The Artist’s State of Mind: Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Description of the painting
Analysis
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The painting captures similar themes when analyzed at surface level as well as in relation to the artist’s life. Van Gogh was schizophrenic, yet he managed to make beautiful art. Starring Night is a painting that epitomizes restlessness or turbulence; this was a reflection of the artist’s state of mind.

Description of the painting

An initial observation of the painting reveals an expansive sky; it accounts for most of the space in the painting. Van Gogh probably called the piece ‘Starring Night’ because bright stars are a prominent feature. White and yellow light surround them while a glaring moon also stands alongside them.

In between the moon and the stars are swirls which are a combination of dark and light colors; some are black, others green, yellow, dark and light blue, and to some extent white. However, the predominant color is blue, which is the color of the sky. Underneath the sky, one can see a village where some houses, hills as well as other physical features are located.

The hills are so tall that they appear to merge with the sky. The painting also has a tree that also stretches to the sky; it is the tallest feature in the village. Gogh’s brushstrokes in the hills as well as the trees face upwards, as though to suggest that the sky is what matters. The pine tree is black, dark green and brown. Since this feature is at the foreground of the painting, it affects one’s overall perception of it. A few houses can be seen clustering next to each other.

No human beings are in the Starring Night; this may probably be because most of them were asleep. The most outstanding building is a church, whose spire also points to the sky (Museum Of Modern Art 1). Overall, the interaction of the colors, lines and paintings in the picture gives an impression of restlessness.

Analysis

Background of the painting

It is likely that the theme of turbulence and restlessness reflected Van Gogh’s state of mind. The artist was mentally ill and even did this work of art in an asylum. He struggled with so many aspects of his life. For instance, a special lady rejected him and told him that she would never marry him. He was thrown out of art galleries in Paris.

The artist had an abysmal financial situation since he depended on his brother, Theo, for sustenance. His many career changes were fruitless, and he was not making any money as an artist. People misunderstood Gogh; members of his township Arles wanted to ban him from the village after he developed an ear infection.

He did not even have friends because he always embarrassed or argued with them. Clearly, Van Gogh was an isolated man who could not find comfort in many things. His experiences in the past led him to a turbulent state of mind. This situation was so serious that it manifested in schizophrenia. One can thus assert that the painting was a reflection of what the artist was going through in his mind.

Alternatively, the theme of restlessness may also have been indicative of the dissatisfaction with his situation at the asylum and the longing for normalcy. Perhaps Gogh wanted to go out into the Starring Night and enjoy all the wonderful visuals first hand. However, all he could do was admire the view from his window or use supervised visits around the garden in the asylum (Brooks 29).

The effect of lines and color

Lines in any work of art show motion. Therefore, when one looks at the way lines in the sky swirl around the moon and the stars, one thinks of movement. Since most of the lines in the painting are not heading in one direction, then one can deduce a mood of restlessness. The choice of color in the painting is also an indication of the painter’s mood. Warm colors, like yellow, are only present in minimal quantities.

The most predominant color is blue, which is a cool color. This color is primarily responsible for the darkness and mystery of the piece. Nonetheless, the blue color has a dark hue, in that it is not the typical sky blue. This one mirrors the color of the sky at night as it is blue-black. If the artist had left the sky uninterrupted by dark lines, then it would have given off a serene or even dreamy feel. The mixture of the dark and cool colors in the form of lines and shades is what contributes to a feeling of turbulence (MacDonald 15).

As mentioned earlier, the colors in the picture are bold and captivating. The moon and starts each have bright hues that are hard to ignore. In one of his letters to his sister, he asserted that the stars had a peculiar brilliance, which “warranted for more than white dots on a blue-black surface” (Van Gogh Museum 76). One may deduce that this artist saw things in a different way through the use of color. Most artists in his era were realists, and his countrymen were quite conservative in their use of color.

Most realists relied on pale color and soft, thin lines to create texture. However, Gogh created a new approach to texture by using bold brush strokes. The artists did not paint to please others but he stuck to what he felt was right. Vincent’s preference for bold color was something new and refreshing. Even the way he drew stars was quite unique. The palate in ‘Starring Night’ was substantially different from the palate combinations of other French artists like Millet.

In fact, Gogh started out with contemporary influences but quickly changed after he discovered Japanese art. Japanese art had a profound influence on the painter. The artist was defiant and brave in his work since he was willing to pursue trajectories that others shunned. These color choices and the artists’ past life prove that he was indeed a restless individual. He was not satisfied with the status quo and sought ways to explore new avenues.

Choice of features

Van Gogh was a spiritual man; in fact, he was so committed to his vocation that it turned into an obsession. This was part of the reason why the artist was sent out of the mission school. Additionally, Gogh’s father was a spiritual minister. When the artist tried to follow in his footsteps, he failed dismally. In the painting, the spire of the church building is the tallest man-made feature. However, its height comes nowhere near that of the cypress tree.

