dreamy drive-in movie theater paintings portray silver screen stars

dreamy drive-in movie theater paintings portray silver screen stars
(above) closer from a far, 2013
all images courtesy of andrew valko 

iconic moments from the silver screen are enlivened by czech artist andrew valko through his series of hyper-realistic paintings, depicting dimly-lit drive through movie theaters and their feature show. the nostalgic outdoor scenes — now a fragment of the past, as drive-through sites continue to fade from the american landscape — are painstaking painted with an adept realism, defining both the on-screen image and surrounding panorama. classic leading ladies from marilyn monroe to audrey hepburn, and contemporary stars like natalie portman and angelina jolie, are framed by the scaffolded screen, their portraits executed with a keen eye to color, light and shadow. despite the decade they clearly correspond to, each of the compositions emit a timeless and enduring quality, rejuvenating these dying destinations and the films they play.

gone, 2014

the girl next door, 2014

highway kiss, 1999

the one and only, 2014

mrs. smith, 2013

here’s johnny, 2011

darkness on the edge of town, 2012

funny girl, 2007

stage fright, 2005