Critical Essay on Van Gogh Text

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The night sky depicted by van gogh in the starry night painting is brimming with whirling clouds, shining stars, and a bright crescent moon. The setting is one that viewers can relate to and van gogh´s swirling sky directs the viewer´s eye around the painting, with spacing between the stars and the curving contours creating a dot to dot effect. These internal elements ensure fluidity and such contours were important for the artist even though they were becoming less significant for other impressionists.

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Thus starry night´s composition was distinct from the impressionist technique of the 19th century. The artist was aware that his starry night composition was somewhat surreal and stylized and in a letter to his brother he even referred to exaggerations in terms of composition. the vivid style chosen by van gogh was unusual he chose lines to portray this night scene when silhouettes would have been a more obvious choice.

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In starry night contoured forms are a means of expression and they are used to convey emotion. Many feel that van gogh´s turbulent quest to overcome his illness is reflected in the dimness of the night sky. The village is painted with dark colors but the brightly lit windows create a sense of comfort. The village is peaceful in comparison to the dramatic night sky and the silence of the night can almost be felt in starry night. In terms of composition, the church steeple gives an impression of size and isolation.

In the left foreground is a curvy cypress tree which is typically associated with mourning. It is painted in the same way as the sky with fluid lines which enhances the flow of the starry night painting well as its easiness on the eye. an analysis on vincent van gogh's starry night van gogh painted this piece in 1889 while he was in saint rйmy seeking treatment in a mental asylum. Interestingly enough, he painted this piece from his memory and it was supposed to have been based on a constellation arrangement he had seen earlier on in the night sky of provence. starry night is perhaps one of his most famous and yet most elusive works. The first thing that i noticed was the overwhelming night sky, which takes up most of the background. Its swirling, flowing lines appear to be swishing across the background in this gentle, wavy motion and seem to be merging at the centre to form this spiral like formation.

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Eleven fiery yellow stars that look like huge fireballs illuminate this whole piece and contrast with the cool blue, fluid night sky that takes on an amazing variety of shades of blue and grey. There is also the crescent moon at the top right hand corner that radiates a more orange, brighter light from the rest of the stars. The view of the night sky and village is partially blocked by this huge cypress bush in the foreground. It has this writhing quality to it and its black green colouring stands out to the rest of the relatively pastel piece.

The houses are tiny and inconspicuously painted in the bottom right corner of the painting and blend in quite well with the forest and mountains. The architecture of the village is quaint and simple and no light illuminates the village, giving the impression that everyone there is probably asleep. In general, his brush strokes are heavy and thick and have this insistent, hectic rhythm to it. The fact that he had painted this from his mental image may have contributed to this piece having such a strong sense of great mental dislocation and emotional intensity. One almost feels as if he was hardly able to contain his feelings and that all his angst and passion seem to have spilled onto this piece. The moon and stars seem so huge that we feel that the sky is about to fall in on us. The cypress bush, a usually inconspicuous and solemn funeral plant seems almost sinister as it confronts us right smack in front of the picture.

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