Rose McGowen by pcysmith. Click for full image (1024×759). Click here to visit the gallery on this site.

Twice a year, photoshop site Worth1000 organizes a Modern Renaissance contest, challenging digital artists to “put any modern celebrity, actor or popular culture figure as a substitute for the model of a painting or other form of artwork”. The January 2012 edition drew no less than seventy contest entries, five of which were Remastered Bouguereaus. Unfortunately, none of them became prize winners.

Shown above is Rose McGowen by pcysmith. The American actress and singer takes the place of the bather in Bouguereau’s La Vague (The Wave, 1896). Below are the four other adaptations of Bouguereau paintings in this contest. The first two depict actress Natalie Portman, the other two Scarlett Johansson and Bones actress Emily Deschanel, respectively. Click each to visit the galleries where you will find dozens more contemporary versions of the original artworks.