After the exhibition

Artist: Vincent van Gogher

Date: 1989

Title: The Starry Night

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size: 73.7 cm × 92.1 cm (29 in × 36¼ in)

Description

At first sight it attracts attention. When I saw this painting the first thing I noticed was devastating night sky which covers most of the background of the painting. Second prominent feature of the painting is its spinning, flowing lines which seem whistling all through the background in a very tender, crimped movement. These lines appear to be merging in the centre and forming this spiral-like shape of the painting. There are in total eleven fiery yellow stars that appear to be big fireballs and work to illuminate the whole painting and represent a good contrast to the cool blue. It seems to be a fluid night sky with a surprising variety of shades of blue and grey. At the top right hand corner of the painting is a crescent moon radiating a light that is more orange and brighter as compared to the rest of the stars. The stars, sky and the moon has blocked the rest of the view which is the scene of a village

The prominent color in this painting is black green that stands out in this piece of art work. In the bottom there are tiny houses that have been painted inconspicuously yet have been blended in with the forest and mountains in a well manner. In the background structural design of the village is picturesque and simple with no artificial light illuminating it which gives an impression that its inhabitation are sleeping.

Analysis

It depicts the look and feel of night yet objects are not simple starts. The painter has presented his imagination of nigh in an abstract form. The painter has used basic shapes like circles and lines to create this painting. The colors prominent in this painting are blue, black, white and golden.

The central part of the painting represents village of saint marry yet is not clear representation of the scene and painter has used his imagination. The left part of the painting is a cypress tree

Vincent painted this painting while he was in the asylum at Saint-Marry. At that time his behavior was very unpredictable because he was facing sever attacks. Unlike his other paintings he used his memory and not outdoor environment to create this painting. That is why it is a representation of emotions related to night, the village of saint marry and cypress tree. In brief it is a master piece and very famous painting of Vincent van Gogh who used heavy and think brush strokes insistently to complete it putting a hectic rhythm to it. Resultantly the painting is giving an illusion of being in constant movement. .

References

Starry Night the image retrieved from http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0612.htm

Brooks, D. “Starry Night”. The Vincent van Gogh Gallery, endorsed by Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. David Brooks