Lockdown life imitates art: People post fun pics of themselves, pets as part of Getty challenge
We can't admire paintings on the walls of museums these days, but that doesn't mean art appreciation is off limits. On the contrary, Los Angeles' Getty Museum has presented a social media activity that encourages those stuck inside to connect with historical artwork.
The challenge: Followers must re-create a piece from the Getty archives using only a few things lying around the house. The rule technically is three items, but many participants have taken things up a notch.
The @GettyMuseum Twitter account presented the idea a week ago, and since then quarantined people (and pets) have made their lives imitate art in clever, silly and unexpected ways.
We challenge you to recreate a work of art with objects (and people) in your home.
🥇 Choose your favorite artwork
🥈 Find three things lying around your house⠀
🥉 Recreate the artwork with those items
And share with us. pic.twitter.com/9BNq35HY2V— Getty (@GettyMuseum) March 25, 2020
It's worth scrolling through the Getty Twitter thread to see the variety of submissions, but here's a sample of the creative pictures that fit in two categories:
The theme is toilet paper
@3spiritsstudio offered a frame-worthy take on Henri Fantin-Latour.
My “White Roll on spared squares”
Jennifer Gillia Cutshall
2020, Toilet paper
“White Cup & Saucer”
Henri Fantin-Latour
1864#gettymuseum #gettychallenge #whitecups #quarantinehumor #stilllife #porcelain #paper #jennifergilliacutshallart #papersculpture #foundobjectsculpture pic.twitter.com/0MMjstacdo— jenn & rich (@3spiritsstudio) March 29, 2020
Helen Frankenthaler inspired @LindaGHatton.
@GettyMuseum - Mirabelle (1990) by Helen Frankenthaler pic.twitter.com/YvFzGa3TxH
— Linda G. Hatton (@LindaGHatton) March 29, 2020
@caradealy took on Charles Edward Perugini when she opened her own "Pandora's Box."
@GettyMuseum Perugini’s Pandora’s Box pic.twitter.com/ovIdWHqm9y
— cara (@caradealy) March 30, 2020
And @thesuzeum showed her own temperance in channeling Edward Burne-Jones.
Edward Burne-Jones, Temperantia pic.twitter.com/fXMrFIHvv5
— Suzanne King (@thesuzeum) April 1, 2020
Animals are the stars
@oaklandian's pup was wrapped up in classic van Gogh.
For the Getty Museum challenge, we humbly submit Self Portrait with "Bandaged" Ear - Vincent van HuGogh. @GettyMuseum
IG: hugotheboston #gettymuseumchallenge #vangogh pic.twitter.com/BrdNkb4BeV— Ian (@oaklandian) March 30, 2020
Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring" has nothing on @kenzietrezise's Moose.
Quarantine Day Whatever, Time Is Meaningless Now:
The internet is recreating museum paintings at home and Moose wanted to take part*.
*I wanted to take part and Moose will let you do literally anything to him if you give him enough chicken jerky pic.twitter.com/76ovqeZSp5— Kenz (@kenzietrezise) April 1, 2020
@RumtumSarah did some painting of her own to re-create Paulus Potter's work.
I painted my white dog with eyeshadow #gettymuseumchallenge Potter's Piebald Horse pic.twitter.com/StettwMCwj
— Sarah Williams (@RumtumSarah) April 1, 2020
@BobEtheredge's dog was caught by his own reflection, a la Norman Rockwell.
"Triple Self Portrait" by Norman Rockwell pic.twitter.com/LEr2e2bl7x
— Robert Etheredge (@BobEtheredge) March 28, 2020
And Leonardo da Vinci inspired @monicawilde and ferret Duffy.
My donation to @GettyMuseum - Leonardo da Vinci's "Woman with an Ermine". Thanks to Duffy the ferret for sitting so still for a change for the Getty Museum Art Challenge! @GettyMuseum #TheLockdown #gettymuseum #gettymuseumchallenge #Covid_19 #QuarantineLife #ferret #ferrets pic.twitter.com/Xpz3orTrkU
— Monica Wilde (@monicawilde) March 30, 2020
If you want to make your own masterpiece to add to the online gallery, search the Getty collection for inspiration.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lockdown challenge: People share fun pics of life imitating Getty art