Analysis Of The Starrry Night By Vincent Van Gogh

In my research / readings of my chosen Artist, I found a lot of information about them that I will descibe individually. Based on the biography, It has been stated that Vincent “was a most well known post-impressionism Artist, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, he was highly emotional, lacked self-confidence and struggled with his identity and with direction.” (Templeton Reid) In the late 1800’s is when Vincent basically made the decision to become an Artist, in which he wanted to provide some type of Happiness because he was able to create beauty (Templeton Reid). As you review the art chosen above by Vincent Van Gogh, you will notice the colors used were dark i.e. Greens, Oranges, Blues, with splashes of yellow to create the sun, which led me to believe that maybe this was when he was in the dark place of his life. In the Van Gogh painting, I see big trees with the nice bright sun shining over the blue water, while looking at the trees it makes me feel safe because of the openness of the surrounding space, also the brightness of the sun and the coolness of the water makes me calm and relaxed, it’s just something about being in nature that gives me a sense of peace and direction, nothing to distract or disturb me.

When I first saw Vincent van Gogh’s painting of The Starry Night, I was immediately drawn to the peaceful luminescent stars emanating outward like vibrant yellow halos into the captivating striking blue sky. I felt a sense of calm and tranquility as the bright orange moon shone intently over the serene village below. The sprawling mountain range, grassy hills and fields of wheat intensified this feeling as a soft wind swept through the countryside. Under the immense stars and vibrant night sky, the people of the village sleep soundly in their cottages. This painting exudes an overwhelming feeling of calmness and peace in my mind.

The first four sources I will be using are related to “The Starry Night” painting from Vincent van Gogh. The first source, located on MOMA Learning, is titled "Vincent van Gogh: The Starry Night, 1889” which does not appear to have an author or publication date. The MOMA Learning article provides insights into the interpretations of the artwork, including insights into Van Gogh’s mental state at the time that the painting. Additionally, the article provides relevant information regarding the post-impressionists use of their art as a way to express their emotions and “psychological responses to the world through bold colors and expressive, often symbolic images” (MOMA Learning, n.d.). The second source is “Van Gogh: Art and Suicide”

The swirling lines and brilliantly contrasting blues and yellows and the thickly layered brushstrokes of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night are engrained in the minds of many. Starry Night was painted in June of 1889 and was inspired by an image of the French city of Arles at night; van Gogh completed this work outdoors with the help of a gas lamplight. Starry Night is an oil on canvas painting and which depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint Remy-de-Provence. CITATION Van Gogh brilliantly utilized the elements of art with color, light, tone, form, texture, and composition being the elements that stand out the most.

In order to get an understanding of Van Gogh’s artworks, we must first get to know the very man himself. As it turns out, according to Dr. Cibelli, Van Gogh’s success was a by-product of his many hardships. As was noted in the video, “The Power of Art,” Van Gogh didn’t always have his mind set on becoming an artist. In trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, Van Gogh early in life tried to become a pastor, but was booted out by fellow missionaries. It was after this failure, that Van Gogh decided to paint as a way to express himself and make a living. Unfortunately, his paintings didn’t sell very well (seen as too dark) and he could not turn to his father for help. The rough relationship with his father, as noted by the documentary, stemmed from the fact that Van Gogh’s girlfriend was a former prostitute, and that was something his father could not accept. Luckily for Van Gogh, his brother Theo was by his side both financially and emotionally, even up until death.

Van Gogh was a mainly self-taught artist who went on to change the face of Post-impressionism endlessly. A troubled yet highly-skilled painter, van Gogh’s work was a vent for his emotion, particularly when fighting depression. Upon moving to Paris, van Gogh was enormously inspired by the works of the Impressionists and Post-impressionists and he implemented their bright palette and developed a unique style which continues to be matched by artists to this day. Working at an often furious pace van Gogh produced more than 2,000 works of art, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches in his 10-year career. However, he sold only one painting during his lifetime and did not become successful until after his death.

