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Prized traditional woodblock prints age even more gracefully when they’re recreated in shades of wine.

The finer the wine, the richer the colour. That’s what Serbian artist Sanja Jankovic discovered while exploring the intricacies of the unusual grape-based medium, which she uses to create a large number of beautiful scenes and portraits featuring subjects like Marilyn Munroe and characters from the television series Game of Thrones.

While Jankovic’s wine art is as varied as it is beautiful, her Far East Collection really shows off the beauty of the grape-based medium, substituting watercolours traditionally seen on well-known ukiyo-e woodblock prints for shades of claret instead.

“Beauty at her toilet” (circa 1790) was created by Kitagawa Utamaro, a master of the ukiyo-e genre known especially for his bijin-ga, portraits of beautiful women. With the addition of wine, the centuries-old image takes on a more illustrative quality.

Another ukiyo-e from Kitagawa Utamaro, “Ôgiya Hanaôgi, in rebus form”, from the series “Renowned Beauties Likened to the Six Immortal Poets” (1795–1796) brings western wine to the figure of an Edo-period (1603–1807) woman with beautiful results.

The wine paintings are sketched using different wine types and grape varieties. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Chardonnay are used to create lighter, cream-based tones, while Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are used to create darker, richer hues.

“The Great Wave off Kanagawa” (The Wave) c. 1829–32, by Katsushika Hokusai, is one of Japan’s most famous artworks. With the addition of wine-filled brushstrokes, the well-known blue-and-white scene takes on a different colour palette and is renamed “The great wave of KanagaWine”.

In addition to recreating well-known works, the artist has created a few of her own Japanese-inspired images, including this commissioned piece called “Geisha Winerelle”.

Wine art images like these are all available to purchase from the artist, who accepts orders and requests via Facebook. With only the finest wines used in each painting, it’s a simple and beautiful way to combine a good vintage with all the pleasures of fine art.

Source: Japaaan
Images: Facebook/Winerelle Vinoreli