Category: Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is now viewed as a representative of post-impressionist school of painting. However, one can say that his style evolved significantly during his life-time and there is a significant difference between his later and earlier works.

This paper is aimed at discussing the picture illustrating the changes in his artistic technique. At first close attention should be paid such paintings as The Starry Night and Wheatfield with Crows that throw light on his style that he developed at the end of his life.

Moreover, these painting should be compared to his drawing known as Sorrow. These pictures should be analyzed in terms of such criteria as the use of lines, shape, color, value, space, texture, and form because they are important elements of art. It seems that this comparison illustrate the transformation of van Gogh’s painting.

First, it should be noted that The Starry Night was created when van Gogh was staying at Saint-Paul Asylum in Saint-Rémy (Thomson 3). At that time, van Gogh was trying to maintain his psychological balance, but at the same time he wanted to develop his artistic style (Thomson 3).

During this period, van Gogh created numerous masterpieces that are still of great interest to art historians and critics. The Starry Night is probably the most famous painting that he created at Saint-Paul Asylum. One of the elements that attract attention is the rich texture of this of this work.

(Figure 1: Vincent van Gogh as cited in Thomson 2)

By laying paint very thickly, van Gogh makes the painting resemble an engraving or etching. This technique is called impasto and it was widely adopted by impressionist painters (Buser 195).

The viewers can also notice that in this work, the artist uses mostly curves, rather than straight lines, and he does not want to create pure geometric forms. Another criterion that should be taken into account is van Gogh’s use of colors. It is also important to mention that van Gogh combines white and yellow colors when depicting the light of stars.

Another distinctive characteristic of The Starry Night is the value or the combination of light and dark colors. As a rule, dark colors dominate those painting in which a night landscape is depicted. However, one cannot say the same thing about this work of art, because the painter gives preference to light colors, especially yellow and white.

This is a distinguishing trait of this work. Apart from that, van Gogh creates very unusual shapes and forms in this picture. The author extensively uses curves and it seems that he tries to depict a vortex in the sky. Van Gogh chooses mostly asymmetrical and irregular shapes and forms in order to emphasize the unpredictability of nature.

Finally, one should remember about the author’s sense of space. It should be noted that the artists places the starry sky in the very center of the painting while the town that he depicts is not of great importance to him, even though it is located in the foreground of the picture.

Apart from that, the space of this picture is not symmetrical, and it is difficult to distinguish a background and foreground. One can argue that Van Gogh does not attempt to create an illusion of three-dimensional space because he pays more attention to the palette of the painting.

This is one of the arguments that one can make while discussing this famous image. This image is probably the most famous work that van Gogh created during his stay at Saint-Paul Asylum.

There are other paintings that illustrate the development of van Gogh’s artistic style, and one of them is Wheatfield with Crows. Van Gogh created it after he left Saint-Paul Asylum in 1890 (Mancoff 89). It is believed to be the final work completed by this artist (Mancoff 89).

This is one of the reasons why this picture is worth attention. To a great extent, it resembles The Starry Night. For instance, the author creates a very rich texture by using thick layers of paint. As it has been said before, such a technique as impasto plays an important role for van Gogh.

(Figure 2: Van Gogh, The Starry Night, as cited in Mancoff 89)

Additionally, one should mention that the author juxtaposed dark and light colors, and they create a horizontal divide of the painting. It should also be noted that the space of his painting has a distinct background and foreground; in particular, one can speak about the evening sky and the field.

The author creates a very bright yellow color when depicting the field, and it is rather unusual if one takes into account that van Gogh describes a night scenery.

Apart from that, this picture incorporates numerous curves while it is very difficult to find any straight lines. In this way, the author depicts asymmetrical and irregular patterns. These are the most distinctive peculiarities of this picture.

On the whole, these paintings differ dramatically from the earlier works created by van Gogh. For instance, one can look at the drawing known as Sorrow. It depicts van Gogh’s model and mistress called Sien who later committed suicide (Charles 25).

The biographers of van Gogh and art historians believe that she was a prostitute who he met in the Hague (Charles 25). The author did this work long before his death, and at that time, he was only experimenting with different styles and techniques (Charles 25).

