Artist Takes Photos Of People Who Match the Paintings They're Observing

Funny

| LAST UPDATE 08/17/2021

By Kayla Black

While we just see the picture, photographers sometimes spend days waiting for the perfect moment to capture. Stefan Draschan, spent days waiting for museum-goers to match the painting they were observing and the results are absolutely hilarious!

Good Hair Days

In this photograph, the painting appears in front of a man with a shock of orange-blond hair and a dark blazer. His hair and skin match the gold, orange, and cream colors of the painting's background. It's pretty crazy, but definitely a moment to capture!

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Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Dinner At The Ball was painted in 1878 by German Painter Adolph Menzel. The painting represents Menzel’s impressions of the many balls he attended in the 1860s and 70s in Berlin. It shows an animated scene of high society people enjoying the night.

Stole My Look

Here a woman is looking at the ground as she stands before a portrait. Her bright red dress is a stunning match for the same dress in the painting, and her skin also has a cream hue similar to the figure's skin. This photo was taken at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

People Matching Artwork
People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

D’apres Le Titien is an oil-on-canvas painting of Isabella D’este, one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance. It was painted by Flemish artist Peter Paul Reubens, and was a copy he made of Titian’s original portrait, Isabella in Red. It was completed in 1605.

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One Of Us

In this photo, a woman stands in front of The Entombment of Mary, at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. Her orange and dark brown hair accentuates the gold in the painting, as well as the dark brown around the painting frame. Her beige sweater also matches some of the clothing represented.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Entombment of Mary was created by the Florentine painter and architect Giotto di Bondone in 1310. It depicts the body of Mary Magdalene after her death, being cradled by Christ beside her. It was originally made for the Ognissanti church in Florence.

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Is Someone Going to Tell Her?

Here a young woman is wearing a multicolored sweater in shades of pink, purple, yellow, and white. Altogether these colors blend with the color palette of the painting and the frame around it. This photo was taken at the Leopold Museum in Vienna.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Setting Sun is a painting by Austrian artist Egon Schiele, completed in 1913. It depicts a chilly landscape of trees and hills of what is thought to be Trieste, a seaport city in Northern Italy, after the sun has set. The painting is oil on canvas.

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50 Shades of Blue

In this photo the subject has long hair that flows down her back in a river of colors, moving from blond and brown to different shades of green, to blue. This matches the shades of green in the trees of the painting, as well as the blue window sills of the house. It was taken at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

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Instagram via @stefandraschan

The House at Rueil was completed in 1882, by French painter Edouard Manet. Edouard wanted to portray his impression of the house of famous poet and friend Eugène Labiche. It is a simple rendering of the building, found just outside of Paris, on a sunny day.

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Matchy- Matchy

We don't think this guy had any idea that he chose a similar sweater to the one in the painting. We're just glad that Stefan was there in time to capture this oh so perfect moment. Can you imagine sitting in a meuseum for days just waiting for this exact opportunity?

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Well, we're glad Stefan committed to his project because now we have two pieces of art to look at. Better keep it down though, it seems like this museum goer was in the middle of a tour when this picture was taken. We're glad he is enjoying the painting as much as we love this picture.

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Was This on Purpose?

The man in this photograph has dark hair and is wearing a short-sleeved dark yellow shirt with a pattern of green and brown leaves across it. This is a near-perfect mix of colors matching the painting in front of him. This photo was taken at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

People Matching ArtworkPeople Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Fire by Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, is one of a set of four paintings made during the Renaissance in 16th century Italy. It was completed in 1566. The collection was called The Four Elements, and was presented to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II.

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Meet The Crew

Here two men are standing before the artwork, both dressed in matching dark brown robes, with dark hair. These colors as well as their skin perfectly mirrors the clothing and coloring of the subject in the portrait. This photo was taken at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

People Matching ArtworkPeople Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Large Self-Portrait was completed in 1652, by Dutch painter Rembrandt. It was one in a collection of almost forty self-portraits the artist created throughout his life, and was used by him as a form of “self-marketing’, as both an image of the artist and an example of his work.

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That Galaxy Vibe

In this photo the subject is a woman with dyed purple and blue hair, wearing a black sweater. The contrast of her hair and dark clothing compliment the contrast of the light and dark blue sky and water, and the black shadows throughout. This photo was taken at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Starry Night is a painting by Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most influential artists in modern history. It was completed in 1888 and represents Van Gogh’s impression of the waterfront in Arles. He was preoccupied with capturing the night sky, which is why there are two versions of Starry Night.

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Like Looking in a Mirror

Here we have a young woman with wavy blond hair, wearing a floral dress with a billowing skirt. She matches the figure in the painting in front of her, a young child with shoulder-length yellow hair wearing a seemingly floral-detailed dress. This photo was taken at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

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Instagram via @stefandraschan

Infanta Margarita Teresa in Pink Dress was painted in 1653 by Spanish-born artist Diego Velazquez. It is a courtly portrait of Margaret Theresa of Spain, the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain. Velazquez would paint three different portraits of the young royal at various points of her childhood.

