And yet another war. The only thing that I can do about it, apart from donating to humanitarian aid organizations, pressuring my government to take action, and offering support to my friends, is to educate. As an art historian, I choose to educate through art, and today I want to remind you of an artist whose art went viral a couple of years ago, Tammam Azzam. His poignant photomontages with the use of Western art’s most famous works speak out about the atrocities of the Syrian War in particular.
One of the most iconic and widely merchandised paintings, The Starry Night, is seamlessly blended into the cityscape of ramshackled buildings. The juxtaposition of the rubble and our memory of the quiet and serene French town painted by Van Gogh heightens the emotional effect of this scene. Yet, there is hope. The sky is blue again and the stars keep on shining.
