These Beautiful Paintings Are What Happen When Van Gogh Meets Pop Culture

After a simple mistake led to one of Aja Kusick’s original paintings being attributed to Van Gogh, Kusick decided to run with the idea and created an entire series based on the concept.

Kusick had originally posted this picture of the Eiffel Tower on the web when an education blog picked it up and posted it as one of Van Gogh’s. Although Van Gogh was alive when the tower was finished, he never had the chance to see it or paint it.

Rather than being upset about the misrepresentation of her work, Kusick decided to take the idea and run with it. She had in fact been trying to paint in the thick, impasto style of Van Gogh, so I suppose the mistake was ultimately a compliment.

According to Tech Insider Kusick began to wonder: If Van Gogh had not seen the Eiffel Tower, what else had he not seen? Star Wars, Zelda, Super Mario Brothers. How would he interpret some of these modern icons? That is how the series now titled “Van Gogh Never” evolved.

If after seeing these you love the concept and must have one for yourself, check out Kusick’s Etsy page where you will find similar paintings. She is even willing to do customized work, if you have a favorite pop culture icon that you would love to see gazing up at Van Gogh’s Starry Night.