The Starry Night by Van Gogh
Perhaps this painting is just a simple landscape, however the addition of all its objects and especially the emphasis on man and nature makes it too good to be a simple landscape.
The Story Behind It
Vincent van Gogh never picked up a brush until he was almost 30 years old, setting him apart from the child prodigies of previous periods or art students of his time. He was a preacher, language teacher and art dealer in the Netherlands his whole life. It was not until 1883 where he would start painting and from 1885-86 he would briefly attend the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in which he was moved by Japanese Prints and works by Peter Paul Rubens. (1.) The influence that both of those had on him could be seen in his paintings with a dark color palette and brush work of Rubens and composition of Japanese woodprints. He relocated to Paris with his brother and surrounded himself with his Post-Impressionist contemporaries such as Paul Cézanne, Georges Seurat, Edgar Degas, and his mentor friend, Paul Gauguin who later became roommates with.
Van Gogh, who suffered from acute mania, briefly lived with Paul Gauguin for about 60 days in fall of 1888 and were great friends until a dispute on December 23 rumored to be about painting from imagination (Gauguin) opposed to based on nature and observation (van Gogh) (2.). The rest of the story is history as van Gogh cut off his ear and allegedly threatened Gaugin with a knife in which Paul left out of fear thereafter. His influence from Gauguin would be seen present in upcoming paintings.
After his constant struggles with mental health and fallout with Gauguin, van Gogh voluntarily took himself to a small 41-patient psychiatric hospital of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in 1889. The founder of the hospital had the philosophy similar to van Gogh that art, music and nature were necessary for troubled minds (3 ). It was there where he produced over 150 paintings, one of which was The Starry Night. The Doctors determined that it was crucial for him to have his own free space to paint which worked in his favor because his work ethic became so strong he worked every waking hour and he quickly created landscapes (4). Van Gogh was isolated but it had a positive effect as it led him to focus on his several landscapes.
Before The Starry Night would be finished in June 1889, van Gogh painted it from his east-facing window 21 times. (5) The painting does not exactly add up to what he saw from the window in his cell which means that this was mostly by his own imagination just as Paul Gauguin taught him previously. The cyprus tree, which connects ground to sky, was symbolism that van Gogh frequently painted and the steeple of the church resembled closer to that from his hometown in Holland. Vincent was also passionate about astronomy. While in Paris he met English astronomer, Lorde Rosse, who drew a sketch of the M51 galaxy in 1850 which happens to resemble the one in the painting. It was an etching in a French Astronomy book (6). Van Gogh always depicted the nighttime more creatively compared to his contemporaries that portrayed it more realistically and methodically. In a letter to his sister he described the night to be “more richly colored than the day” with intense violets, blues, and greens (7 ). The sky takes up ⅔ of the painting and is illustrated with various blue swirls. The bright yellow circles are said to resemble stars and planets in the night sky. Some argue the moon during his time was a waning gibbous while others argue it was a full moon instead of the depicted waning crescent. However, just like the entire painting, it is not to be taken literally but rather a more expressive view of what the artist saw through his own eyes and mind like many post-impressionist artists of that era. In this case some say that because of its movement and symbolism, The Starry Night resembles a dream, illustrated by Vincent van Gogh’s observations, memories, emotions, and imagination.
The Significance
Van Gogh’s The Starry Night is painted with his notable post-impressionist art style that is easy to associate with him. The starry night covers ⅔ of the painting and has impressive blue swirling patterns with stars and a yellow moon. The cypress tree in the foreground, which is a symbol and can be seen in other paintings, is similar to those found in Japanese prints. The lower third, which slopes downward right to left, shows a dozen towns with lights turned on and a valley surrounding them with the early morning sunrise far in the distance painted as white.
Color was Van Gogh’s expression and he had an avant-garde inclination towards colors that were powerful as illustrated with the color palette of this painting (8 ). The Starry Night consists of a nighttime color palette that has various blues, violets, yellows, and blacks which make it easy to determine that it is late at night even without the obvious inclusion of stars and the moon. The colors compliment the movement of the painting as well with careful shades of blues in other parts of the sky.
The Starry Night is perfectly balanced in color and composition when divided horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The large dark cypress tree that connects the bottom of the painting to the top is in the foreground, which comes from Japanese influence, and is balanced by the bright yellow moon diagonally opposite from it. It also counteracts the town and the valley and mountain range seen in the horizon(9). Van Gogh places the cypress tree on the left part deliberately to balance the right to left downward sloping horizontal mountain range which shows his careful attention to detail. The inclusion of bright yellow lights in the houses is meant to balance those that are in the sky directly above it. The giant swirl guides the viewer throughout the painting and leads the attention back to it because it is so unavoidable. It is emphasized with the stars leading to it and the white ribbon of morning sunrise underneath it. Most importantly the large swirl emphasized by van Gogh's brilliant use of movement through his swirling brushstrokes.
