Vincent van Gogh, in his classical painting titled Starry Night, created one of the most brilliant paintings globally. Contemporary culture centralizes this artistic work as a great masterwork of history (Art in Context Para 4). Van Gogh’s painting can be understood from numerous perspectives of social orbs since the image relays the various cultural transformations of its period. Different facets of cultures and time underpinned the production of Starry Night coupled with the diverse interpretation of its diversity and meaning as an outstanding work.
Tupac Shakur, in his artistic lyric about Starry Night devoted to the reminiscence of van Gogh, lauds his originality and expresses compassion for his misconstrued art, and laments his young, disastrous demise. Van Gogh’s source of artistic imitation began while staying in southern parts of France as an asylum. Following post-impressionism, van Gogh imitated other figures such as Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat, Camille Pissarro, and Claude Monet who impacted his style depicted by the use of lighter color schemes. Shakur was also impressed with van Gogh’s paintings and used his work to pass the message to society.
Gogh’s painting and Shakur’s rap are dissimilar in numerous ways. Firstly, Van Gogh employs vibrant colors and chaotic painting as a way to release the pain he experienced from mental illness. Secondly, the images of van Gogh’s painting are regarded to be the cypress, sky, and village, articulating the blending of the historical and the future. Thirdly, from the artistic perspective, all the shapes of the images are construed to be mystical. In contrast, Shakur’s rap demonstrates contrast, ethics, and corruption in society. For instance, in his lyrics, Shakur pens, “a creative heart obsessed with satisfying” (Martynartt 0:02-4:37).
He demonstrated that van Gogh was rejected by his parents regarding his desire to paint but always attempted to win their approval, showing his ethics and conduct as a painter. Moreover, Shakur also uses images in rap to depict van Gogh as a dedicated painter. He also emphasizes rhythm in the lyrics to strengthen the ideas and meaning of the rap. Interestingly, both Gogh and Shakur use artistic skills to enlighten society with ideas that can seek to instill mindset change.
Works Cited
Art in Context. “Starry Night” van Gogh – Exploring the Famous “Starry Night” Painting” Art in Context. 2022. Web.
“2Pac Starry Night-Quincy Jones & Mac Mall.” YouTube, uploaded by Martynartt. 2009. Web.