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Did You Guys Plan This?

The first figure on the right is a woman wearing a multi-colored patterned shirt, with each color correlating to the primary colors of the painting. On the left is a man in a bright blue shirt, a strikingly similar shade to the background blue of the painting. This photo was taken at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Madonna surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim was completed in the 15th century, by artist Jean Fouquet. It shows the Madonna and the Baby Jesus surrounded by seraphim and cherubim, and is part of a diptych Fouquet created for the church.

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The Perfect Moment

A museum guide appears in this photo. She is looking out of the left side of the frame, matching the body language of the subject in the painting. She wears a black blazer with a red scarf draped over her shoulder, mirroring the stance of the subject. This photo was taken at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

People Matching ArtworkPeople Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Portrait of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm was painted somewhere between 1650 and 1656, though the exact year is unknown. It is a portrait of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, who was known for patronizing many of the great artists of the time. The painting is oil on canvas.

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Twinning

Here a man stands with his body facing the right of the frame, with the matching painting behind him. He has long dark brown hair and is wearing a deep red long-sleeved shirt. His face is in profile at a similar angle to the painting subject, and the colors of both the hair and clothing are similar. This photo was taken at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

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Instagram via @stefandraschan

Giuliano de' Medici was completed by Italian artist Sandro Botticelli between the years 1478-1480. It is a commissioned portrait of Giuliano de’Medici, a patron of the arts and a co-ruler of the city of Florence. Don't feel bad to stare, it certainly is breathtaking.

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An Optical Illusion

In this photo, the subject is a woman wearing a brown blouse, with her tattooed back and arms showing. The shirt and her skin color match the figure of the painting, and the ink of her tattoos pair with the dark green paint and shadowing. The photo was taken at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Blinded Samson was created in 1912, by German artist Lovis Corinth. It depicts the biblical figure of Samson, chained and blinded while facing the viewer. Corinth painted it as a reaction to the life-threatening stroke he was struck by the year before.

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Staring Competition

Here a woman observes a painting with hands behind her back. She has dark hair and is wearing a red and black dress, mimicking the color scheme of the figure in the painting and the frame around it. This photo was taken at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Merchant Georg Gisze was painted in 1532 by German Renaissance painter Hans Holbein The Younger. It is a portrait of a merchant from Gdansk in Poland, named George Gisze. Gisze was one of the most powerful traders in the Hanseatic League.

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We Think He's a Fan

This photo is a little different. Here the subject is wearing a white shirt with a photo of Queen Elizabeth emblazoned on the back. In the painting, a figure of a woman is gazing out at the viewer with a similar hairstyle and a white headdress. Amazing! This photo was taken at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Mrs. Luise Mila was painted by German artist Johann Erdman Hummel between 1810 and 1815, though the exact dates are uncertain. The subject Luise Mila, was the mother of Hummel’s close friend and student, and also became a close friend of Hummel’s. He also painted a companion portrait of her husband Guillaume.

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I'm Blue Da Ba Dee

In this photo, a woman stands in profile. She has green and blue hair and is wearing a blue sweater with a pink backpack at the front. All these colors are remarkably similar to the palette of the figure in the painting. This photo was taken at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Christ Blessing ('The Saviour of the World') was created by Greek artist El Greco, sometime around 1600, though the exact date is unknown. The painting is an image of Jesus Christ and was part of the Toledo series, a collection of paintings El Greco made after migrating to Toledo, Spain in 1577.

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Strike a Pose

Here a man is standing below a painting of a stag. His body is aligned so that his head is parallel to the stag’s head, and both are looking up and over to the left. His skin coloring is also similar to the colors of the stag. This photo was taken at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.

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Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Monarch of the Glen was painted in around 1851, by English painter and sculptor Edwin Landseer. The ‘royal’ stag shown in the photo presents a majestic depiction of the Scottish highlands and lowlands, a popular subject of the time. We don't blame this person for lingering.

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The Gals

The subject of this photo is wearing a yellow pattern blouse a similar shade to the dress worn by the figure in the painting. But more interestingly, her head is positioned in exactly the place where a head appears in the figure’s hands. This photo was taken at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Judith with the Head of Holofernes is a painting done by Italian religious painter Cristofano Allori in the 17th century (exact date unknown). It is a rather gorey depiction of the Old Testament story of the Jewish heroine Judith, after she has slain the Assyrian general Holofernes in his sleep.

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Coffee Anyone?

Here we have two women with their heads looking down, an echo of the positions of the figures in the painting, whose heads are all bowed. They are also wearing a white and purple shirt respectively, which has a similar cut to the robes the figures are wearing. This photo was taken at the Neue Pinakothek in Munich.

