WorkArt & Culture

Imaginary Destinations: Artist paints the virtual reality of the future in the 19th century

In his series Imaginary Destinations, Spanish visual artist José Galant loves to paint characters from the 19th century and merge their surroundings with futuristic installations – machines and tools that seemingly use technology from the period but with unusual features that might surprise people of that less advanced age.

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Nineteenth-century figures in dark clothing gather around a vibrant, fantastical flower-like plant with purple and red petals sprouting from the ground in a European city square

In some cases, the machines combine animals with unusual and humorous results. Otherwise, you can expect to see 19th century men, women and children crowding around colourful alien plants and lifeforms that seem to sprout from the earth. It's as though they have rolled up to watch a show, curious to understand more about what's on display.

A graduate in Painting and Ceramics from the Fine Arts and Graphic Design School in Barcelona, José uses acrylics, watercolours, 3D computer graphics and augmented reality to create his unique artworks. He's also the co-founder of Mars’ Toad, a developer of funny games for the iPhone and iPad like Captain Glyph, a fast paced action-puzzle-word game. Discover more at jgalant.com.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy of José Galant

Surreal painting showing 19th-century figures on a beach watching a giant wooden head suspended in the air by ropes, with a purple castle and sailing boats visible across the blue water
Surreal 19th century cityscape with a colourful mechanical bird perched on an ornate stem, floating musical notes, glowing orbs, and a piano keyboard along the riverbank beneath a stormy sky
Three 19th century figures observe a towering brass steampunk machine with golden bells and stars on a beach, with a castle on a cliff in the background
Victorian figures in pale clothing gather around a brass searchlight mounted on wheels with a glowing orb, beside a mechanical deer on a misty shore, with a distant castle visible across the water
A colourful pinwheel flower blooms from a Venetian canal as gondoliers and 19th century buildings surround it in José Galant's Imaginary Destinations series
Fantastical Victorian mansion with ornate brass arms extending horizontally across an icy landscape, with figures in period clothing observing below and birds flying overhead
A golden mechanical bull pulling a cart with flame-like sculpture down a 19th-century street lined with sketched buildings and figures in period dress.
A fantastical illustration featuring 19th century figures observing a giant mechanical snail with glowing lanterns, a distant castle and windmill across a surreal landscape
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