Meet the Art World’s Coolest New Muse (Spoiler: He’s a Dog!)

Break-ups are awful, but they can also lead to artistic revelations: take Adele’s 21 or Joni Mitchell’s Blue. In the case of Brazilian illustrator Rafael Mantesso, it wasn’t just a split that sparked his creativity, it was also Jimmy Choo. . . his Bull Terrier.

After what sounds like a painful divorce, Rafael says, he was left with the dog and a clean slate. “My ex-wife took all the furniture in the house and the house was completely empty and white. The only thing I had was [Jimmy],” Mantesso told Mashable.

So, he went to work, with just Jimmy Choo, a black marker, and a few props—the possibilities were endless. Like a real life Sharpie commercial, he recreated Jaws, Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and even Superman, all with Jimmy serving as his muse.

Amazingly, Mantesso gets Jimmy to pose for picture-perfect images with a simple command: stay. “Although it’s really messy when I’m photographing him, he obeys me,” Mantesso told Bored Panda.

Since the artist started posting his pictures on Instagram, he’s amassed a sizable fan club, with over 74,000 followers and thousands of likes on each photo. Recently, he posted a note of gratitude to his new-found fans: “Very happy with all the repercussions [our] photos are having all over the world! Were touched with all the kindness from everyone!! Thanks for every single post, mail and likes!!!”

The entire collection can be found on Rafael’s Instagram account, which I have to say, takes the cake of animal-themed accounts. See for yourself:

Now here’s the big question: are those white walls dry-erase or what?

(Images via Instagram.)

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