The mechanics of art! Auto-repair workers recreate the works of Renaissance artists including Michelangelo and Rembrandt for quirky picture series

A photographer has brought the Renaissance era into the modern day with a comedic twist by re-imagining famous scenes from the period’s most iconic artworks using auto mechanics as his models.

Drawing inspiration from the the likes of Philippe de Champaigne, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt, Chicago-based photographerFreddy Fabris created The Renaissance Series, a collection of images featuring jumpsuit-clad auto shop workers rather than the centuries-old subjects we are used to seeing in the pictures.

'For many years I wanted to pay homage the great Renaissance masters,' Freddy told Huffington Post. 'Translating painting into photography was a challenge I looked forward to. I wanted to respect the look and feel of the originals, but needed to come up with a conceptual twist that would create a new layer to the original.' 

A holy lunch break: Chicago-based photographer Freddy Fabris has re-imagined the scenes of Renaissance artworks as photographs of mechanics going about their day, including this revamp of The Last Supper

An old classic: Freddy took his inspiration for the shot from Philippe de Champaigne's 1648 interpretation of the biblical story

According to Freddy, the inspiration for that twist came when he happened by an old car shop in the Midwest, which he said 'screamed for something to be shot there'. 

Gathering a group of mechanic models as his muses, Freddy fashioned a series of stunning portraits inspired by the likes of Philippe de Champaigne, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt.

For one the ensemble pictures, the photographer recreated the scene from The Last Supper by Philippe de Champaigne.

In Freddy's version, the mechanics are gathered around a table in the shop, propped up on stools, boxes and chairs, with fast food packages strewn across the table among the wrenches and hammers. 

Handing off: The series came together after Freddy came across a Midwestern car shop that 'screamed for something to be shot there'

The original: Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, which is a part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was morphed into a pair of mechanics handing off tools in Freddy's photo

Looking on: The cadaver from Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson is replaced by parts stripped from a car 

From medics to mechanics: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp from 1632 was turned into a mechanic demonstration 

Taking on the central role of Jesus is a long-haired man in a pink T-shirt reading 'pump it up' with the sleeves rolled, and standing in the center of the table with what appears to be a hubcap hung on the wall behind him serving as a halo. 

Freddy also took on the legendary Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, which makes up part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In the photographer's new imagining, rather than God breathing life into Adam, one mechanic sitting atop a tool bench is seen handing a wrench to another mechanic who lays prone on a creeper - a wheeled board used for sliding under cars.

For Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson, the cadaver being examined in the classic artwork is replaced by car parts being prodded at by the teacher as his fellow mechanics look on in awe.

Completing the series: New York-born and Buenos Aries-raised Freddy(not pictured) supplemented the ensemble photos with Rembrandt-inspired portraits

The Dutch masterworks: Rembrandt was famed for his portrait painting, including many from the 1630s such as these of Marten Looten (left, 1632) and the Old Man with a Gold Chain (right, 1631)

Strike a pose: The mechanics are seen individually in the portraits posing with tools and car parts

In addition to the ensemble pieces, New York-born and Buenos Aries-raised Freddy took images of the individual mechanics in a series of Rembrandt-inspired portraits.

Each of the subjects in the series stands with a prop representative of their profession, including a welding torch and mask, one half of an axle or various other tools from sledgehammers to monkey wrenches.

Aside from The Renaissance Series, Freddy, who has worked in advertising for 16 years, has also taken a series of portraits of athletes in the style of the 1900s. 

Tools of the trade: The props used in the portraits are all items mechanics use on a regular basis

Other works: Aside from the mechanics as Renaissance artworks, Freddy has also worked on portraits of athletes styled as if they were from the 1900s