Known for his graphic, architectural illustrations, Italian artist Federico Babina’s latest series, DIRECTPORTRAIT, pays homage to famous movie directors. Rendered in his distinct style of overlaid graphic shapes, each poster-like digital illustration features stylized portraits of world-renowned filmmakers with various film references cleverly incorporated into their facial features and clothing.

To fully immerse the viewer in his inventive visuals, Babina uses elements of “pareidolia”—a term used to describe how the mind can make sense of certain images and perceive familiar patterns where none exists. He explains, “I enjoyed looking and recognizing the profile of famous film directors in the shapes and objects that inhabit their films: it is a simple and effective exercise of creativity and imagination that develops an ‘elastic thought.’” He describes his work as “a metaphor of cinema where every little detail is a key component of the entire mosaic.”

Each of the 31 pieces is made up of cinematographic elements relating to the artist’s subjects.

“I like trying to explain the world I see through different techniques of expression. I like the richness of the language and
the diversity of its forms. I do not want to confine me in a prison of a style or shape. Drawing and illustration are for me one of the ways to recount and photograph the thoughts, feelings and
emotions. Every picture has a story and every picture is a witness of a story.”

Federico Babina: website / instagram
Via: mymodernmet.com