Rowan Atkinson, the actor behind the famously hilarious Mr. Bean and Blackadder characters, has made another foray into the pages of history thanks to caricature artist Rodney Pike. He took some of history's most famous portraits and jazzed them up by replacing the original subjects' faces with those of Atkinson's unforgettable characters.
Artistic purists may not appreciate Pike's comical work because it's hard to take the works of Rembrandt van Rijn or Holbein the Younger seriously when the subject's face has been replaced with a hilariously expressive scowl from Mr. Bean. Obviously, Pike's work is entirely digital – the original works remain untouched! Read on for Rodney Pike's comments to Bored Panda.
"I've created over 40 photo-manipulations using Rowan Atkinson for the main subject over the course of 3 or 4 years and he is by far my most popular subject," Pike told Bored Panda. "He's lots of fun!"
"The concept isn't much different from Atkinson's. [The pictures are] simply absurd."
"I make no statements with my work. It's simply for fun. It's just a really cool bonus that I get paid for doing this stuff. Love my job!"
"I use Photoshop CC for all of my work. My favorite tools are the standard warp tool and puppet warp."
Rowan Atkinson's iconic face has been humorously inserted into classic art pieces by Rodney Pike, much like how Mr. Bean's face is hilariously integrated into famous film scenes in altered photographs. This kind of digital manipulation offers a fresh lens through which to view traditional art and entertainment, capturing the essence of comedy without uttering a single word.
For more amusing takes on how Mr. Bean can redefine iconic images, check out these brilliantly photoshopped transformations.