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Comedy masterpieces! | Illustrator reimagines classic images as if by great artists

Comedy masterpieces!

Illustrator reimagines classic images as if by great artists

comedyHere are some classic comedy scenes in the style of some of the world’s greatest artists.

It’s the work of illustrator Chris Barker, whose work has been picking up traction online.

He told Chortle he started designing the pieces  to decorate his house for a fancy-dress party that was to have the theme of ‘the golden age of light entertainment (no Yewtree)’.

The first thing he thought of was Bod as reimagined by Kandinsky, below, which he posted  on Twitter. ‘People seemed to love it –and that was that really,’ he said. ‘The floodgates opened.’

Bod by Kandinsky

Barker, who works for Campaign magazine among others, has previously gone viral for the annual Sgt Pepper montage he makes of celebrities who have died in the previous year.

And of his new project, he explained: ‘I set myself a set of self-imposed rules - only use the same show once and only use the same artist once - and was away.

Basil Fawlty Haywain

‘I’m assuming at some point I’ll run out of recognisable artists and it will grind to a halt, but at the moment I seem to be on a roll.

‘There’s been some great feedback, the Morecambe and Wise appreciation society shared the Gilbert and George and Griff Rhys Jones liked the Raphael one. A lot of people seem to be really enjoying them.

Alas Smith and Jones

‘ As I made it, I knew the Two Soups one would be popular - even though [Jack Vettriano] is probably the least famous artist on the list’.

Two soups as art

He has made some available as prints and T-shirts here, and has released several as a 50-page book, entitled Brush Strokes - The Art of Light Entertainment, which has just gone into its second edition.

But Barker insists he does not expect this to become a cottage industry, explaining: ’It really has just been for fun’

Published: 3 Nov 2022

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