Street Poetry and Classical Paintings
Much to our art teacher’s chagrin, Gisella Velasco and Toni Potenciano combine two unlikely forms of art for a mash-up like no other. The duo pairs rap lyrics with historic classical paintings for a perfect harmony of old meets new on the ongoing Tumblr project Fly Art. With the phrase “An homage to the finer things in life: Art and Hip Hop,” iconic painters like Da Vinci, Botticelli, and Dali are complemented by lyrical hooks from Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, and Outkast. The two friends who met in art school have since launched an apparel line with Rad since their 2013 inception which can be seen here.
(Above: The Birth of Venus (1486), Sandro Botticelli / Flawless, Beyonce ft. Chimamanda Ngozie Adiche)
Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci (c.1503) / Super Bass, Nicki Minaj
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881) / Super Rich Kids, Frank Ocean
Dancers practicing at the barre (1877), Edgar Degas / Fergalicious, Fergie feat. Will.i.am
A Lady Writing a Letter, with her Maid (c.1670), Johannes Vermeer / Otis, Jay-Z, Kanye West feat. Otis Redding
The first coat (1892), Vladimir Makovsky / American Boy, Estelle feat. Kanye West
The Family of Henry VIII (c. 1572), Lucas de Heere / Big Poppa, The Notorious B.I.G.
Noli Me Tangere (1442), Fra Angelico / U Can’t Touch This, MC Hammer
Phaedra, Alexandre Cabanel (1880) / Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe, Kendrick Lamar
The Persistence of Memory (1931), Salvador Dali / Ms. Jackson, Outkast
The Ascension (1775), John Singleton Copley / Touch The Sky, Kanye West ft. Lupe Fiasco
Antoine-François Callet, King Louis XVI (1754-1793) / C.R.E.A.M., Wu-Tang Clan
Diaz Albertini (1909), Giovanni Boldini / Fancy, Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
The Dance (1856), William-Adolphe Bouguereau / Happy, Pharrell Williams
The stolen kiss (1788), Jean Honore-Fragonard / Teenage Love Affair, Alicia Keys
Love’s Shadow (1887), Frederick Sandys / Ring the Alarm, Beyonce
L’Absinthe (1876), Edgar Degas / Gin and Juice, Snoop Dogg
Louis XIV (1701), Hyacinthe Rigaud / Tom Ford, Jay-Z ft. Beyonce
La Coiffure (1901), Henri Matisse / Rocket, Beyonce