Detail of First Mourning by sjm1010 and esstera on DeviantArt. Click for full image.

In this stunning montage Bouguereau’s 20th-century academic realism meets 21st-century photorealism. This piece is a transcontinental collaboration between American digital artist Stephen (operating as sjm1010 on DeviantArt) and Magdalena (aka esstera) from Croatia. It was published on DeviantArt in November 2009. The montage features stock material from a variety of sources.

William Bouguereau painted his Premier Deuil (The First Mourning) in 1888. The 2009 version captures the mood of the original work extremely well, and the backdrop gives it an equally dramatic dimension.

Below you can compare the two pieces. Click to access the gallery where you can find all contemporary versions of the same painting.