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I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

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I’ve been recoloring old photographs for a while now (here and here) but recently I decided to try my hand at coloring statues. The original images of the statues were shot at Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Victoria a couple of years ago. All but one are a part of the same series of statues by Charles Summer, purchased with bequest funds from James Russell Thompson in 1888. The odd one out is Hebe, which is part of the Stoddard Collection.

Whilst the statues have retained their original names in the series, I’ve deliberately chosen not to place them in the context of the historical characters the statues represented, but to see them simply as beautiful women and to imagine who they might have originally been based on.

I originally designed the pieces as still images, but I enjoy the irony of turning them into cinemagraphs. The effects I’ve chosen are subtle but I think that suits the images.

More info: janelong.com.au | Facebook | Instagram

Hebe

I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

Susannah

I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

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I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

Ruth

I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

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I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

Rebekah

I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

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I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

Modesty

I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

I Colorize 19th Century Statues To Make Them Come To Life

123Kviews

Jane Long

I'm an Australian photographer and digitial artist.

I'm an Australian photographer and digitial artist.

What do you think ?

Lyone Fein 7 years ago

This is interesting. There is good evidence that the ancient Greeks actually painted their statues (the ones that are all white marble now), as art historians have detected microscopic paint chips of numerous colors embedded in their surfaces. So this is right in line with "classical" practices.

34points

Full Name 7 years ago

They have figured out with a certain degree if certainty what the Mona Lisa looked like back when it was new. I guarantee you Leo would absolutely cringe if he saw what we worship now. He' be all "No, you guys have no idea. It was so much better before!"

11points

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logical fallacy 7 years ago

Indeed, it's confirmed. If you look closely at an ancient Greek statue, you can see paint residue, sometimes very vivid. And archeologists have found stations were paints were created, and even basic manuals for paint preparation.

5points

Wombat34 7 years ago

yes and the re-creations always look so lame. These look much more plausible.

0points

Anna Sheridan 7 years ago

Old statues always make me feel better about my body as they are quite curvy really and this highlights that.

11points

Doron Pinkas 7 years ago

I don't think any of the statues is curvy. They're just normal girls, built like me. I don't know, skinny girls get celebrated, and ''curvy'' girls get celebrated- but girls who are neither.... what are we even? I often feel not skinny enough, but not plus size- in this new sorta dead zone in fashion

3points

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Jason O'R 7 years ago

So creative, the atmosphere around the statues are what makes it so beautiful. I love it.

10points

Full Name 7 years ago

This shows just how good these sculptures are. This is a really cool idea, and if Lyone Fein is correct, then that makes it even cooler.

4points

Daniel Losinger 7 years ago

I like the originals better.

3points

Carlos Castro 7 years ago

Super creative

2points

Shirley Dowling 7 years ago

I absolutely LOVE these images!! Jane has brought these statues to life.. well as close to life as I have ever seen or could imagine, just beautiful to see.

1point

Robert Dewey 7 years ago

Just started. So far impressed

1point

Beks Czar 7 years ago

^^^^^ is a Rebekah, spelled because of her. For those that don't know, Rebekah is how it's spelled in the bible, well one version. Some do spell it Rebecca (and that name was recognized by Swype amid it was capitalized.... my name, doesn't know lol)

1point

Jane Long (Post author) 7 years ago

Four of the original statues were named, assumably by the original sculptor, after bible characters. I kept the original names even though I chose not to portray them as the original characters.

0points

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Daniel R. 7 years ago

I read somewhere that these type of statues were all originally painted in color, but the color tarnished over time. Kinda like how the pyramids of Giza were originally white. I'm wondering if this is how they really looked like when they were first completed.

1point

Aunt Messy 7 years ago

He made all of them very, very pale, didn't he? There isn't even a hint of a tan on any of them....

1point

Doron Pinkas 7 years ago

Which is in line with the beauty ideal at the time, also, note the body- not skinny or plus size, a group hardly represented by media anymore

1point

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OCHBAYAR ENKHEE 7 years ago

Ruth looks like holding wheat, not a scarf. Great job 👏👍

0points

George Sullivan 7 years ago

Can you make real people look like statues?

0points

Tiff Jade Thompson 7 years ago

Absolutely phenomenal

0points

Robert Buxwin 7 years ago

Not so much colorizing as painting a picture of the statue with color. To my mind, "colorizing" would be adding color to a picture of the actual statue, even though that would mean the hair wouldn't look entirely natural, etc.

