Thursday Salute to Originals: Comedy-Infused Vintage Photos
Looking at vintage photographs, its sometimes hard to imagine the subjects of those pictures ever having fun! The stern looks, cross faces, and emotionless expressions seem to exude seriousness and sadness. But German artist Anja Wulfing has decided to turn those frowns upside down in her latest series of photographs.
Anja creates beautiful images of oil-painted animals onto vintage black and white photographs. The animals typically take the form of the subject(s), or they merge with them into the scene, creating a comical juxtaposition of classic seriousness….with a random, over-sized animal invading the scene.
While most of Anja’s images depict birds (cardinals, blue jays, ducks, roosters, etc.), some images do show other animals – like dogs, horses, and wolves. Some may argue that the original images tell a tale all their own, but Anja’s introduction of a new character (or characters) can make the viewer second guess the nature of any given photo.
This week we’re saluting Anja Wulfing for her humorous twist on a classic (and in the vintage case, a serious) form of visual documentation. If the subjects in these vintage photos can’t laugh, at least the viewers of Anja’s artwork can smile at the whimsical oddities in her work. And we think that alone – bringing out the comedy in these seemingly somber photos – is the entire point.
Sources: Anja Wulfing, Fun Pal Studio