Vincent Van Gogh The Starry Night
The Starry Night Co.1889 is considered the most famous piece of painting by Dutch post-impressionist artist, Vincent van Gogh. The masterpiece was painted during van Gogh’s stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole lunatic asylum in France after a mental breakdown in 1889. The painting shows a small village under a wild night sky. A large cypress tree stand in the foreground while rolling mountains subject in the background. Considered as the finest artwork the famous artist had composed, van Gogh used multiple elements of design to create a masterpiece that served as an excellent example of the usage of space, shape, texture, line and color.
Vincent van Gogh cleverly played with the composition of the painting. The night sky filled approximately ⅔ of the picture plane while the village covered the rest. The eye level is approximately halfway across the sky while the horizon line is located behind the mountains in the background. The cypress …show more content…
The large, crescent moon is the first organic shape viewers would notice in the painting. Van Gogh used circular shapes to depict the yellow stars and to illustrate the warm glows of the moon and the stars. However, the glow of the moon and stars does not blur with the surrounding sky, but instead it stays in a steady shape. The small village also shows the sights of geometric shapes.
The line serves as the focal point and is an important design element in this painting. Van Gogh used short, horizontal strokes to project the basic format of the painting. Curving lines were used in the sky to indicate directional movement of the night sky. The large spiral in the middle of the sky depicts a gust of wind. Behind the village, the mountains were painted with lines to illustrate movements. Sinuous lines were used to illustrate the cypress tree. Van Gogh used his aggressive lines to show texture. The small, unified brushstrokes create a strong touch and add structure to the
Vincent van Gogh cleverly played with the composition of the painting. The night sky filled approximately ⅔ of the picture plane while the village covered the rest. The eye level is approximately halfway across the sky while the horizon line is located behind the mountains in the background. The cypress …show more content…
The large, crescent moon is the first organic shape viewers would notice in the painting. Van Gogh used circular shapes to depict the yellow stars and to illustrate the warm glows of the moon and the stars. However, the glow of the moon and stars does not blur with the surrounding sky, but instead it stays in a steady shape. The small village also shows the sights of geometric shapes.
The line serves as the focal point and is an important design element in this painting. Van Gogh used short, horizontal strokes to project the basic format of the painting. Curving lines were used in the sky to indicate directional movement of the night sky. The large spiral in the middle of the sky depicts a gust of wind. Behind the village, the mountains were painted with lines to illustrate movements. Sinuous lines were used to illustrate the cypress tree. Van Gogh used his aggressive lines to show texture. The small, unified brushstrokes create a strong touch and add structure to the