MOSCOW — In the coronavirus lockdown, Russians can’t go to their beloved and renowned museums. So they’re filling the holes in their souls by re-creating artworks while stuck at home and posting them on social media.
The Facebook group where the works are posted has become a huge hit. The art ranges from studious and reverent to flippant and goofy. They’re done both by Russians and Russian-speakers abroad.
Some 350,000 people are following the group, where thousands of photos are posted, each showing the original work and the mockup made at home. The rules say it must only use items on hand and can’t be digitally manipulated.
There are some impressive surprises in the collection. Vitaly Fonarev carefully re-created the clothes and headdress of Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring” and captured the Dutch artist’s famous glowing light. The work is so convincing that it takes a few moments to notice that the “girl” actually is a man with a few days’ worth of beard stubble.