Los Angeles-based artist Joseph Lee has launched his first NFT collection of his abstract impasto portraits. The artist is known for known for his heavily-layered portraits that hide the facial expressions and details of his various subjects.

The NFT collection features animated versions of his best known original paintings, such as his take on Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring masterwork.

“As artists, we can argue that we’re all derivatives of the Old Masters,” said Lee to HYPEBEAST. ”The art world evolves and reacts – it’s in constant motion. As a painter, I’m curious about where the fine line between being a derivative and staying authentic to your own pursuits, is. Perhaps one invariably precedes the other. I’ve channeled these thoughts into studying and deconstructing the Girl with a Pearl Earring. Unlike the classic, the earring swings, like a pendulum between old and new or between past and present.”

You can check out Joseph Lee’s NFT collection which includes three one-of-one editions on MakersPlace.