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Instagram via @stefandraschan

Tired of Life was completed in 1892, by Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler. It portrays five men sitting in a row, all in some form of white attire. Four have their hands clasped, while the figure in the center is half-naked. It's pretty crazy right?

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Guess Her Favorite Color

In this photo, the subject is wearing different shades of yellows and oranges, all of which match the overall palette of the painting. Her tote bag even matches the multi-colored shades of the lily pads, and the flowers on her skirt are symbolic of the painting. This photo was taken at the Albertina Museum in Vienna.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Water Lily Pond, c. 1917-19, is a painting by French impressionist painter Claude Monet. It shows a lily-pond painted in the afternoon sun, at the artist's house in Giverny, France. It is oil on canvas, and part of the Water Lilies series, a collection of 250 paintings.

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The Primary Colors

Here we have a woman looking at religious paintings. Her curly blond hair matches the golden frames and background of the artwork, and the mixed blues and pinks on her shirt are very similar to the blue and pink detailing in the paintings. This photo was taken at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Last Judgement (Winged Altar) is a triptych painted by Fra Angelico, an Italian artist of the early renaissance. The artwork is painted onto poplar wood and was completed sometime around 1395 (exact date unknown). Let us know if this is one of your favorites!

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Easy Breezy

In this photo, a man is gazing at the painting in front of him. His hair looks kind of blue in the light, with brown roots showing underneath. These colors match the industrial palette used in the painting. This photo was taken at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Waterloo Bridge, 1901 is a painting by French impressionist painter Claude Monet. It is a depiction of the Waterloo bridge that crosses the River Thames, in London, England. It is oil and canvas, painted as part of a series he composed of the Waterloo Bridge.

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Goldmember, He Loves It

Here we have two subjects, both wearing two different kinds of yellow shirts. This matches the yellow and gold tones of the painting in front of them. They are also facing their bodies in directions that match the figures in the painting. This photo was taken at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

The Golden Island is an oil-on-canvas painting completed in 1898 by German painter and sculptor Georg Kolb. The painting shows a group of figures standing by the ocean, gazing out at an island in the distance. Kolb himself described the island in the painting as “the land of longing.”

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A Load of Fluff

We don't think you need much of an explanation as to why this one's pretty funny. Of all pictures to gaze at, and of all the outfits this woman could have chosen, these had to have been her choices. We're glad those dogs aren't real, because seeing her furry coat (That is if it's real) might've terrified them.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

It had to have been absolutely freezing for her to pick this kind of coat, and we couldn't think of a better idea than visiting an art museum on a rainy day. We're sure many of you would agree. For all our dog lovers out there, we hope this painting made you smile too.

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Get My Good Side

Here we have a close shot of the back of a man's head. He has dark, close-cropped short hair, and is wearing a tan dress-shirt. Both of these features match the figure in the painting perfectly. This photo was taken at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Bearded Workers Head In Profile was completed in 1844, by German realist painter Adolph Menzel. It was painted after Menzel took a trip to Silesia (now Southwest Poland), and saw the early days of industrial working conditions. This painting is said to be the first depiction of a ‘worker’ in German painting.

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JC With Friends

In this photo, two women are leaning against each other with only their heads visible. One has black hair and the other has white, both mirroring the light and dark contrasting tones of the painting. This photo was taken at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Luncheon on the Grass was completed in1863, by French painter Edouard Manet. It shows a group of people enjoying a luncheon, one of the figures being nude. The painting generated controversy when it was shown to the French public, but is now considered a great classic of the era.

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On Wednesday We Wear Pink

Here we have two subjects looking at the same painting. Both have dark hair and are wearing the same shade of bright red. Both of these colors suit the stark reds and deep browns seen throughout the painting. This photo was taken at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Peasant Wedding was painted by Dutch artist (and the most famous artist of the Dutch and Flemish renaissance), Peter Bruegel the Elder. It was completed between 1566 and 1569, and depicts Bruegel’s interpretation of a peasant celebration.

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Little Black Dress

In this photo, a woman stands before a painting wearing a black dress. The dress color and her dark brown hair compliment the darkness of the painting, and also matches the black clothing of the figure in its center. This photo was taken at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

People Matching Artwork

People Matching Artwork
Instagram via @stefandraschan

Pilgrim in a Rocky Valley is a painting by German artist Carl Gustav Carus, sometime after 1828-1830, though the exact date is unknown. This painting is oil on canvas and follows the Romanticist theme of a pilgrim traveling through a valley in the direction of the morning star.

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That Disapproving Look

Here we have one figure looking to the left of the frame. He is an older man wearing black clothing with a white collar and holding a black cane. This is similar to the figure in the painting, a man with similarly colored clothing and is also holding a cane. This photo was taken at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

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Instagram via @stefandraschan

Emperor Charles V was painted in 1548, by Italian artist Titian, one of the most important art figures of the renaissance. The painting is an oil portrait of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria at the time. Pretty crazy right?

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