Adobe’s latest campaign « The Hidden Treasures of Creativity » bring to life Edvard Munch’s paintbrushes through digital replica available on the Creative Cloud. The software company has always had a privileged relationship with the arts. According to Simon Morris, Senior Director of Campaign Marketing, « Adobe is all about creativity and changing the world through digital experiences ». The Hidden Treasures of Creativity creates indeed an unprecedented experience for uses who are able to download and use the tools of the expressionist master, more than 70 years after his death.

Thanks to an important collaboration with the Munch Museum of Oslo, Adobe offers a new digital life to seven original brushes that belonged to the Norwegian painter. The hundred-year-old brushes were captured by ultra-high resolution cameras and then reconstructed in 3D. The experts of the museum studied and analyzed each and every features of the brushes (shape, performance, flexibility) as well as the style and technique of Munch. Kyler T. Webster, the brillant Photoshop brush creator, used these data to digitally recreate Munch’s brushes. This unprecedented campaign will allow users to live a digital experience as close to reality as possible. Simon Morris explains «  the Munch brushes are really going be the top range digital brushes, really taking advantage of these advanced features of Photoshop. People can use these brushes to practice different techniques and work, for example, on oil paintings and mix colors and adjust how much paint they use with these brushes, really just like you’re painting in real life.» The artist Bastien Grivet had the chance to test the brushes. « It was like a journey in the past, trying to put yourself in the painter’s shoes. » he explained. The brushes possess incredible technical features that allow the artist to add a « more traditional sharpness » to his digital artworks.

This innovative project puts Adobe in a unique place to bridge the gap between physical and digital experiences. From June 20th to 22nd , Adobe will organize a series of Live Stream to help beginners as well as experienced users to paint like a master. Tyler K. Webster, creator of the brushes, will host the Live Streams as well as other digital artists. According to Simon Morris, this will be the occasion for digital art experts to « share their best tips and tricks and to inspire Photoshop and Illustrator users. »

To continue to inspire a new generation of artists, Adobe will also organize a contest around Munch’s most famous work, The Scream. Between 1893 and 1910, the expressionist painter made four versions of the famous painting. Today, Adobe invites creatives all around the world to create their on version of the artwork, « The 5th Scream », using the digital brushes inspired the original paintbrushes. A prestigious jury will chose the winner who will be offered the amazing opportunity to see their artwork hung in the Munch museum and 6,000€. To inspire others, Bastien Grivet proposed his own take on The Scream, Changing both the point of view and the position of the character he created a surprising reinterpretation of the masterpiece. Thanks to this experience, he can give enlightened advice to the contestants : « Do not think about the cultural weigh of the challenge. Learn as much as you can about Munch and his mindset. And more than anything, reinterpret the painting in an ultra-personal manner, for yourself, before anyone else. »

Reinterpretation of the painting “The Scream” par Bastien Grivet

Through this unique and creative campaign, Adobe bring to life the tools of the past in order to inspirer artists of today and tomorrow. If other hidden treasures were to be uncovered, Bastien Grivet would, without the slightest doubt, chose the brushes of William Turner. He would like to bring back the « unbelievable energy of his strokes ». As for Simon Morris, he is already thinking about Van Gogh’s colors or Picasso’s textures.