Art Analysis: Starry Night

Starry Night 

Vincent Van Gogh

(1889)

It may seem cliche to talk about one of the most famous Vincent paintings there are, but anyone who knows me well enough knows that I have been obsessed with this painting for a good portion of my life. There is a story this painting depicts that no one really knows. Vincent was one of the more troubled artists there were, but his art provided a sense of clarity and insight that few do. By using vibrant night colors and brush strokes that create a moving appearance, Vincent was able to convey a whirlwind of emotions that depict the complexity of human nature and feeling that is unique to each individual, portraying dreams and failing hopes that move and disappear with the night. The swirling night sky that Vincent painted has the appearance of motion as he painted it to move around and with the stars in the sky, swirling the clouds and night like an ever-moving ocean that conveys emotional turmoil.

People can easily see through the dark colors that roll over the lands that in the night, both the sky and the earth get blended into a rich blue, overcasting the small town, with the only light in the darkness being those luminous stars that burst out in great circles to light up the darkness. The moon is painted a richer yellow like it is older than the stars, and Venus is painted in an almost white light as one of the most prominent lights there are in that painting.

Vincent was a dreamer in the way of art. He saw things through the way he lived his life and the emotions only he felt; that is what art was meant for. It is supposed to be viewed uniquely by each person because it was created by someone trying to express individuality and emotions within them. This painting was created by Vincent in late June, and the view is the one he had from his asylum window, painting it in that very room where he stayed for over a year after mutilating his ear and having a mental break. The town we see in the painting is one from his imagination, something he created that took him away from where he was at the moment and placed him somewhere else along the french landscapes.

When I first saw this painting, I thought it was meant to be seen like it was underwater. The deep blues and the way he made the night sky move made me think that this landscape we were seeing was underwater. The tree was fluid in the way it stood, much like kelp or other underwater vegetation. I feel sorrowful when I look at this painting. I am reminded of the struggles of a beautiful artist's mind and wonder what he must have been thinking when he looked out from his asylum window and saw this complex night sky and what he must have been wishing for when he imagined that little village. I think that this is what he wanted people to think when seeing his art; we are meant to wonder at the ever-changing whirlwind of emotions that are clearly present in the painting. He wanted us to try to imagine the depth of his pain, the unique feelings, and the statements he was trying to make. Statements of how human nature seems to move like the night sky and shine like the stars. Was he hopeful, looking out at the little town where he wished he was? Did he feel despair when he looked at the stars or was he feeling freed as he watched the wind move and wash away everything as it changed constantly? And, most exigently, did some kind of epiphany he had there while staring out that window cause him to take his own life merely a year later, two months after leaving that fateful asylum window?