The Starry Night is an oil on canvas work that was created by Vincent van Gogh in 1889.

“The Starry Night” is one of Van Gogh most well-known work. The art piece composes of swirling sky that are intended to help viewer eyes move throughout the painting, and a tree pointing up in the sky. It may be the effect of Van Gogh mental illness; the whole art piece gives off a dreamlike feel. Van Gogh choice of color make “The Starry Night” look even more mysterious. Besides, he uses light to emphasis movement between swirl creating this imaginative world (Vincent Van Gogh Gallery). Compare to “Potato Easter,” Van Gogh style has changes dramatically.

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day .” He demonstrated this ideal through his painting “The Starry Night,” one of the most iconic paintings of nineteenth century. Through this painting, Vincent van Gogh shared a very personal experience with the viewer. The nature of the night became a symbolic image to van Gogh. The representation of the small town resembles the small scale of human life. The Church points directly upward, to the Heavens. Although van Gogh was not mentally stable, “The Starry Night” was created in moments of great clarity to him .

In Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night there are many aspects of the artwork that are symbolic of Van Gogh’s life struggles. It is easy for the viewer to assume that the aspects of Starry Night represent van Gogh’s time in the asylum, however, not all aspects represent his insanity and isolation. Starry Night is van Gogh’s representation of his biography inspired by his loss of faith, which can be seen and supported by the symbols of the church and the stars.

In my art appreciation class this spring, we watched a slide show of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting. There was a song playing during the slide show, it was called “Vincent” by Don McLean. We learned that Van Gogh was a sad artist. He would paint whatever he was feeling. In the middle of the night when he was sad and couldn’t sleep, he would go outside and just paint to get rid of any depressing thoughts. I saw his art the first time when I was in the doctor’s office.

Renowned artist, Vincent Van Gogh, expresses his practice of religion through his artwork, “When I have a terrible need of - shall I say the word - religion. Then I go out and paint the stars”. In this statement he is expressing how his religion affects his artwork. Van Gogh’s faith is portrayed in his paintings in the sense that it inspires his creative ideas. In Van Goghs’ painting Starry Night, the oppression of religion is being voiced through the foremost focal figure, the wave of Christianity and the holy church.

The date is March 30, 1853, when a child by the name Vincent Van Gogh was born. Happy were his parents after the demise of their first born son, they saw Vincent as pain reliever who will take away their incomprehensible pain and grieve for the loss of their son, so sure they were that they named him exactly as their deceased son. Vincent an artistic painter with over 2000 beautiful artworks was suffering silently for his own sanity, he thought he was a replacement child, some of his friends thought he reincarnated. This tortured him for decades and one starry night in July 29, 1890 at the age 37 he reached threshold, he took a gun and his painting brush on the other hand and he shot himself in the chest, it took him almost two days to die.

The subject of my discussion can be seen in the first link, Wikipedia. I am going to discuss the following categories to the best of my abilities: subject matter/content; materials and techniques; composition; use of colors; lines and forms; use of space; sense of movement; and reason for preference. (John Richard, 2009)

“Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul,” said William Maugham, a British playwright from the 19th century. Vincent Van Gogh, an artist who is considered by many one of the most inspirational artists in history, was no stranger to depicting his struggles in life or feelings in his work. Van Gogh’s piece Starry Night, designed in the year 1889, shows this to be true in that it was the result of his experiences in an asylum that encouraged this piece. Despite this work has being so well known, many critics and observers of the piece have differing views on what he was trying to communicate through it. Two prime examples of this can be seen by the views expressed in the poems entitled, “Vincent” and “The Starry Night”, written by Don McClean and Anne Sexton, respectively. While the poem “Vincent”, has a depressing tone to it, “The Starry Night”, by Anne Sexton, depicts Starry Night as having a more lively mood, which more accurately represents that of the painting, by Vincent Van Gogh.