Van Goghs Starry Night Essay - 1008 Words

When I was taking art in high school the artist that stood out to me was not Monet or Michelangelo. I was at awe of an artist that chopped his ear off and put it in an envelope to give to his mistress at a brothel. How would you react to someone giving you his or her ear and want you to keep it? That would be like Evander Holyfield giving away his ear to a person saying, â€Å"Hold this is will be worth millions one day.† That artist was Vincent Van Gogh. I want to compare the oil painting of Van Gogh’s â€Å"Starry Night† to the lyrics of Don McLean and the lessons they tell. Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853. In the younger years, he wanted to dedicate his life to evangelism of the poverty. Van Gogh’s father was a pastor†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Starry, starry night. Paint your palette blue and grey; Look out on a summers day, with eyes that know the darkness in my soul. Shadows on the hills, Sketch the trees and the daffodils, Catch the breeze and the winter chills, in colors on the snowy linen land (The Van Gogh Gallery).† In my mind, this verse McLean is comparing the blue and grey hues to the mental breakdown that Van Gogh was having at the time of the painting because he was in the asylum. The imagery used in this verse allows the listener to feel as if they were actually feeling the breeze of the winter chill. â€Å"Starry, starry night. Flaming flowers that brightly blaze, Swirling clouds in violet haze, reflect in Vincents eyes of china blue. Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain, weathered faces lined in pain, are soothed beneath the artists loving hand (The Van Gogh Gallery).† This verse is referencing a few paintings done by the hands of Van Gogh in which he shows his talent as a painter. â€Å"Flaming flowers that brightly blaze† references â€Å"Sunflowers† â€Å"the colors are vibrant and express emotions typically a ssociated with the life of sunflowers: bright yellows of the full bloom to arid browns of wilting and death; all of the stages woven through these polar opposites are presented. Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Vincent Van Goghs Starry Night at St. Rà ©my1191 Words   |  5 PagesVincent Van Goghs Starry Night at St. Rà ©my Vincent van Goghs Starry Night at St. Rà ©my of June 1889, expresses the comforting power and spirituality of the infinite night sky over the humbler, earthly brand of nature through a synthesis of exceptional visual power, elements of religious allegory, and of modern spiritualism. This work is the product of van Goghs refusal to depict the purely imaginary, but willful manipulation of what is real in order to achieve a more powerful work, bothRead MoreWhy Van Goghs Starry Night Is Expressionist898 Words   |  4 PagesStarry Night Expressionism was considered a movement in fine art, which showed a persons inner experience and feelings, instead of a realistic portrayal of an object. 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