- Artist: Vincent van Gogh
- Title: The Starry Night
- Media: Painting (Oil on Canvass)
- Dimensions: 29" X 361/4"
- 1889
Born
on March 30, 1853, and dying on July 29, 1890 of a possibly self-inflicted
gunshot wound, Vincent
Willem van Gogh was a post impressionistic painter of Dutch origin. His work is
known for its use of bold color, emotional honesty, and rough beauty. He began
drawing as a child, and over his lifetime produced over 2,100 works of art;
quite impressive when one considers his untimely death at the age of 37. At the
time of his death, van Gogh was relatively unknown, and arguably even less
appreciated, but his work had far-reaching influence on the world of 20th
century art (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Gogh).
The challenging nature of van Gogh’s
work seems to stem from his troubled, anguished, volatile, and even violent
mental state which seemed to ride a roller-coater of manic-depressive like mood
swings. When he was in a manic state, his work took on brighter, more hopeful
overtones. But while in his depressive states, he was prone to violent
outbursts, such as threatening Gaugin with a razor (942516055927741691.weebly.com/contextual-statement.html).
One of these depressive states lead to a famous incident in which van Gogh cut
off one of his ears as a tribute of devotion for a love interest. His mood
swings can be seen in his many self-portraits (some of which are bright and
airy, while others seem weighted down with a stern look in his eyes), and help
explain some of the drearier, more melancholy subject matters of some of his
work.
The work presented, The Starry Night, seems to challenge the
blurry line of his mood swings. While the overall color scheme of the piece is
dark and foreboding, that darkness is broken up with bright star and moon
images that radiate with their own sense of inner hope. Also in the piece, van
Gogh seems to challenge his audience to see the world the way he does, as a
swirling calliope of light and color.
By asking for no excuses in
presenting the world in the way he saw it, van Gogh challenged the audience to
accept his vision and what he had to say. The fact that he was under-appreciated
during his lifetime, but has gone on to become one of the most influential
artists of the 19th century, van Gogh showed that he was willing to challenge
the conventions of his time, and would force the world of art to evolve in a
way that accommodated his vision.
No comments:
Post a Comment