Art Time Period (1860-1910) Catches Eye, Reviewed

¶ … art time period (1860-1910) catches eye, reviewed Case assignment. It reminds event life kind emotional reaction . I ntroduce report information artist, work chose reflects Impressionist values, information helps understand work.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

Vincent Van Gogh's 1889 painting Starry Night is certainly compelling and likely to captivate the attention of any individual seeing it for the first time. There is something special about this particular artwork, as it virtually transports viewers to a surreal world, one that Van Gogh designed especially with the purpose of having people confused and hypnotized at the same time. The fact that the painting is one of the most replicated works in the modern era makes it possible for someone to understand the impact it has had on society and the fact that it has come to be one of humanity's defining works. "One of the beacons of The Museum of Modern Art, every day it draws thousands of visitors who want to gaze at it, be instructed about it, or be photographed in front of it" (Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night 3). Starry Night contains a series of elements that make it possible for viewers to create associations between the work and the Impressionist current.

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In order to gain a more complex understanding of the artwork, one also needs to be able to learn more information concerning the painter. Van Gogh only managed to sell one painting during his life and even though he received appreciation for his works, his contemporaries were not apparently prepared to deal with the complex ideas he introduced in many of his paintings. "Mostly a self-taught artist, his early paintings were of the poor working class -- his congregation when he was their preacher" (Vincent van Gogh Biography).

One of the most intriguing aspects about Starry Night is the fact that Van Gogh provided very little explanation concerning the painting. This makes it possible for viewers to attempt to interpret it and actually contributes to making the work even more valuable, taking into account that one can come up with a series of possible facts concerning the painting.

Starry Night was painted during the time that he was in a hospital at Saint-Remy-de-Provence. The painting is believed to display the view Van Gogh had from the window of his sanitarium room and it has been painted during the day as the painter recollected the scene he was seeing at night. In spite of the fact that he experienced long episodes of depression while in the hospital, he was very productive and painted numerous works while there. It is actually probable that his mental state contributed to him adding more emotion to his paintings and turning them into art that can almost speak to individuals seeing it (Crispino 50).

In spite of the fact that the scene apparently displays the view from the hospital window in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, there are also a series of concepts that one could associate with his background. "In Starry Night, Van Gogh seems to be combining reality and imagination, and elements of Provence and his northern homeland" (Crispino 50). It is probable that the fact that he was cut off from his family, country, and artist friends contributed significantly to making him want to introduce his part into Starry Night. In addition to being physically isolated from his background, Van Gogh was also psychologically isolated from the world as a result of his poor mental health.

While there were a series of elements detaching Van Gogh from his past, his love for art made it possible for him to reconnect with his background. The painting of Starry Night actually demonstrated his complex understanding of art, taking into account that he practically devised innovative artistic elements.

One of the first elements that are likely to captivate viewers is the fact that the canvas virtually appears to be moving as a result of the vivid elements it contains. The swirling sky is one of the most imposing characteristics, as the vivid colors it contains put across impressive energy and virtually seem to bring the painting to life. The painter obviously did not go for a realistic impression, as he wanted the painting to be expressive through its dynamism. It practically seems that Van Gogh's inner thoughts have been brought to life and materialized in Starry Night.