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