In today’s paper, I read a pretty interesting interview with an artist who painted landscapes. But these landscapes were not ones he stumbled upon in the real world. Rather, they were scenes he found in video games. From Grand Theft Auto IV to Half Life, James Barnett would print off screens from the games, then proceed to paint them. He calls it Fauxvism.
2Fort Red, from Team Fortress 2
What 2Fort looks like in the game
I can see elitist painters tossing this series aside as mere amateur work, art based on immature video games. But it’s nice to see someone acknowledging the beauty of the scenery found in some of these games.
Megaton, from Fallout 3
What Megaton looks like in the actual game
With games like Fallout 3, Barnett takes the gritty greys and turns them into bright reds and blues.
Michelle's Place, from GTA IV
Liberty City, from GTA IV
Brooklyn Bridge, New York
In the case of Grand Theft Auto IV, Barnett’s work is art that represents art, Liberty City, that represents a real life place, New York City.
You can read the Edmonton Journal interview here, and check out the rest of James Barnett’s work here.
I’m no art connoisseur, but I like it. Cool style and it captures the look of the locations very well.