Perhaps the most remembered aspect of The Starry Night is its brushstrokes that create the illusion of swirls and a sense of movement in the painting. The movement is what sets it apart from even other post-impressionist works of his time. Van Gogh utilized the Impasto technique in which paint is applied generously on the canvas which makes it look thick in some areas (10). The weight and length of each brushstroke that he applied, introduces the sense of movement into each area of the canvas (11). The painting shows clear swirls going horizontally around the painting’s sky. However, the area with the most obvious movement is illustrated in the center with the large turbulence in the center that creates a shape of hurricane. In addition, the strokes that contribute to the turbulence are a lighter blue than the rest of the night sky and the intensity helps give the illusion that the sky is moving. It is said to be the intense winds of southern France, while others theorized it is the M51 galaxy he recalled from a book. It shares an uncanny resemblance to the Great Wave Painting by Hokusai that additionally shows intense movement in its center by a turbulent object (12). Van Gogh really admired that painting, and another place where he portrayed movement and honor to Japanese Art is the cypress tree in the foreground. It is the only object to be painted with vertical swirls and their s-shaped movement resembles one of a flame that connects ground to sky(13). Across the horizon what seems to be the upcoming morning midst can be spotted with the direction that the white-yellow brushstrokes go towards. Directly below are mountains, hills, and trees painted in smooth round brustrokes. Nevertheless, there are a couple houses and a church that are the only things in the painting to not show any sense of movement, but instead still among the turbulence in the sky. It is safe to say that The Starry Night is most famously recognized for its movement and Impasto technique that instills turmoil and invites viewers into what visualizes a dream.
Many of different backgrounds have attempted to decipher the painting and give their interpretation due to the vast symbolism and iconography present. The cypress trees were a common trend among his newer paintings and famously seen in The Starry Night up close. In Mediterranean culture, particularly Greco-Roman culture, the cypress trees represent death, mourning and faith.(14. ) To Van Gogh, he was previously christian and now believed that art was a new kind of spiritual religion that gave a way to connect with people. The cypress trees were almost like a symbol of everlasting light connecting the earth to the sky, stars or heavens. Parallel to the tree is the church with a steeple that resembles the one of his childhood in Holland. It is not lit; however, it touches the sky surpassing the mountain valley behind it but still small compared to the tree, as if humanity is trumped by nature or nature does a better job connecting our lives than man made things. There are clear implications of religion in this painting, and when he painted this, the landscape and houses were done from imagination; however, the sky and the stars were something that he did see while painting from his night cell. These symbolize his need for religion in these tough, or turbulent, times because in September of the previous year, he wrote to his brother Theo, “When I have a terrible need of–shall I say the word–religion, then I go out and paint the stars” (15 ).
My Interpretation
Different People have come up with their interpretations such as astronomers, religious scholars, and most obviously, artists. The most common interpretation of the painting is based on the brushstroke style and the turmoil of center, van Gogh was suffering from mental health so he just painted what he literally saw and his mental health crisis helped him create this masterpiece coincidentally and on a whim. The long brushstrokes have become more frequent in other paintings so the idea that he had mental illness so he painted it accidentally is not correct. While it was true and clear that he took himself to the asylum for a reason, The Starry Night is not a product of his mental illness, but rather a remedy for it. The painting helped comfort the struggle.
As previously shown when he had the need for religion or spirituality, he sought the stars and painted them, and this time he needed the stars for what he was combating. But I think the painting really signifies the events in his life that were significant and important to him at the time. Vincent tried this painting 21 times previously after all, so I believe he tried his best to implement a post-impressionist style in addition to his interpretation of objects and landscape. Some speculate that the unlit church signifies the spirit leaving church and returning to heaven through nature: God’s creation.
Perhaps this painting is just a simple landscape, however the addition of all its objects and especially the emphasis on man and nature makes it too good to be a simple landscape. Vincent also painted part of this with imagination which Paul Guaguin taught him and that was typically unorthodox for van Gogh. I believe that during this arduous time, he wanted to paint something comforting while applying post impressionist style, the world as he saw it, and objects that mattered to him personally like the cypress tree, church, village, and stars. Vincent painted The Starry Night with his observation, memories, imagination and emotion.
Why I like it
Apart from the obvious beautiful blue color palette, night sky, and unique design with swirls van Gogh’s The Starry Night has and always will have a place in my heart for its meaning to me. From an artistic perspective, I really appreciate that, although this was a landscape painting and had real objects that came from his memories, it was truly a masterpiece done through his imagination. Nothing will truly be unique since everything has elements from other places, in this case the village he saw and the sky he saw, Vincent was still able to create something different from his mind. He took stuff from memories, observation, imagination and created something very creative. A truly creative person will use their imagination and own interpretation of things to create or recreate something brand new and I think the painting really speaks of his intelligence and creativity as a painter. In addition, the hidden symbolism and subtle meaning of things that leave it up for interpretation by people of various backgrounds make it a thought provoking masterpiece. It is what any artwork created by someone trying to express something should do.