The tip of this tree makes contact with sky. One can interpret these two features in light of Gogh’s life. He may have sought solace in the church, but did not find it there. His experiences at the mission may have shown him that one cannot find spiritual fulfillment in other men. In the painting, the church is a man-made creation. Even though its builders tried to make it as tall as possible, they could not reach the sky.

One may construe the sky to symbolize the heavens. Therefore, Gogh was saying that man’s efforts were not sufficient to establish contact with the heavens. On the other hand, if one sought God in nature, one was likely to find him. The cypress tree was tall enough to reach the skies. One may deduce that the author could not find support in a spiritual establishment. He may have been criticizing the existing religious order.

Once again, the theme of restlessness comes into play because he is not happy with where he is spiritually, so he must look for answers elsewhere. In line with these sentiments is the fact that the hills appear to face the opposite direction of the church spire. They mirrored a real physical feature in Gogh’s country; they were called Les Alpilles Mountains. Their opposition to the prevailing order may be regarded as proof of the artists’ opinion about the church.

The manner in which the images in the diagram have been represented is indicative of the theme of restlessness as well. The stars seem to be bursting out of the sky. Furthermore, the cypress tree looks like it is touching the sky. Even the moon looks like it is covered by a yellow ball. Clearly, these are not conventional representations of the night sky. An artist who was faithful to nature would have revised his choice of color, lines and technique to reflect the actual appearance of the sky; however, Gogh was not such an artist (Boime 55).

He was rebellious, and when he had a point to make, he did not hesitate to make it. His use of proportions and the way he drew was a reflection of the artist’s style. Gogh was not satisfied with a mere imitation of nature. This means he was agitated by this approach, so he chose another one that would not reflect contemporary work. Therefore, his approach to art was one that caused turbulence.

One of the artists’ centerpieces in the painting is the cypress tree. A lot can be deduced from this choice in features that reflects the state of turbulence in his mind. During Gogh’s time, Cypress trees were common in cemeteries. Additionally, the tree seems to connect the earth and the heavens.

One may assert that his selection of the tree was indicative of his ideas about death. The painter was at a place where he could not decide whether he wanted to live or die. By choosing a centerpiece that is found in cemeteries, Gogh was thinking about death. The tree touched the heavens because when one dies, one leaves earth and goes to the heavens.

The artist was thinking about death but was ambivalent about it. It is likely that the intense movement in the painting reflected this indecision concerning whether he should live or die. There was turbulence in his conscious about the matter. Later, the artist made up his mind about death and committed suicide. He chose death over a life of misery. At the time of painting ‘Starring Night’, the cypress tree reflected the confusion in his conscious about death.

Overall, the piece has so many features to analyze that it is possible to become overwhelmed with the process. Trees, hills, houses, stars, the moon, the sky and other features are present in the painting. One must determine why the artist selected so many features. It is likely that he would only convey his message if he amalgamated all these aspects together.

However, the circular motions and the spiral effect in the sky are what carry the theme. Therefore, the point of emphasis in the painting gives an indication of what one should focus on; in this case it is turbulence.

Painting technique

From the image, one can deduce that the artist used decisive bush strokes to color his piece. This practice was not common in his society. Impressionist artists relied on a method of drawing that involved joining several dots together to form the impression of color. However, Gogh got bored of this style when living in Paris. He devised his own method of painting that was quite different from the rest. These decisive brush strokes contribute towards the turbulence of the piece.

It would have been quite difficult to convey that sentiment if the author utilized the impressionist method in ‘Starring Night’. The decisiveness of the brush strokes was crucial in creating a feeling of chaos or turbulence. The circular lines needed to be in unison with another in order to have this effect. Using joined dotes, like the impressionists, would have been insufficient to create this effect (Hulsker 93).

Conclusion

Starring night as a work of art carries forward the theme of restlessness. This is evident in the artist’s use of color. He mixes cool colors with dark ones in a manner that creates this mood. Additionally, his painting technique which involves decisive brush strokes also testifies to the turbulence of the piece.

His choice of objects and emphasis reflects the turbulence in the artist’s mind. The cypress tree was an indication of his confusion about death. The unconventional stars were an indication of the turbulence in his life. He was also unconventional like the stars, and this led to his isolation. This painting’s theme is an expression of the artists’ life.

Works Cited

Boime, Albert. Van Gogh: Starry Night: Art history in detail. NY: Voyager, 1996. Print.

Brooks, David. Starry Night. Amsterdam: Brooks, 2012. Print.

Hulsker, Jan. The complete Van Gogh: paintings, drawings, sketches. NY: Random House, 1986. Print.

MacDonald, Mary. “Who was Vincent?” Artist’s Monthly 1.6(1990): 15. Print.

Museum Of Modern Art. 2013. Vincent Van Gogh: The Starring Night, June 1889. 2013. Web. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802

Van Gogh Museum. 2013. Vincent Van Gogh letters. 2013. Web. http://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let782/letter.html

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