The Starry Night
by Hemakumar Nanayakkara
 |
|
The Starry
Night’ oil on canvas. 3cm x 92 cm |
"The Starry Night" is a piece of
art which reflects the inner subjective expression of the great Dutch
artist Vincent van Gogh's interpretation on night. "The Starry Night" is
most probably the most admired and replicated painting of this
well-known post-impressionist artist.
"The Starry Night" was masterfully illustrated in Van Gogh's
extraordinary style with vivacious movements of the paint brush, in such
a way that no one else ever painted up to that particular time in the
world of art.
This famous work was completed in 1889 while Van Gogh stayed in the
mental hospital of Saint Remy, France about 13 months before his death
at the young age of 37. Van Gogh's painting depicts the view outside his
hospital room window at night. This work was painted during the day from
the artist's memory. Van Gogh with his thick, unique brush strokes on
canvas created the domination of glittery stars and the gleaming
crescentic moon with its luminescent orb in the night. The clouds swirl
in the illuminated sky.
The village in the painting is a rather calm place. It's partly
'invented' by the artist. The church spire reminds the artist's native
country Netherlands. A range of curvy mountains surround the serene
village. On to the left of the painting the twirling Cypress covers the
space like a huge flame of fire.
Van Gogh was often inspired by the beauty of the night. In 1880 he
wrote the following line in a letter to his brother Theo: "It often
seems to me that the night is much more lively and richly coloured than
the day..." Later again the artist wrote one of his experiences to his
brother: "This morning I saw the country from my window a long time
before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very
big.". In a letter to his sister Willemina, Van Gogh wrote: "At present
I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night
is still more richly coloured than the day, having hues of the most
intensive violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it,
you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, the others pink, green
or blue and forget me not brilliance...
It's obvious that putting little white dots on the blue- black is not
enough to paint a starry sky. Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" was a
touchstone for the lately evolved Expressionist painting movement. This
painting is an instantly recognizable, as one of the most famous iconic
images of art in modern times. This masterpiece is currently displayed
at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. |
