Photo Credit: Peter Shoukry
Written in partnership with DN News Desk
What if the next time you saw a painting in a museum, it smiled at you? That’s exactly what artist Peter Shoukry’s newest work will evoke. The creative world bears witness to a lot of repetition. But Shoukry is determined to offer something novel, by using technology to literally give life to the canvas.
Shoukry’s new painting ‘Spoken’ uses facial recognition software to create movement within the actual artwork. A woman’s intricately drawn face will recognize yours when you walk up to it and will mimic your expressions. Shoukry came up with the idea for this revolutionary piece while on his way to see Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece ‘Mona Lisa’ at the Louvre in Paris. For hundreds of years, viewers have been taken in by Mona Lisa’s smile. Shoukry decided to deepen that conversation between art and observer by letting his portrait smile back. According to Shoukry, as the rest of the world becomes digitized, so must artwork.
Even without movement, ‘Spoken’ is an intricate and bewitching piece. Shoukry’s style is Picasso-esque but adds a layer of mystery. All of Shoukry’s scenes are layered and elaborate. Often, he adds immense depth by painting a glimpse through a background window or an elaborate foreground. The viewer feels as though they could spend an hour looking at each piece, all the while discovering new details. By layering in this way, Shoukry is able to add texture to the visual experience in a way that is quite unique.
Shoukry stumbled into his career as an artist by accident in a high school art class. Even though his parents considered it an unconventional choice, Shoukry has grown in the industry and has been able to make it his full-time job. His paintings have had notable success, and his work has been featured in galleries and sold to private art collectors. But he has also developed himself as a model and a poet. Shoukry mixes mediums by writing poems to accompany his illustrations. He recently finished one called ‘Mademoiselle Cygne Noir,’ which translates to ‘Miss Black Swan,’ which will shortly be featured in Vogue Magazine.
In a world where art is often repetitive, Peter Shoukry is bringing something new to the table. He seamlessly melds technology and art in a way that is only fitting for the 21st century.
