Van Gogh Essay, Research Paper

Great works by Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh s artistic career was short, just ten years from start to finish, yet the masterpieces created in that short time ensured him a place among the greatest Western artists of all time. These masterpieces were produced in burst of almost frenetic activity in a two-and-a-half-year period in Provence in the south of France and at Auvers-sur-oise, north of Paris. The brilliant, clear light that fell on his country only enhanced the colors that inspired Van Gogh. One masterpiece that has set Van Gogh above average painters is the exceptionally famous Starry Starry Night, located in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. This painting has found its way into almost everyone s personal favorite list, and has help younger artist to open his or her mind to future paintings.

The painting consists of murky cerulean night sky with luminous golden stars whirling in place. The dim undulating hills standstill over the tranquil city below with illuminating cypresses trees who have gathered around to watch the night sky. A soft swirling breeze dances across the cool night air and prances around the glowing moon. The painting takes on the form of being evil, dark and gloomy at first, but at second sight, the painting is more alive than the normal eye can hold. The tranquil city is light up like a Christmas tree and the movement of the wind across the sky draws you into the cool breeze, as if you can feel it coming.

Van Gogh painted the night sky with great whirling stars that seemed to express his feelings of the great cosmic energy that rules human lives with both malise and benevolence. The sight of the stars had a strong impact on him: it made him contemplate whether the whole of life was visible to us, or do we in fact know only the one hemisphere before we die? (The Starry Night (1889)) The sublime painting has captured the cosmic power of the universe by expressing that we, as human, are minute to the vast enormity of the sky above. The great whirling stars expressed the cosmic power that Van Gogh felt when painting this landscape. In this work, Van Gogh has found a new meaning to life; he is trying to show us this meaning without words. The impact from the stars not only captures the eye of the audience but make you contemplate being here on the earth. The painting asks you not to think in only one perspective by believing that the universe surrounds you, but to understand that you surround the awesome universe.

To understand the work by Van Gogh you must understand the painter. Van Gogh grew up the son of a pastor and was a preacher for a while, which helps explains the understanding of the divine power. In most of Van Gogh s painting he relates his beliefs of God to his works, as in the painting there are twelve stars that may represent the twelve disciples that followed Jesus. However, at the time Van Gogh was admitted to an insane asylum for cutting his ear off after the news of his brothers engagement, Therefore, did he have unique insight or was he just another crazy madman?

The stars in the heavens at night, the moon, cypresses and distant mountains are all popular elements in Van Gogh s paintings but few are combined as they are in this turbulent image. The over scaled stars and the swirling meteors dominate the scene illuminated by the brightest crescent moon so that the town seems a small scale model and the straining cypresses a gigantic menacing face. (Copplestone 66-67) Indeed the stars, moon, trees and mountains are very popular elements in a painting, but the image that they are expressed has them mixing and violently swirling around one another unlike any before. The violent brushwork amazingly shows the texture of the jagged countryside and yet the smoothness of the hills is revealed as they curve their way across the painting. Although Copplestone talks about swirling meteors dominate the scene I have yet to find a meteor in the painting (66-67). Copplestone talks about the straining cypresses which is a gigantic menacing face in the work (66-67). This, however, is true, the painting expresses the beauty and the divine power of God but the dark cypresses expresses evil that is lurking around you. Van Gogh paints the cypress because there can t be good with out evil.

Starry Starry Night has had a huge impact among artists and of musicians throughout the last century. The gifted songwriter and singer Don McLean was so deeply moved by the painting he brought upon himself to write a song dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh, and entitled the song Vincent.

Starry, Starry night

Paint your palette blue and gray

Look out on a summer s day

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul

Shadows on the hills

Sketch the trees and daffodils

Catch the breeze and the winter chills

In colors on the snowy linen land

Now I understand

What you tried to say, to me

And how you suffered for your sanity

And how you tried to set them free

They would not listen; they did not know how-

Perhaps they ll listen now (Don McLean).

This short versus of the song is manly dedicated to Starry Starry Night and the rest of the song talks about Van Gogh himself. McLean sings about the colors that Van Gogh used and how they seem to show the darkness in him. Shadows on the hills take away the green grass that would be there and cover it with shadows. This may represent the way people will take their beauty, hide it away in their shadows and only show the darkness. McLean sings about understanding Van Gogh s meaning that he was trying to show the world. The understanding that it s not just about you, but also about a more divine power. He also sings about Van Gogh suffering his sanity while painting Starry Starry Night in the insane asylum and thanks him for enduring the pain so that we can be set free from the false beliefs of the world. They would not listen: they did not know how, Perhaps they ll listen now. At the time, people didn t know how to understand the genius of Van Gogh s work was greatly unappreciated. Now people have the intellect to understand such great arts and they now we, the human race, will listen.

Van Gogh has expressed many awesome things in this painting that have influenced many people in our time. If it wasn t for insightful works like this then we may never find our true selves and may come to understand such things as a divine power. Van Gogh has certainly invoked the inner self in many artists and in other different people. Truly original work is rarely appreciated during the life span of the artist. It is sad that only years later the world has came to accept the uniqueness and brilliance of Van Gogh s work.

Work Cited

Anderson, Janice. Themes and Reflections Van Gogh s Flowers And Landscapes-. Great Britain. Parragon. 1997. 5-13.

Copplestone, Trewin. Vincent Van Gogh. New York. Gramercy Books. 1998.

66-67.

De Leeuw, Ronald. Van Gogh Museum. New York. Waanders Publishers Zwolle. 1998. 189.

Don McLean . Midis Plus. 5 April 2001.

Kendall, Richard. Van Gogh s Van Goghs: Masterpieces from the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. New York. Harry N Abrams, Inc. 103, 118-120, 148, 67.

Richler, Martha. National Gallery of Art, Washington A World of Art . London. Scala Books. 1998. 163

The Starry Night (1889) . Ndirect. 5 April 2001.

Kissick, John. Art Context and Criticism. 2 vol. New York. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 1996. 354-355, 30.