Van Gogh And The Starry Night

In Van Gogh's childhood, he was born and raised in a religious Dutch Reformed Church family in southern Netherland. Affected by his family, Van Gogh was also a religious person, even had the experience as missionary when he was young. In the later year, he turned to God in hope of a resurrection from the torture of depression. Van Gogh continued the serving for God while painting at the same time. For these reasons, there are numerous underlying religious meanings dedicated to The Starry Night. One of the most significant elements is the church in the center of the village which can refer to Van Gogh's homeland, Netherland. Faith is what he considered important in his life, so he arranges the houses surround the church in the painting. Besides
the church, the dark tree stretches up toward the sky which is typically found in cemeteries. It is one of the few dark figures in the images, presents a connection between life and death. Meanwhile, the tree illustrates Van Gogh's concern on death at that time. The death is close and inevitable in his thoughts. According religious meaning, the sky is often referred to the heaven where people's spirits would go afterlife. In his personal letter, he says:" looking at the stars always makes me dream. Why, I ask myself, shouldn't the shining dots of the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France? Just as we take the train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to reach a star"(Starry Night Story). It can be explained that the stars in dark sky make Van Gogh feel comfortable and eased. The shinning stars with large halos are the only lights above the dark landscape at night which serving as a guide. This conveys his strong needs of hope, lightness and eternal peace in his real life. In additional, the swirling curves of the sky and the mountains painting like the waves of ocean, also reflect his loneliness. There is a war against anxiety going on in Van Gogh's mind, he wants to pursue the true happiness and relief.