The old master’s painting is by Jacob Adriaensz Backer, a student of Rembrandt, but since the observing man in the middle of the painting looks a lot like portraits of Rembrandt himself, it’s very possible that it is a painting by Rembrandt.

This painting has been in my family for years, and sold to a reverent one day, to be installed above his bed… but since the painting almost fell on his head he had the painting moved to another room!

Multiple decades later, I found an old Black & White photograph in an old chest, asking my mother about it, I came to learn the original colours of the painting and the story behind it.

After digitally restoring the old photograph it inspired my concept which explores the idea of; WHAT MEDIUM WOULD THE OLD MASTERS PREFER IN THE PRESENT DAY?

I merged an old painting from an old master together with photography and digital editing, and the man sitting in between resembles the old master, contemplating which medium to choose.

On the entire artwork you’ll mainly see the original old painting, on the left you’ll see the mirrored version with the use of photography merged into the old painting.