Kyèsone: Self-taught artist with a love of pop culture (graphics, calligraphy, music, cinema, Japanese culture). The images of artists from traditional paintings that were rediscovered on Instagram helped to make his work more well-known.
People with higher social status have long predominated in portraits, in part because commissioning a painting was so expensive. However, there are now several quicker and less expensive ways to immortalize one’s picture, making portrait paintings a somewhat superfluous art form. Royalty and nobles no longer hold the same prominence as they once did, and they have gradually been replaced by a more contemporary version of persons of status—celebrities—just as the media has changed. By replacing historical figures with contemporary figures who are still seen as essential in pop culture, Instagram artist Kyès digitally recreates old paintings.
In summary, this swap is effective, perhaps because the classical painting style raises the artwork’s subject to a higher plane than the commonplace. An equivalent from today would be a “star,” which likewise denotes this kind of uniqueness. In other words, classical paintings and famous people go together like peaches and cream.
Kyèsone’s paintings
Some of the most well-known figures in the world are portrayed by the artist in these works. It may be claimed that celebrities like Madonna, Rihanna, Johnny Depp, and Adele are considerably more well-known than the nobility shown in great paintings. Kyès doesn’t, however, concentrate solely on them. Hip hop artists, rappers, and actors who are talented and rising are included in some of these profiles. Kyès also features several lesser-known performers, the most of whom are well-liked in French-speaking nations.
Although the term “classical” is frequently bandied around, it can indicate anything from “widely accepted” to “historically significant,” as well as anything in between. In its most basic sense, the term “classicism,” which refers to classical art and culture, describes an aesthetic attitude that draws inspiration from the cultural norms of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome and places an emphasis on simplicity, form, proportion, structure, clarity, and a strong intellectual appeal. People have always attempted to imitate this classical style in Western culture, but it gained popularity after the Renaissance, which was seen as the resurgence of the classical era.
Check out some of Kyès artwork:
1. Rihanna (Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman)
2. Johnny Depp (American actor and musician)
3. Snoop Dogg (American rapper)
5. Jay-Z & Beyonce (Couple celebrity)
6. Michael Jackson (American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist)
7. Eminem (American Rapper)
8. Queen Latifah (American rapper, actress, and singer)
9. Adele (English singer and songwriter)
10. Billie Eilish (American singer-songwriter)
Despite being one of the more enigmatic artists on Instagram, Kyès has made some intriguing discoveries. There are adorable child illustrations on the digital artist’s alternate account. The artist has also created some extremely cool type works and appears to love calligraphy. Follow them if you appreciate their work; they currently have over 60k followers on Instagram but would welcome more!