“Starry Night” could be said to be one of the most iconic paintings of all time. Reproductions of those well-known swirled stars decorate every surface imaginable and variations of the painting have been created with characters like Batman to Grumpy Cat and beyond. This week, though, it’s the artist behind the painting that has captured our attention. This custom, created by Amanda of boopstoof, features one of the most well-known and enduring Impressionist painters ever, Vincent van Gogh, and his signature swirling brush strokes. Complete with woefully bandaged ear and the blue coat that features so frequently in his own self portraits, this figure is an excellent embodiment of the artist we’ve all grown to love.
Unlike many of the custom artists we have interviewed, Amanda stumbled into Funko POPs in reverse, having found the stylized vinyls while looking for a vinyl base on which to create a custom. Since discovering the adorable figures, Amanda has created a number of customs, including Avatar Korra and painter Frida Kahlo. When constructing this particular figure, Amanda pulled from Van Gogh’s own memorable style to create a figure in his likeness that is instantly recognizable. Not ready to stop there, Amanda also created an alternate version featuring his iconic “Starry Night” painting replicated on the figure’s coat. (Doctor Who fans, there’s also a Whovian version for those of you who wept at cut onions during the artist’s moving episode.)
Van Gogh is perhaps one of the most influential artists of all time, his work continuing to inspire and captivate us more and more as time Goghs by. (You didn’t really think you’d get through this whole article without a pun, did you?) In this ode to Van Gogh, Amanda has perfectly captured the artist within the figure, making his depiction in any other vinyl style or any other medium seem inconceivable. The POP figure’s modified proportions are a perfect match for the fluid movement that Van Gogh himself embraced, and Amanda’s expert portrayal of his painted twists and whirls make this custom a welcome addition to any Vincent van Gogh fan’s shelf.
To view more work by Amanda, please visit the following links:
Etsy: boopstoof
Instagram: @boopstoof
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