The viewers can immediately notice Van Gogh often uses straight lines and this technique is not typical of his later works. Moreover, the artist creates a detailed depiction of Sien’s body, and viewers can see that she is pregnant. At the end of his career, van Gogh did not pay close attention to the physical characteristics of people he portrayed.

(Figure 3: Van Gogh, Sorrow as cited in Charles 25)

Moreover, he does not try to divide space into a foreground and background. The figure of Sien occupies the entire space of the drawing. The author does not experiment with colors because at the time when he was working on this drawing. Probably, at that time the artist had not yet developed his unique vision of color.

However, this work of art still produces a powerful impression on the viewer because van Gogh manages to show Sien’s suffering and her sense of despair. This is why one cannot disregard it because this work is also a significant of van Gogh’s legacy.

Overall, these examples show that Vincent van Gogh’s artistic works vary significantly in terms of artistic techniques. Although he is now believed to be a post-impressionist painter, the earlier works of this artist do not have the distinctive characteristics of this artist’s style, especially his rich palette.

In turn, The Starry Night and Wheatfield with Crows are the final works of this painter and they demonstrate his artistic progress.

Works Cited

Buser, Thomas. Experiencing Art Around Us, New York: Cengage Learning, 2006. Print.

Charles, Victoria. Vincent van Gogh, London: Parkstone International, 2011. Print

Mancoff, Debra. Van Gogh’s Flowers, Boston: Frances Lincoln Ltd, 2008. Print.

Thomson, Richard. Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2008. Print.

Description

This recognized painting titled “Starry Night” by the infamous Vincent van Gogh was created near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in 1889 while the author stayed at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. The masterpiece depicts the view from the window in his asylum room with the addition of an imaginary village. Since 1941, the piece of art has been owned by the Modern Museum of Art in New York City. This picture is a perfect representation of Van Gogh’s distinctive style and creates a strange but breathtaking impression.

Analysis

The artwork provides an uneasy feeling as if it has been painted with the mental struggle of the author. The first element of the composition that captures attention is the great blurry sky that takes one-third of the canvas. The sky emphasizes a bright crescent moon in the top right corner, which creates a powerful balance and, at the same time, contrast with the giant black fire on the opposite side. Another contrast may be seen in the color dynamics of the whirling sky that provide the sense of surreal harmony compared to the dull mixed colors of the imaginary village.

Interpretation

The artwork seems to be filled with uneasy emotions and even paranoia of the author. The emphasis on the big bright sky may represent Van Gogh’s desire to fly away from his reality and embrace the light of the starry night. However, the enormous dark fire, which plays the role of some dark force in his painting, rises almost to the top of the picture. It may be described as if the dark creation of reality tries to cover the beloved stars from the author and steal his attention. In this light, the masterpiece tells the story about Van Gogh’s most precious object, starry sky, and darkest fear, a reality that can steal it from him.

Judgment

I truly love this piece of art, mainly for its surreal representation of Van Gogh’s inner world. It also seems impossible to imagine how the picture may be improved since no one really knows the author’s actual idea, not to mention his unique style. However, for me, “Starry Night” depicts the image of the author’s experience of life, which makes the picture especially significant. The glory of the blurry sky and the dread of the fierce fire helps the observers to make a glimpse of what it is like to be Van Gogh.

Several details in Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 artwork Corridor in the Asylum catch the viewer’s attention, but the lone person in the central area of the picture is perhaps the most prominent. One lone individual is shown moving out of the corridor and the viewer’s viewpoint as a seemingly endless hallway extends into the horizon. Van Gogh depicts the asylum, which he hopes to leave, in a melancholy and dismal manner by leaving this menacing figure alone in a lengthy, dark hallway. His use of a one-point perspective to sketch in three dimensions and his use of strong lighting and shadows also contribute to this eariness. The texture and pattern lines are short and wavy, giving the impression that the floor is made up of multiple meandering and uneven rivers running over it. The muted yellow, blue, and green tones hint at the dismal atmosphere and add to the building’s decaying appearance. The viewer’s attention is drawn to the end of the corridor, which is emphasized by the symmetrical space, balance, and lines that create a sense of seclusion.

