Tiago Majuelo’s vibrantly illustrates ancient greek gods with contemporary objects

Ancient Greece is a subject many of us associate with a stuffy history classroom, but illustrator Tiago Majuelos never studied this area of the classics, “so when I recently started to read about it I fell in love right away,” he tells It’s Nice That.

“I got fascinated with the arts, philosophy, all the different kinds of gods, myths and creatures. So I decided I had to paint about it,” he explains. The result is interpretations of ancient Greece’s deities drawn among modern cultural symbols, such as a bottle of red or cleaning products with a fresh lick of paint. “I try to summarise the knowledge I’ve learned in a basic ancient Greek style of illustration, but will all the new colours digital technologies on offer.”

The Greek tradition of visualising Gods on vases and murals is an artistic interpretation Tiago replicates, explaining: “I love how they put all these characters on their vases and murals so I try to apply it onto contemporary objects. For me, it’s something new and has a strong visual impact.” By combining these historical figures with universal household items, Tiago’s drawings are fondly familiar.

Tiago originally studied engineering and product design which he says “gave me a particular vision of life, but also how to approach a project as well as teaching me to appreciate well-designed objects”. His route into illustration grew from painting graffiti, “I learned a lot about colours, shapes, looseness and control, about constancy and quality, but mostly importantly about freedom.” Each of Tiago’s design backgrounds are visible in this collection of drawings, from his line work to the products he’s chosen to include.