Artist removes living creatures from famous paintings

Artist Jose Manuel Ballester repainted several famous paintings, leaving out the living creatures. The effect is striking.

Imagine all human figures vanishing from painting masterpieces

[#1 posted by Stuart Ellis , September 16, 2008 1:53 PM]

Wonder if he got the idea from 'Garfield without Garfield'?

[#2 posted by PaulRedeker , September 16, 2008 2:00 PM]

It is clear to me that the reason there are no living things in the painting, is that they have either run, or been devoured by the shambling undead.

Prepare yourself!

[#3 posted by Willirubin , September 16, 2008 2:06 PM]

i have a poster of the Garden of Earthly Delights on my wall. It's really fascinating to look at for a while and tease out all the really messed up stuff going on.

I would argue that the hollow-butt guy in Hell is sort of a living thing and thus should've been excised as well.

[#4 posted by Nelson.C , September 16, 2008 2:20 PM]

Strictly speaking, are there any living things in the second & third of the triptych, having shucked off their mortal flesh?

[#5 posted by Anonymous , September 16, 2008 2:21 PM]

Strictly speaking, the artist has eliminated all ANIMALS, not all living things. There are plenty of plants left. (And maybe fungi in the Bosch painting.)

[#6 posted by dros , September 16, 2008 2:55 PM]

note that bosch never painted for topographical reasons, and this was made before 'landscape' painting as we know had developed fully. most of these 'erasings' are eerie simply because the original paintings were made, rather (too) simply put, not as a 'landscape', but simply as a space for living things and allegory.

[#7 posted by anaglyph , September 16, 2008 3:00 PM]

It's the Rapture!

[#8 posted by PaulR , September 16, 2008 3:11 PM]

Grrr, there should be a special place in Hell reserved for people who make clickable thumbnails or images link to images that are smaller than the click-thru images.

If only...

[#9 posted by sonny p fontaine , September 16, 2008 3:28 PM]

it certainly would be much easier to maintain the grounds in the images this way.

[#10 posted by happykittybunny , September 16, 2008 5:02 PM]

Is this to take a swipe at the Muslims? They don't allow depictions of animal or human life in their art. Wht wndrfl sprt-crshng psych rlgn.

[#11 posted by Anonymous , September 16, 2008 6:52 PM]

@happykittybunny..

I guess some forgot to tell nusrat ali fateh khan.

[#12 posted by Johnny Cat , September 16, 2008 7:31 PM]

I love these. I want more, like Mona Lisa, Parrish and Bogereaugh, hell - maybe even Coop! It is striking to look at.

[#13 posted by franky , September 17, 2008 7:41 AM]

I think you mean the representations of living creatures. (remember the pipe!) Beautiful work btw!

[#14 posted by Anonymous , September 17, 2008 8:10 AM]

Swiss artist Urs Wehrli created a book titled "Tidy up art" using a similar concept. It is hilarious to look at. Here are two examples:

http://www.ursusnadeschkin.ch/e/kunst.php
http://www.rossipotti.de/ausgabe14/comic/aufraeumen3.html

[#15 posted by JulianR , September 18, 2008 2:47 PM]

Hey, plants are living creatures, too!