From a personal point of view, this painting is really meaningful that we can all resonate whether we are artists or not. Firstly, Vincent was never an artist until the age of 27 nearing 30s. To me this is inspiring because growing up I always loved drawing and art but I never picked a brush until I was 18 and when I compared myself to others at the same age that did art, it was quite overwhelming. There are people I know (of the same age as me) now that go to art schools–or better yet: 10 year olds that paint far better than I do. Nevertheless, comparing yourself to others is wrong and van Gogh teaches us that we can still create wonderful things even if we are late to the party. Our time on earth is truly limited and this painting and the artist himself teaches us that it is not too late to do something we love and create something worthwhile that we can leave behind us for years after we’re gone. Secondly, The Starry Night was painted when van Gogh took himself to the mental hospital which was clearly a low point in his life, however, used that to his advantage and tried to make the best of things and persevere. The painting teaches us that even at a low point in our lives, great things and masterpieces can come from them. It teaches us the ability to see the beauty and the positive of any situation we are in good or bad. We need to smile in the face of adversity or misfortune and that is a lesson of life I try to live by because there are things we cannot control but our reaction and what we can do with the cards we are dealt is the real thing we can control [word that a little differently]. Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night is truly an inspirational masterpiece. And while Van Gogh’s career only lasted one decade, his art will live on for centuries.
“Painters understand nature and love it, and teaches us to see”
-Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo
Sources
1) Vincent van Gogh, The national Gallery
2) Gauguin and Van Gogh, an explosive friendship, Rise Art
3) Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night: Great Art Explained, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9L1N9bRRE&t=308s&ab_channel=GreatArtExplained
4) Ibid
5) Starry Night: 10 Secretes of Vincent Van Gogh Night Stars Painting
https://www.vincentvangogh.org/starry-night.jsp#:~:text=1
6) Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night: Great Art Explained, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9L1N9bRRE&t=308s&ab_channel=GreatArtExplained
7) What Makes The Starry Night From Vincent Van Gogh So Special, Behind the Masterpiece, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmLXuI9pFpo&ab_channel=BehindtheMasterpiece
8) Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night: Great Art Explained, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9L1N9bRRE&t=308s&ab_channel=GreatArtExplained
9) Better Know: The Starry Night, The Art Assignment, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz908BHg55Y&ab_channel=TheArtAssignment
10) Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night: Great Art Explained, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9L1N9bRRE&t=308s&ab_channel=GreatArtExplained
11) What Makes The Starry Night From Vincent Van Gogh So Special, Behind the Masterpiece, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmLXuI9pFpo&ab_channel=BehindtheMasterpiece
12) How Hokusai’s Great Wave crashed into Van Gogh’s Starry Night, The Guardian
13) What Makes The Starry Night From Vincent Van Gogh So Special, Behind the Masterpiece, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmLXuI9pFpo&ab_channel=BehindtheMasterpiece
14) The Ethnobotanical Evolution of the Mediterranean Cypress (Cypresses Sempervirens), Economic Botany
15)Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night: Great Art Explained, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9L1N9bRRE&t=308s&ab_channel=GreatArtExplained
All Sources
Vincent van Gogh. The Starry Night, Saint Rémy, June 1889, MoMA
Van Gogh Starry Night — The Painting and The Story, The Van Gogh Gallery
https://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starry-night.html
What Makes The Starry Night From Vincent Van Gogh So Special, Behind the Masterpiece, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmLXuI9pFpo&ab_channel=BehindtheMasterpiece
Better Know: The Starry Night, The Art Assignment, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz908BHg55Y&ab_channel=TheArtAssignment
Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night: Great Art Explained, YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9L1N9bRRE&t=308s&ab_channel=GreatArtExplained
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), National Gallery, London
When Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin Lived Together in Arles, Artsy
Gauguin and Van Gogh, an explosive friendship, Rise Art
Starry Night: 10 Secrets of Vincent Van Gogh Night Stars Painting
https://www.vincentvangogh.org/starry-night.jsp#:~:text=1
Lord Rosse’s drawings of M51
http://www.messier.seds.org/more/m051_rosse.html
How Hokusai’s Great Wave crashed into Van Gogh’s Starry Night, The Guardian
The Ethnobotanical Evolution of the Mediterranean Cypress (Cypresses Sempervirens), Economic Botany
Janson’s Basic History of Western Art (9th Edition)
Pages 533-534