Artist and photographer Ed Wheeler has always felt that a good number of classic artworks are missing something very crucial — an appearance by Santa Claus. So he put together a series in which he dresses up as Father Christmas and corrects the imbalance himself, often with humorous results.
According to Wheeler’s website, “Santa Classics,” Santa insertion is actually a very meticulous affair:
Once a painting is selected, Wheeler embarks on a multi-step process to fully integrate Santa into the lighting, brushstrokes and tonal values of a particular painting. The lighting in the studio must match that of the original artwork: this is critical to maintaining the fidelity of the original. Wheeler’s meticulous attention to detail, lighting and relationships between figures lead to another kind of art experience.
Wheeler himself plays the role of Santa in 23 different pieces. He’s even got some before-and-after video to document the process:
An exhibit of the collection just recently finished a stint at bahdeebahdu in Philadelphia this past Saturday. The images are also available as a series of Christmas cards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art shop and online store, so you can start your holiday shopping for 2014 super early if you’re so inclined.
Check out some examples of his work in this gallery below. Our favorite is definitely “Le Déjeuner Sur L’herbe,” because nothing says “Christmas” like a naked French impressionist picnic.
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 (images via Santa Classics)
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