About Pintillism
At Wolberg Studio, we transform your photos into extraordinary 3D artwork made entirely of precisely-placed pin nails so that the image reveals itself in front of your eyes.
Each Pintillism artwork is a tactile, eye-catching creation that captures your memories in breathtaking detail.
Handcrafted in our New York studio, every single pin is meticulously placed to create a piece that’s as unique as the moment it represents.
The result? A striking, three-dimensional work of art you can see, touch, and feel.
Send us any photo, and we’ll turn it into a Pintillism masterpiece — a one-of-a-kind artwork that brings your image to life like never before.
The Art of Innovation: Pintillism at Wolberg Studio
Innovation often emerges from a blend of tradition and creativity. Wolberg Studio, led by Prof. George Wolberg, has introduced a unique and mesmerizing art form called Pintillism. Essentially a fusion of art and engineering, this technique produces excellent work that enthralls the mind and engages the senses.
The Wolberg Studio was founded to break the barriers and expand the limits of customary artistic practices. It is a studio that specializes in making Pintillism, which is a technique that Wolberg pioneered, whereby personalized images can be turned into masterpieces through tens of thousands of pins meticulously placed onto canvas-wrapped boards. The pins are strategically positioned to form an irregular distribution, adding depth and texture to the artwork. This method not only highlights the image but also invites viewers to experience the piece in a new and interactive way. The result is a blend of artistic creativity and engineering precision, offering a fresh perspective on traditional art forms.
The Process of Creating Pintillism Art
Creating a Pintillism piece begins with a user-supplied image that is then distilled into a pattern of dots which serves as a blueprint to guide the placement of pins. Each pin is carefully shot into the board with a nail gun. All of the pins have identical color and height. Shading is achieved by varying the pin density, with higher densities used to achieve darker regions. This intensive and detailed process results in a masterpiece where the aesthetics of an image is enriched with the tactile and viewpoint sensations arising from the actual pins.
Practical Benefits and Distinguishing Features
Unique Visual Appeal: Clusters of thousands of pins make Pintillism art look textured, unique, and viewpoint dependent in a way that painting or photography is not able to offer.
Customizable Art: Each piece is created based on a user-supplied image, allowing for a high degree of customization that makes Pintillism art suitable for special occasions, commemorative pieces, personalized gifts, or interior decoration items.
Interactive Experience: The tactile nature of Pintillism and the 3D nature of the pins invites viewers to engage with the artwork more interactively and to digest the workmanship more deeply.
Innovative Technique: By blending artistic expression with engineering precision, Pintillism stands out as a novel and innovative art form that highlights the potential for new methods of artistic creation and presentation.
Comments About Pintillism From Its Pioneer, George Wolberg
It’s my pleasure to share the wonder and joy of Pintillism with you. Pintillism is a unique art form that I developed made exclusively from tens of thousands of pin nails. I am essentially painting with pins to create the imagery you see here. My interest in this art form stems from my fascination with Pointillism, which is a technique developed by Seurat and Signac in the 1880s that relies on the ability of the viewer to blend spots of paint into a fuller range of tones. In Pintillism, I create the tones by varying the density of pins. Darker regions are achieved with a high density of pins, while lighter areas use a lower density of pins. Just like in Pointillism, you are challenged to step back and see the big picture.
Since the pins are 3D, the shading changes based on your viewing direction. You will notice that as you look at the artwork from an angle, its appearance seems to darken because you are actually seeing the body of the pins instead of just the tips of the pins.
Pintillism is also a tactile experience. Unlike most art, Pintillism invites you to touch and feel the pins. Upon close inspection, you will notice that all of the pins have the same height. It is not necessary to vary the heights of the pins to achieve the effect you see. It is simply necessary to vary their densities. Depending on the image, each large board has approximately 20,000 pins. Multi-panel pieces can have nearly 200,000 pins.
Each piece is hand-crafted. I developed a technique in which I can form a rendering of the artwork as it will appear in pins. This serves as a blueprint to guide the placement of pins, one pin at a time. This requires precision because if any pin is placed in the wrong place, it would be impossible to move it without exposing a hole in the board, which would render it useless. The results are unique, uncanny, and mesmerizing. Pintillism artwork makes a great gift and is a splendid addition to your home or office.