Among Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings is this swirly, stern-faced self-portrait of the legendary artist himself:

But what would that headshot look like if it was a photographed portrait rather than a piece of impressionist art?

Well, probably a lot like this:

The stunning recreation was done by Tadao Cern, an architect and photographer from Lithuania. On his personal site, Cern also gave the project a funny backstory:

Some time ago a stranger asked me to make his portrait ... So I did. I sent him the image and I never heard back from him again since that moment. Not long ago I saw one painting and I felt that it was very familiar to me. And then I got it — It was a copy of my photo! I did a little research on that and it seem that the guy who draw(copied) it is quite well known around... His name is Vincent Van Gogh or something ... Pity that he never mentioned me and I can't find his contact now.

This video Cern posted to YouTube also shows a sped-up version of the process of turning an iconic work of art into a startlingly lifelike faux-tograph:

[via The Atlantic]

Images courtesy Tadao Cern, used with permission