0points

Jane Long (Post author) 7 years ago

Robert they are painted directly over the image of the statue. The hair and some of the lace patterns are the only areas that don't strictly line up with the underlying image. ;)

0points

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Shinomi Chan 7 years ago

These look really nice! O_O good job

0points

James Brigham (Bigg) Bunyon 7 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Johnrolce 7 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Shirley Richard 7 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Lyone Fein 7 years ago

This is interesting. There is good evidence that the ancient Greeks actually painted their statues (the ones that are all white marble now), as art historians have detected microscopic paint chips of numerous colors embedded in their surfaces. So this is right in line with "classical" practices.

34points

Full Name 7 years ago

They have figured out with a certain degree if certainty what the Mona Lisa looked like back when it was new. I guarantee you Leo would absolutely cringe if he saw what we worship now. He' be all "No, you guys have no idea. It was so much better before!"

11points

Load More Replies...

logical fallacy 7 years ago

Indeed, it's confirmed. If you look closely at an ancient Greek statue, you can see paint residue, sometimes very vivid. And archeologists have found stations were paints were created, and even basic manuals for paint preparation.

5points

Wombat34 7 years ago

yes and the re-creations always look so lame. These look much more plausible.

0points

Anna Sheridan 7 years ago

Old statues always make me feel better about my body as they are quite curvy really and this highlights that.

11points

Doron Pinkas 7 years ago

I don't think any of the statues is curvy. They're just normal girls, built like me. I don't know, skinny girls get celebrated, and ''curvy'' girls get celebrated- but girls who are neither.... what are we even? I often feel not skinny enough, but not plus size- in this new sorta dead zone in fashion

3points

Load More Replies...

Jason O'R 7 years ago

So creative, the atmosphere around the statues are what makes it so beautiful. I love it.

10points

Full Name 7 years ago

This shows just how good these sculptures are. This is a really cool idea, and if Lyone Fein is correct, then that makes it even cooler.

4points

Daniel Losinger 7 years ago

I like the originals better.

3points

Carlos Castro 7 years ago

Super creative

2points

Shirley Dowling 7 years ago

I absolutely LOVE these images!! Jane has brought these statues to life.. well as close to life as I have ever seen or could imagine, just beautiful to see.

1point

Robert Dewey 7 years ago

Just started. So far impressed

1point

Beks Czar 7 years ago

^^^^^ is a Rebekah, spelled because of her. For those that don't know, Rebekah is how it's spelled in the bible, well one version. Some do spell it Rebecca (and that name was recognized by Swype amid it was capitalized.... my name, doesn't know lol)

1point

Jane Long (Post author) 7 years ago

Four of the original statues were named, assumably by the original sculptor, after bible characters. I kept the original names even though I chose not to portray them as the original characters.

0points

Load More Replies...

Daniel R. 7 years ago

I read somewhere that these type of statues were all originally painted in color, but the color tarnished over time. Kinda like how the pyramids of Giza were originally white. I'm wondering if this is how they really looked like when they were first completed.

1point

Aunt Messy 7 years ago

He made all of them very, very pale, didn't he? There isn't even a hint of a tan on any of them....

1point

Doron Pinkas 7 years ago

Which is in line with the beauty ideal at the time, also, note the body- not skinny or plus size, a group hardly represented by media anymore

1point

Load More Replies...

OCHBAYAR ENKHEE 7 years ago

Ruth looks like holding wheat, not a scarf. Great job 👏👍

0points

George Sullivan 7 years ago

Can you make real people look like statues?

0points

Tiff Jade Thompson 7 years ago

Absolutely phenomenal

0points

Robert Buxwin 7 years ago

Not so much colorizing as painting a picture of the statue with color. To my mind, "colorizing" would be adding color to a picture of the actual statue, even though that would mean the hair wouldn't look entirely natural, etc.

0points

Jane Long (Post author) 7 years ago

Robert they are painted directly over the image of the statue. The hair and some of the lace patterns are the only areas that don't strictly line up with the underlying image. ;)

0points

Load More Replies...

Shinomi Chan 7 years ago

These look really nice! O_O good job

0points

James Brigham (Bigg) Bunyon 7 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Johnrolce 7 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Shirley Richard 7 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

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