Smile to the future
Acrylic on canvas
Size: 18 X 24 cm
(with original classic frame) 23 X 30 CM

Wesley Altena, GIVING ABANDONED ART A NEW LIFE!

Wesley Altena is an artist from the Netherlands who is known for adding absurd humor to forgotten, unwanted paintings he finds in thrift shops throughout the Benelux.

When Jefrey comes across an old painting, his brain immediately starts spinning and he can often already see the end result on the canvas. Each painting tells a story, by adding recognizable elements and characters from: 80s, 90s and current popular movies, music, and games, he not only shows his passion for making art, but also his keen insights into how the classic icons of each age can bring us back into a moment that is dear to each of us. Because Jefrey is careful to truly match each paintings slightly different style of painting and color-scheme, the additions are often almost indistinguishable from the original composition and only reveal themselves at a second glance, adding to the pleasure by letting us discover a favorite icon in a place where we were not expecting to find it at all. Making each a work into a cultural riddle, puzzle or story of sorts. Who doesn’t love discovering the Delorian time-machine parked next to a barn in a classic dutch landscape ;).