Among the many master pieces of Dutch post-impressionist Vincent Van Gogh, perhaps the best known and most widely loved is "The Starry Night" from 1889. However, the title of the painting reached its current level of fame not through direct promotion of the Van Gogh work but through the work of American singer Don McLean.
In Don McLean's 1971 song "Vincent", which in its whole is dedicated to the works and life of Van Gogh, he opens with the now almost universally recognized "Starry Starry Night". It is of course a testament to the importance and recognition of this particular work that Don McLean chooses to begin his song with the title of this painting. It remains today among the most beloved works of Van Gogh, including being the most searched of his paintings on the internet, and it is by many considered his Magnum Opus.
As Don McLean also touches upon in his song, Van Gogh painted "The Starry Night" while facing serious suffering on accounts of his sanity. Van Gogh thus at the time of the painting had committed himself at the hospital at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, about 30 kilometers from Arles in France. This commitment came in the aftermath of the 23rd December 1888 incident in which Van Gogh cut off part of his own left ear. Due to this circumstance, Van Gogh did not have the opportunity to go out and observe new potential subjects for paintings very often, and he therefore often painted from memory or reinterpreted the paintings of others, like Millet. "The Starry Night" fits the first category.
The composition of the painting can be divided into three main parts - the sky above, the village below and the cypress tree to the left somehow connecting the two. Vincent's night sky is here a ranging inferno, as clouds are swirling across the sky, beholden with energy, while the clear orbs of the stars and the moon light up this scene. The way the clouds swirl and interact ensures that the viewer's eyes continuously move around the painting, following the obvious movement within the painting. Below this field of energy, we find a stark contrast in the quiet village below, which offers some stability in the painting. While often considered to be the village of Saint Remy, it is actually fictional, with church spires reminiscent of Van Gogh's own native Netherlands. Tying the raging sky and the quiet village together, we find the large cypress tree in the left of the painting. Van Gogh painted cypress trees on numerous occasions in his work and the special almost flaming shape of the tree gives it an ominous quality that serves well to connect the two contrasting worlds in the painting. The identification of the artist himself with the cypress as a motive also enables us to place him in the role of the tree, stretching between the roaring inferno of his mind, with all its light and inspiration, and the quieter and stable world below that he is also a part of.
"The Starry Night" is a true artistic master piece by Van Gogh that offers both a view of a night sky and a window into the artist's soul. This work of the artist at the top of his craft inspired not only Don McLean but many others as well. Orchestral works, poems, tattoos and other deriving paintings all owe their inspiration to the magnificent starry night imagined by Vincent in Saint Remy.
Metropolitan Art in Motion: A Cultural Odyssey
The allure of metropolitan areas for art aficionados often lies in the rich tapestry of cultural offerings, particularly the museums that house the world's artistic treasures. These urban centers boast an array of prestigious institutions, each with its own unique collections that beckon visitors from around the globe. From the Tate in London to the Louvre in Paris, the art world's grandeur is on full display. Yet, for those who seek an unparalleled museum experience, New York City stands as a cultural colossus, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art reigning supreme.
Thomas Cole and Titans Goblet
American painter Thomas Cole is best known for his detailed depictions of the American countryside, depicted in accordance with the tenets of Romanticism and Naturalism. As a founder of the Hudson River School, Cole was instrumental in this development and depiction of the American landscape. However, not all landscapes depicted by Cole were based on actual existing locations.
The Vagabond Prince
In the early 20th century, Paris was the center of the Avant-Garde art scene. Here, masters like Picasso and Matisse were practicing their crafts at the leading edge of artistic developments.
