this drop click here!
‘Frida Nipple’ by Yasmin Shima.
In the Style of Michelangelo
‘The Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo.
Natasha Junmanee is a fine art painter, who explores the beauty in objects in her life. Throughout her studies Natasha developed a passion for classic still life paintings, and incorporates their influence in her own art.
One piece was Michelangelo’s artwork ‘The Creation of Adam,’ which adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Natasha focuses on one part of this artwork, in her piece ‘A Study of Adam and God’s Hands After Michelangelo.’ Using pastiche, Natasha has taken a slice of this classic artwork and made it available to hang in your own home. You can view Natasha’s profile here, and see her other artworks inspired by this era of art.
‘A Study of Adam and God’s hands after Michelangelo’ by Natasha Junmanee.
In the Style of Pablo Picasso
‘Guernica‘ by Pablo Picasso.
Melanie Crawford is an accomplished artist with work exhibited across the globe, and a secondary visual art teacher in Adelaide. The process in which she creates her vibrant artworks involves building layers of texture, drips, and welcomed mistakes.
Her artwork ‘Basque’ was influenced by Pablo Picasso’s piece ‘Guernica’, which was commissioned for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair. This piece was to help raise awareness of the war, and was a desperate plea for peace in the world. This pastiche piece is a direct influence from Picasso’s work, with her bright and colourful style infused. You can view Melanie’s other artworks here.
‘Basque’ by Melanie Crawford.
In the Style of Vincent Van Gogh
‘Irises’ by Vincent Van Gogh.
Amanda Nouwens paints landscapes and flowers, using oils to create thick brushstrokes that result in an impasto effect. Amanda’s goal is to invoke happiness and reflect the nature surrounding us, which she does with these calming and peaceful artworks.
Her piece ‘Irises’ has been inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s own series on Iris paintings. These were painted during Van Gogh’s stay in an asylum in 1889, where he used painting to help living with his mental illnesses. Van Gogh’s art has inspired many artists over the years, whether it be his painting process or the subject matter. In this case Amanda has used pastiche in both the style of art, as well as the subject matter of Irises. Several of Amanda’s artworks use Van Gogh for inspiration, which you can view here.
‘Irises‘ by Amanda Nouwens.
In the Style of Leonardo da Vinci
‘The Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo da Vinci.
Rebecca Lam found inspiration in literature and people, more notably by European artists, like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisee. Rebecca creates artworks where her pen or paintbrush don’t leave the paper until the figure is complete. These one-line portraits are simplistic, through the use of the colours and shapes.
It’s seen in Rebecca’s piece ‘One Line Mona’ that pastiche has been used in one of the most common ways when creating art. She has used the figure of Mona Lisa, and has recreated the Italian Renaissance masterpiece in her own style. Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ is one of the most popular pieces of art across the globe, being the most visited and most parodied. While using ‘Mona Lisa’ is common, it still excites us to see how it’s influenced an artist once again. Rebecca’s portraits of women celebrate curves and different bodies, and you can view them here.
‘One Line Mona’ by Rebecca Lam.
Pastiche art is the only way for art lovers to experience masterpieces without paying a fortune. Many times pastiche work is superior to the original inspiration.