Detail of Girl Mosaic by alexie on Worth1000. Click for full image.

In January 2010, Worth1000 organized a contest exclusively for beginning digital artists. The challenge was to generate a mosaic using photo manipulation software. Contestants were warned not to use pre-existing “mosaic” filters in the software, but to build up the mosaic effect themselves.

The contest drew nine entries, including the Girl Mosaic shown above, created by alexie. The digital work is based on Bouguereau’s 1898 painting Étude: tête de jeune fille (Study: head of a young girl), one of the most beautiful portraits created by the French master.

Below you can compare Bouguereau’s painting and the remastered version. Click the first to visit the gallery where you will find several other contemporary versions of the original artwork. Click the second to view it on Worth1000.