Vincent Van Gogh

Starry Night
Thesis: Vincent van Gogh took a risk, painted an enormous artistic achievement, and creating for us a sort of balance when viewing Starry Night. For most of my life particularly in the night the sky opens me up to the universe beyond. Van Gogh must of felt the same way as he captured resplendent color, a tree, and a town like no one else before. Vincent van Gogh moved to Arles where he spent much of his time living there out side painting objects or landscape but not many people. On a letter Van Gogh admits to Theo Van Gogh that he was particularly becoming interested in trees -specifically cypresses. Admitting how amazed it all was to him that, no one had ever captured them before like the way he vision their line and proportion. (P50 Crispino) On the painting the cypress tree is located on the left side of the canvas -tall and dark. Most likely Italian cypress that can be found also in France, and now in so many parts of the United States, a tree that can grow up to 50 feet in height. (2020-Site) The cypress is dark and distinctive it creates a sense of wonder of why its there and why is it painted up at the front? Also the cypress brings ones attention to the church tower. Being that his father was a Dutch minister Vincent van Gogh influence of religion was reflected when he painted the church in the town to stand out emphasizing his beliefs (Murray). When I turned portrait on its left side up the tall church tower and cypress compared to the brilliant crescent moon and stars makes the painting seem equally balanced.
Vincent van Gogh captured a night in a city where clouds form swirls the wind blows and the stars are shinning. Attractive as the painting is was actually in a mental hospital in France where he was occasionally allowed taking a canvas and paints to paint his subject. (P50 Crispino) Behind the architecture one can see the use of light yellow and blues of the mountains foreshortening distorted. Up at front are tall jagged trees, with detail in each line painted to create waves of texture- the tree that Vincent van Gogh wanted to capture and told Theo. The air is so thick with oil painted repellently to create a sort of rhyme with the paintbrush, creating thickness to the atmosphere. The night sky has blues, yellows, violets and grays one can find the same colors during the day. Bold but dark colors are used to capture a night. Vincent van Gogh used his paintbrush dripping with paint and focused detailing line by line swirl by swirl to make up a figure like bright bursting stars making the art work look spontaneous glowing. The dark lines repeated make the image look dark and abstract but still the painting is representative. The sky now seems to twist and turn filling the canvas with a movement that expresses perhaps Van Gogh feelings. The church tower seems to be stretching high up like the cypress except further in the painting - both creating depth. Now Starry worth about 82.5 million and is located in the Modern Art Museum, New York.
I believe Vincent van Gogh had a wonderful sense with color and composition that was magnificent. When he captured the light in the sky, which seems to be his main subject. Being that he had finished painting Starry Night thirteen months before his death he incorporated the church to portray his hope of life. The cypress that attracts me reminds me of nature- the earth bringing my eyes back on to the sky where my mind is at peace.
Sources
Crispino, Enrica. "Starry Night." Masters of Art Van Gogh. New York: Peter Bedrick, 1996. 48-55. Print.
"Cypress Trees." Cypress Tree. Love Toknow Corp, 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.2020site.org/trees/cypress.html>. web.
Murray, Ann H. "Jnl of the American Academy of Religion." The Religious Background of Vincent Van Gogh and Its Relation to His Views on Nature and Art. Oxford Jurnals, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://jaar.oxfordjournals.org>.web.