The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been popular for many years and yet they still remain full of odd mysteries many people don’t know. Perhaps the most surprising to many is the origins of the turtle’s names. Each of the teenage turtles is named after a famous Renaissance artist from the past, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
New York-based artist Owen Dippie is here to remind the world of this fun Ninja Turtles fact with his latest mural in NYC. Originally from New Zealand, Dippie created a stunning mural that runs along a railway track in Brooklyn, New York.
The highly detailed mural depicts each of the four turtles as the Renaissance men they were named after. Each of the Renaissance painters is painted wearing a colored mask that pays tribute to the crime-fighting turtles that borrow their famous names.
Dippie considers his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mural a work of “respect,” although it also highlights his passion for Renaissance art as well as the Mutant Ninja Turtles. A child of the 1980s and 1990s, the turtles were a big part of his childhood. Dippie said, “I am a child of popular culture and am inspired by my heroes. By involving them in my art I pay my utmost respect to them in the best way I know how.”
It took Dippie some time to get the mural up as he worked like a ninja himself against the strains of New York weather. In total he needed 5 solid days of good weather to complete the mural. At the time NY was only dishing out 3 clear days at a time. Hard work and dedication pay off, as Dippie’s epic artwork is now a completed masterpiece that stands out amongst the nearby trash discarded in the area.
Don’t forget to check out more of Owen Dippie’s varied artwork on his website.
Photo Credits: Brooklyn Street Art, Owen Dippie, Facebook
