Ingrid Altmann brings old art to life by reimagining Van Gogh’s Starry Night with a playful twist.
Image: Supplied
Ingrid Altmann is no stranger to stirring up a little joy on the canvas.
The Noordhoek-based artist has built a loyal following with her This Old Painting series — breathing new life into dusty, unloved thrift store art by adding cartoon characters into the scene.
Whether it’s Darth Vader casually photobombing a Victorian picnic or Casper the Friendly Ghost floating through an old seascape, her playful touch turns the forgotten into something magical.
“I love the idea of giving these dusty, unloved paintings a second chance — adding a little joy, a little humour, and a lot of heart,” she says. “It’s like they were just waiting for a Bart Simpson or a Mary Poppins to show up.”
Her latest twist? Parody art — this time with Van Gogh’s Starry Night as her canvas. Into that iconic, swirling sky, Ingrid has begun dropping some familiar faces from pop culture.
“On Pinterest, I’d seen people doing parody versions of famous paintings,” she explains.
“I’ve always loved Van Gogh, and I just decided to try my hand at that. I love old cartoon characters, sort of from my era as a child — I was big into comics growing up — and it spoke to me. I just wanted to continue my comic additions to paintings.”
The result is as nostalgic as it is unexpected: Yoda gazes into the galaxy, Tintin and Snowy race under moonlight, and Harry Potter soars past the cypress tree on his broomstick.
“I think we all need more fun,” she said. “Art doesn’t have to be serious. It can be silly. It can be surprising. It can be Snoopy in a starry sky.”
As for where her character choices come from? “It was mainly from my childhood — all the characters that I loved. Wendy the Witch, Little Lotta and Dot, and in my days, I think there was a comic called Sarge. Archie and Darth Vader were iconic when I was growing up.”
For Ingrid, this work is all about lightness in a world that can feel heavy.
“I hope people see the fun in them,” she says. “That they realise art can be total fun and silliness — and brings a smile to their face. I think sometimes we take life far too seriously. These are really about having fun.”
She’s also experimenting with a new technique: cutting out original cartoons from vintage comic books and pasting them directly onto old paintings — complete with speech bubbles that interact with the original scene.
“That’s what I’m enjoying at the moment,” she says. “Finding an iconic old painting and then adding a cartoon cut-out with a clever speech bubble — it creates a whole new story.”
And what’s next on her remix radar?
“I’d love to funk up The Scream a bit more,” she says. “I’ve done one, but I’ve got more ideas. It’s just such a great painting to play with.”