The lengthy, cramped passageway exudes a feeling of hopelessness since it seems to go on forever. However, one experience of imprisonment depicts the artist’s loneliness and solitude when confined to the asylum’s hallways. The majority of the colors employed in this picture are quite dull, lending to the image’s staleness. Van Gogh defines areas with darker and softer hues. The interior of the asylum is painted in drab, dreary hues that reflect Van Gogh’s melancholy throughout his stay and sickness journey. The painting’s symmetry and repetition of shape and color create a sense of tedious regularity and monotony. This repetition lengthens the seemingly endless hallway and produces a place that appears contained and never-ending, reflecting Van Gogh’s impressions of his stay there as being alone and aimless.

Van Gogh’s artwork reflects a period and place when people with mental illnesses were not well welcomed or understood, resulting in their exile from society. Today, A Corridor in the Asylum is extremely valuable because it captures the last years of a famous artist’s life as seen through his own eyes, including his surroundings, perceptions, and feelings. Painting gave Van Gogh comfort throughout his bouts of mental sickness (Lee 103). The delicate and melancholy representation of Van Gogh’s mental illness allows the spectator to penetrate the interiority of the artist throughout his sickness process and journey, and to get insight and understanding of his traumas and tragedies.

Work Cited

Lee, Young-Sik. “The review of Vincent van Gogh’s mental world and mental illness in the viewpoint of modern psychiatry.” Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (2021): 97-119.

Several details in Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 artwork Corridor in the Asylum catch the viewer’s attention, but the lone person in the central area of the picture is perhaps the most prominent. One lone individual is shown moving out of the corridor and the viewer’s viewpoint as a seemingly endless hallway extends into the horizon. Van Gogh depicts the asylum, which he hopes to leave, in a melancholy and dismal manner by leaving this menacing figure alone in a lengthy, dark hallway. His use of a one-point perspective to sketch in three dimensions and his use of strong lighting and shadows also contribute to this eariness. The texture and pattern lines are short and wavy, giving the impression that the floor is made up of multiple meandering and uneven rivers running over it. The muted yellow, blue, and green tones hint at the dismal atmosphere and add to the building’s decaying appearance. The viewer’s attention is drawn to the end of the corridor, which is emphasized by the symmetrical space, balance, and lines that create a sense of seclusion.

The lengthy, cramped passageway exudes a feeling of hopelessness since it seems to go on forever. However, one experience of imprisonment depicts the artist’s loneliness and solitude when confined to the asylum’s hallways. The majority of the colors employed in this picture are quite dull, lending to the image’s staleness. Van Gogh defines areas with darker and softer hues. The interior of the asylum is painted in drab, dreary hues that reflect Van Gogh’s melancholy throughout his stay and sickness journey. The painting’s symmetry and repetition of shape and color create a sense of tedious regularity and monotony. This repetition lengthens the seemingly endless hallway and produces a place that appears contained and never-ending, reflecting Van Gogh’s impressions of his stay there as being alone and aimless.

Van Gogh’s artwork reflects a period and place when people with mental illnesses were not well welcomed or understood, resulting in their exile from society. Today, A Corridor in the Asylum is extremely valuable because it captures the last years of a famous artist’s life as seen through his own eyes, including his surroundings, perceptions, and feelings. Painting gave Van Gogh comfort throughout his bouts of mental sickness (Lee 103). The delicate and melancholy representation of Van Gogh’s mental illness allows the spectator to penetrate the interiority of the artist throughout his sickness process and journey, and to get insight and understanding of his traumas and tragedies.

Work Cited

Lee, Young-Sik. “The review of Vincent van Gogh’s mental world and mental illness in the viewpoint of modern psychiatry.” Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (2021): 97-119.

Introduction

The Starry Night is one of the ancient pieces of antique paintings and it has continued to draw a lot of interest in the museum galleries and art exhibitions the world over. One of the most interesting aspects in the painting is the use of colors to bring out the textural aspect in this painting.

One of the attributes that has made this painting very common is the fact that over time it has continuously been replicated by many artists and students over the course of time. There are certain very important features that make this painting to grow in popularity; perhaps the most important feature is the fact that there is a representation of the sky that is characterized by the stars that whose illumination causes a blaze that is further on enhanced by the crescent outline of the moon (Pioch, 1).

The exaggeration of these features perhaps makes the use of colors in this painting even more crucial; the fact that many people can easily identify with the scene that is represented in this painting is perhaps one of the reasons as to why it is regularly chosen by most of the student to show the effects of using different colors to represent different textures and emotions through a work of art.

