Oddity of the Week: Van Gogh on Venice Beach
Created | Updated Dec 7, 2014
Do you have the urge to draw on the wall? Could you do this?
Oddity of the Week: Van Gogh on Venice Beach
Do you like murals? In many places, murals are regarded as a beloved form of civic art, a way to celebrate history and encourage community identity in urban areas. In fact, in California, mural artists are protected by law from arbitrary removal of their works by property owners. They have to be notified 90 days in advance, so that the works can be removed safely and preserved. Mural art has become a recognised treasure, especially in Venice, a beach area that is part of Los Angeles.
Venice artist Rip Cronk created this mural, called Homage to Starry Night. In 2012, Carol M Highsmith, another national treasure, photographed it for the Library of Congress. In addition to beautifying the multicultural neighbourhood, Cronk's work honours another artist. It must also provide an interesting contrast to the night sky in LA.
Since we're thinking about space in December, we might also want to think about what the night sky has done for human artistic vision. From the earliest paintings on cave walls to the brick walls of the modern city, our painters have drawn the world they see when they look around – and up.
Want to know more about LA's mural art? Read about them here.
