Starry Night

- Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.

I think almost everyone has seen this painting before or some reference to it.  I read The Letters of Vincent van Gogh for a class last semester and it amazed me that van Gogh was not appreciated at all during his lifetime, it was only much after his death that his paintings were recognized to be great. Throughout his life he and his brother wrote letters to each other and reading these allows you to see inside the mind of a mentally troubled, artistic genius.

This painting also inspired a famous Don McLean song, which in turn inspired the rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac even wrote a poem about van Gogh. It's crazy that van Gogh, who was unknown during his lifetime, is now known throughout the world. His influence can be seen in many different art forms.