Use of Different Colors in the Starry Night

Different colors represent different emotions and feelings in a work of art such as a painting; perhaps one of the most important facts in the use of color is the ability to actively involve the visual use of colors to ensure that a viewer is able to clearly visualize the painting and get a feeling of the true reflection of the scenery that is put forth in the painting.

The use of different colors in the painting can serve to bring different emotions to a viewer; originally, Van Gogh was able to make use of the color textures to show the peaceful essence of the hills and horizons (Pioch, 1).

The cool dark colors are able to revive memories of the early childhood years in addition to spurring on the imagination; a viewer is able to get an imagination of what exists in the skies and also creates a sense of distance.

It is also important to consider the fact in the original paintings the colors are used to bring out a sense of size in the painting, a change of the colors will bring an entirely different aspect with regard to size. Another important aspect use of color is the ability to bring out the aspect of isolation of certain structures in the painting; the dark colors used in this regard are able to bring out the massiveness of the structure in the painting. Finally the colors used in the structure enables the viewer to be able to make their own analysis of the background features in the painting including the bushes and the variety of objects in the painting (Pioch, 1).

Representation of Different Colors in the Painting

It is important and crucial to note that the use of different colors in a painting bring out different effects and interpretation on the part of the viewer, in this case a change of the colors from those that were originally used by Van Gogh will ultimately create a different interpretation of the painting by the viewer.

This is because the texture will change and this will result in a different effect in terms of emotions; another important aspect is the representations of the reflections of the different colors in the skyline that will be definitely affected by the change of the colors.

In the modified paintings it is important to consider the motivation for the use of the paintings that were selected; one of the important aspects is that the different colors that have been chosen actually represent different feelings and emotions and also they do affect the overall texture which ultimately has an effect on the painting in terms of distance.

In the second painting a few aspects have been changed and these include the background colors which have changed form a light blue to a dark blue color, the structure in the foreground has also been modified and the dark color has been made more vivid; perhaps the most important aspect of the painting that has been affected by the change of the colors is the aspect of distance; in the original painting, the artist was able to clearly bring out the aspect of distance but as a result of the modifications in the second painting, the distance seems to have been significantly reduces as a result o the color choices.

In the third and fourth paintings there is a kind of complete overhaul of the colors resulting in a completely different interpretation of the painting; one of the important aspects of the Van Gogh Painting was the fact that the use of the white and yellow colors was able to create a spiral effect that brings out a textural effect to represent the skies.

In the third painting it is important to note that the change of the colors that are associated with fewer echoes creates an entirely different effect in the picture. In this painting the aspect of distance seems to have altogether disappeared and the as the colors used for both the background and the structure in the foreground are similar, therefore the use of color in this painting modifies the texture of the painting resulting in the disappearance of the aspect of distance that had been vividly represented in the original painting.

There is however some aspects that are still eminent in this painting as the colors used still create some kind of contrast in the picture despite the change of colors.

The aspect of illumination that had also been associated with the stars as shown clearly in the previous painting is also absent in this painting; the change of the colors in this aspect also creates a change in the interpretation of this new color scheme.

In the final painting, the use of the green color to engulf the whole painting creates a kind of silhouette that leads to a disappearance of the illumination as well as the distance that had been created in the painting.

The use of the bright colors in this aspect therefore leads to merging of the various objects in the painting and they all appear to be in the same place and context. This therefore creates a clear distinction between the use of the bright and the dark colors.

Conclusion

It is evident from the use of the different color themes in the painting that the use of different and contrasting colors results in different textures in a painting that ultimately creates different emotions in for the viewer of a painting.

However in the Starry night, the aspect that is changed in the painting is the effect of distance and distinction between the various features that are represented in the painting. The use of the different colors in the four paintings therefore creates different interpretations of the paintings as is clearly evident.

Works Cited

Pioch, Nicolas. Gogh, Vincent van: The Starry Night. Paris: Web Museum. 2002. Print.

Introduction

Claude Monet’s Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare and Vincent van Gogh’s The Bedroom belong to the finest pieces of world painting heritage. The time difference between the two paintings was about ten years, and the styles employed by their creators were different, so it is possible to speak both about similarities and differences in them. Monet’s work was governed by impressionism, and van Gogh’s – by post-impressionism. These two approaches are close but yet not the same. The contextual analysis of the two paintings allows discerning some common and divergent features.

