By Shirley Farmer 
What would Vincent van Gogh’s daily life be like if the artist lived in his paintings? Fancy Van Gogh, a project that brings together illustrations inspired by the artist’s impressionist aesthetic, shows us this world. Through illustrations by Iranian Alireza Karimi Moghaddam, it is possible to see Van Gogh at the window, riding a bicycle among fields of sunflowers or painting landscapes of the sky.
Alireza, the 46-year-old author, has long been associated with the art world, having grown up watching his father paint in Tehran. From his childhood he was a fan of Van Gogh, but admits that at first he “didn’t have the guts to put it in business”. Four years ago, when Ali Reza was still in Iran, he took this step. It was the first work of a Dutch painter in the form of cartoon, but since then his artwork has evolved into illustrations.
The painter is inspired by the life of Van Gogh and above all In the letters exchanged between the Dutch artist and his brother Theo. However, he admits that he was also inspired by another artist, Serbian cartoonist and illustrator Gradimir Smuda. This author is also known for reviving Van Gogh in an impressionist style, but the aesthetic is different from Ali Riza’s work.
Through dreams, Ali Reza imagines possible illustrations. “I visualize ideas before I even start thinking about them; from there I master the concept and broaden it,” he explains to P3. At first, I made a draft of the drawing and digitized it for publication on your Instagram page, but in the meantime, it has adapted to the world of technology and uses digital platforms to design illustrations, such as Photoshop.
The most time-consuming part starts before the work itself, as the brainstorming process takes seven to ten days to complete. Then the artist begins to think of “details, colors and lights.” decoupage, in deciding the positions of the various elements and in what kind of symbols they will be placed.” Once you have the design in mind, it usually takes a day to turn the idea into an illustration.
Despite the tragic end of Van Gogh’s lifeThrough her illustrations, Alireza wants to make a positive impact on society and convey a message of hope. “In addition to making this a business, I want to promote a philosophy and a vision: to create smiles and make people happy,” asserts Al Iranian. The goal, according to the painter, is not only the formation of a brand, but the creation of a lifestyle associated with Fancy Van Gogh.
“I think that the only way to reach people is through art. Although there are different levels of understanding, it is a common language that everyone can understand,” comments the artist. Ali Reda has been living in Lisbon for nearly three years, and also works as an administrator designer He is one of the founders Boar Online Store. This year, the painter saw, for the first time, his works on Van Gogh on display at the Centro Colombo in Lisbon.
Text edited by Amanda Ribeiro