Image via Complex Original
Everybody, take a shot of absinthe, for today marks Vincent van Gogh's 161st birthday. Although it's been over a century since the artist last walked this earth, the Post-Impressionist painter's contributions to the creative world and art in general are still felt today. Best known for his vibrant works like The Starry Night and Café Terrace at Night, the masterful painter unfortunately did not receive much recognition for his talents until after his death. In fact, van Gogh lived a rather troubled, miserable life.
Therefore, we've decided to honor the man in a rather unconventional way, comparing van Gogh with creative genius Kanye West. Though West has yet to liken himself to the 19th century painter, the two are surprisingly similar (at least in some ways). Here are 13 Things Vincent van Gogh and Kanye West Have in Common.
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Both Kanye West and Vincent van Gogh were interested in art at a young age.
As a child, van Gogh made drawings for fun like the rest of us. Though his earlier stuff is nothing compared to his later masterpieces, it's safe to say even van Gogh's doodles were probably a lot better than any of our basic scribbles.
Likewise, Kanye began attending art school at age five, later receiving scholarships to places like the Art Institute of Chicago, Saint Xavier, and the American Academy of Art. "I'm a trained fine artist. I went to art school from the time I was five years old. I was, like, a prodigy out of Chicago," Kanye told Interview Magazine in January.
Neither completed school.
Yes, both van Gogh and Kanye were dropouts. The Post-Impressionist painter first attended a school in a small village, where a Catholic teacher taught him and his 200 peers. A year later, he and his sister moved back home, where their parents educated them. Then in 1864, his family sent the painter away to boarding school, only to enroll him in a different middle school again in 1866. There, artist Constantijn C. Huysmans taught van Gogh how to draw. After two years, the budding artist suddenly decided to dropout and go home.
As for Kanye, most are familiar with the rapper's story. West attended Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1997, eventually transferring to Chicago State University to study English, but he didn't stay at CSU for very long. Much to his mother's initial dismay, Kanye dropped out of school at age 20 after realizing his classes were taking away from time he could spend making music.
The two artists are known for retreating from the public and working in seclusion.
It's sad, but van Gogh spent most of his days by himself, drawing and painting all by his lonesome. One of the few friends he had was Paul Gauguin, who left him in the end anyway. Thankfully, that didn't stop van Gogh from making art.
While van Gogh may have longed for company, Kanye actually isolated himself from the rest of the world when making My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Mentally exhausted and frustrated with the way the media portrayed him after the Taylor Swift incident, he exiled himself in Hawaii to work on what is now considered his greatest albums OF ALL TIME.
They were both misunderstood by the public.
Van Gogh had a tough life. In a letter to his brother, he wrote, "My youth was gloomy and cold and sterile." Sadly, his later years were equally as miserable, plagued with unrequited love, loss of faith, the death of his father, among other tragedies. Often, his family members and those around him questioned his sanity, unable to understand van Gogh's pain.
While Kanye's history is not as dark as the 19th century painter's, he had his share of rough times. His tirades against the relentless paparazzi, his bold statements, and his general propensity for speaking his mind have caused many to overlook his genius.
Both created works that the mainstream may not have initially appreciated.
It's funny how many of the world's greatest minds were initially dismissed by the public, and van Gogh and Kanye were no exception. Though van Gogh had been drawing and painting since he was a child, it wasn't until he was 29 years old that those in Paris began to take interest. After van Gogh painted The Potato Eaters, considered his breakthrough painting, he finally opened an exhibition later that year.
The same holds true for Kanye. Though record companies recognized his talent for producing music, Kanye struggled to lock down a contract. Eventually, Damon Dash, who was the head of Roc-A-Fella Records at the time, signed Kanye, fearing that the rapper would sign with another label.
Van Gogh and Kanye both have an iconic scowl.
There aren't many actual photos of van Gogh out there, but in all his self-portraits, the artist is sulking with a grimace not unlike Kanye's classic Yeezy scowl.
They hung out in Paris a lot.
Paris was probably the best thing that ever happened to van Gogh. Penniless, the artist moved to Paris in 1886 to live with his brother Theo. There, he discovered an entirely new style of painting with thick, textured brush strokes and vibrant colors. It's what van Gogh is known for today.
Kanye also spends a lot of time in Paris, and he's currently furnishing an apartment he bought there.
They both probably drank a lot.
Van Gogh was a straight up alcoholic. The artist is known for gulping down bottles of absinthe, (if he weren't so sad, he'd probably party harder than these artists), and while Kanye is certainly no alcoholic, he's admitted to drowning his sorrows in alcohol, too. After Steven McQueen asked Kanye how he dealt with everything that happened to him in 2009 for Interview, Yeezy gave the best answer ever: "...God, sex, and alcohol."
Both artists created what the public considers their best work after an "incident."
When most people think of van Gogh, the two things that come to mind are probably The Starry Night and the fact that van Gogh sliced off his ear. Though there aren't confirmed details about what went down with the whole ear incident, we know van Gogh chopped off his right ear with a razor, frustrated that his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin had thought of abandoning him. It was after this violent episode, van Gogh created his most famous work of art.
Regarding Kanye, everyone's familiar with what happened at the 2009 VMAs. He became the target of much criticism after he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. A year later, however, Kanye released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, hailed by critics as his best album ever.
Van Gogh was the happiest when he was in love, as is Kanye.
According to writer Marc Edo Tralbaut's biography of van Gogh, the artist's sister-in-law once remarked that 1869 was the happiest year of his life. It's no coincidence that this was the same year van Gogh met and fell in love with Eugénie Loyer. Sadly, Loyer ended up turning him down and breaking his heart, but what are you going to do? Love can suck sometimes.
For those who still need proof that Kanye is currently living on cloud nine, just see Vogue's latest cover and photo shoot of him and his bride-to-be (and baby North West).
Both were interested in Japanese culture.
Van Gogh and his brother Theo used to collect and deal wood-block prints from Japan called ukiyo-e. Fascinated with the Asian art form, van Gogh started copying the drawings from the prints, infusing elements of the ukiyo-e into his own works. He was so inspired by these wood-block prints and Japanese art in general that he even coined the term "Japonaiserie," which means "Japanesery" in English.
Just like van Gogh, Kanye is also a big fan of Japanese art. In 2007, he enlisted the help of Takashi Murakami to design his Graduation album cover. Murakami even made Kanye's video for "Good Morning," transforming the iconic dropout bear into one of his Superflat creations.
Van Gogh paved the way for Expressionists, and Kanye continues to change the game in both visual art and music.
There might have never been artists like Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and consequently any of the contemporary artists that we know and love if not for the great van Gogh. After studying the works of painters like Gauguin, Pissarro, Monet, he completely revolutionized art, using vivid colors and painting in the impasto style.
Just as van Gogh paved the way for modern art, Kanye continues to change the game in both visual art and music as well. Last year, he released the radio-defying Yeezus album and kicked off his grand, eponymous tour, taking music and stage design to levels no one had ever seen before.