Claude Monet’s Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare

Monet’s Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare (1877) is the embodiment of the major ideas reflected in impressionists’ art. The medium is oil on canvas, and the dimensions are 60.3 × 80.2 cm (23 3/4 × 31 1/2 in.) (Monet). Impressionists showed the development of the urban environment at the end of the 19^th century (Brodskaïa). In the picture under analysis, a train station is depicted, with a special prominence on the glass-and-iron train shed (see fig. 1).

In the best tradition of impressionism, the artist demonstrated the changing quality of light. By using harsh brushstrokes, Monet was able to depict each element of the scene accurately and distinctly. The colors prevailing in the picture are the shades of gray, blue, and green. The painting is regarded as the inauguration of Monet’s “established pattern” of painting a peculiar motif regularly to capture “subtle and temporal atmospheric changes” (Monet).

Vincent van Gogh’s The Bedroom

Van Gogh’s The Bedroom (1889) belongs to the post-impressionism period. The medium of the painting is oil on canvas, and the dimensions are 73.6 × 92.3 cm (29 × 36 5/8 in.) (van Gogh). Post-impressionists’ are known to have rejected the natural reflection of light in impressionists’ works (Brodskaïa). The image under analysis demonstrates this feature since van Gogh concentrated on the expressive content rather than a precise depiction of light in the room (see fig. 2).

The colors used by the artist are bright, the tints of lilac, yellow, red, and green prevailing over others. The creation of The Bedroom marked the moment when van Gogh obtained his own home for the first time (van Gogh). At the time, the painter was enthusiastic about decorating the rooms. As it is evident from the painting, the artist decorated the bedroom with his own artistic works. Although van Gogh considered The Bedroom to be the expression of “utter repose,” it seems to bear the effect of anxiety due to the “sharply receding” perspective (van Gogh).

Comparison of the Two Paintings

It is possible to analyze the context of the two paintings from several angles. First of all, the people involved in the creation of each work should be mentioned. There is no information available on the patrons and viewers of both images, but it is known that Monet sold his work soon after completing it, whereas van Gogh presented his to his brother (Monet; van Gogh). In both cases, no one but the creator was involved in the process of work.

Another similarity is the warm reception of the paintings by the public. For Monet, Arrival of the Normandy Train was one in the sequence of twelve paintings with the same subject, which means that the choice of scenery was rather successful (Monet). For van Gogh, the success was even more pronouncing since he made two more copies of the same painting, which were almost identical to the original (van Gogh). Hence, it is viable to conclude that the response of contemporary critics was highly positive.

Another angle of contextual analysis is related to the physical work of art. Monet’s painting was created in 1877, and van Gogh’s – in 1889. The slight difference in the time dimension brought about considerable changes in artistic movements. Monet was the representative of impressionism, whereas van Gogh represented post-impressionism. The two styles were closely related in time and manner, the latter emerging as a result of the former. In fact, many post-impressionists used to be impressionists first (Brodskaïa). Since both artists were prominent representatives of their respective styles, it is possible to assume that their techniques were new in some way. Both Monet and van Gogh used a rather common technique (oil on canvas) to create their paintings.

Finally, it is crucial to discuss the larger social issues presented by the two paintings. The social context in Monet’s painting was vivid, whereas in van Gogh’s picture, there was no social issue depicted. In the tradition of impressionism, Monet concentrated on the development of urbanization, which was a serious social change at the time. Meanwhile, van Gogh’s painting was dedicated to personal experience, so there was no important social message in it.

Conclusion

Monet’s Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare and van Gogh’s The Bedroom were created under the influence of different artistic movements and had dissimilar subjects. However, it is still possible to identify some similarities between the two works, such as the use of bold brushstrokes, expressive representation of colors, and the popularity of both paintings with contemporary viewers. The main contrast, however, is in social importance: Monet’s work of art represents a significant social change, while van Gogh’s painting concentrates on his life experience.

Works Cited

Brodskaïa, Nathalia. Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Parkstone International, 2018.

Monet, Claude. Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare. 1877. Art Institute Chicago. Web.

van Gogh, Vincent. The Bedroom. 1889. Art Institute Chicago. Web.