The original artist behind Minecraft's pixel art recalls Notch asking them to help out on his 'weird indie hobby game'
You know all the tiny, pixelated paintings that you can decorate your walls within Minecraft with? Many of them were created by Swedish artist Kristoffer Zetterstrand, who «shrunk down» photos of his oil paintings to produce the now iconic pixel art canvases.
On Twitter, Zetterstrand recently reflected on his contribution to Minecraft and shared the png that started it all.
«Back in 2010, Markus (aka Notch) asked me if I could do some pixel paintings for his little weird indie hobby game 'Minecraft,'» Zetterstrand explained in a <a data-analytics-id=«inline-link» href=«https://twitter.com/Zetterstrand/status/1766066437892743615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1766066437892743615%7Ctwgr%5E38eba42187d6c0ee50cbb87bb06ba61948e9083d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamesradar.com%2Fafter-14-years-the-artist-behind-minecrafts-iconic-paintings-shares-the-original-artwork-made-for-what-was-once-a-little-weird-indie-hobby-game%2F» target="_blank" data-url=«https://twitter.com/Zetterstrand/status/1766066437892743615?ref_src=» https:>tweet
. «So I shrunk down some pics of my oil paintings and played around with them a bit. Then, I sent him this file. kz.png»
In response to a question about whether he considered how many times his paintings have been viewed in Minecraft over the last decade, Zetterstrand simply said, «It's surprising and fun.»
I've probably stared at Zetterstrand's macabre little pixel art paintings in Minecraft more than any other pieces of art in the real world. I still tirelessly re-hang and break canvases to try and get the right one to suit my grand interior design concept, whether that be in a dirt hut or a medieval stone castle. Although I usually just end up falling back on the burning skull to fill the hole in my wall.
Zetterstrand's Minecraft paintings, which include a skeleton sitting in what looks like a fortune cookie and a variant of Caspar David Friedrich's famous «Wanderer above the Sea of Fog,» are all oddly
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