Detail of Age of Idealism by John Larriva. Click for full image.

“I wondered what the masters of ideal beauty of the 19th century thought of the Elephant Man. Here I imagine Joseph Merrick as painted by someone like W.A.Bouguereau.” These are the words of American artist John Larriva [website] [shop]. Unlike most photoshopped Remastered Bouguereaus on this site, the work by Larriva is made with traditional oil, just like Bouguereau’s own paintings.

Larriva’s Age of Idealism measures 18 x 24 inches (46 x 61 cm), and is loosely based on Bouguereau’s paintings Dawn (1881), Evening Mood (1882), Night (1883) and Day (1884).

Below you can compare Bouguereau’s Evening Mood with Larriva’s Age of Idealism. Click the first to visit the gallery where you can find many more contemporary versions of the original painting. Click the second to view the image on DeviantArt.

For more about Joseph Merrick aka the Elephant Man click here.