Thursday Salute to Originals: Contemporary Classics
Ukrainian artist Alexey Kondakov stages classical figures in contemporary urban life.
Imagine the Mona Lisa serving side-eye to a construction worker or Venus getting down to EDM in a club. These are the kinds of ironic images that Alexey Kondakov creates.
Lifting his subjects from classical paintings, Kondanov will stage posed women in modern-day Naples — a shepherd’s wife holding a baby lamb on the bus could easily fall into the flow commuter life, right?

028
By taking the subjects of old paintings out of old-world context, they become more real and “three-dimensional.” The fresh perspective reminds us that while the world around may evolve and change, the humanity of the subjects remains constant.
This Thursday, we’re saluting Alexey Kondakov’s contemporary classical creations. You can view more of the artist’s work on Instagram on their website.
Sources: Alexey Kondakov, This is Colossal