Van gogh starry night style. "Starry Night" by Van Gogh & nbsp

Vincent Van Gogh is a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who has had a tremendous impact on art. His works cost tens of millions of dollars, and there are admirers of the painter's work all over the world. But all this happened after the death of the artist. Van Gogh lived a difficult and short life, only 37 years old. He was in constant search of himself as an artist, struggling with a serious illness, often he did not have enough money for food, and spent all his money on paints, brushes and canvases. Nevertheless, Vincent, and intensively he was engaged in creativity for the last seven years of his life, left a huge legacy - more than two thousand paintings and graphic works. One of the most famous paintings by Van Gogh is "Starry Night". This masterpiece was very significant for the artist himself.

Background. Quarrel with Gauguin. The painting was preceded by important events in the life of Van Gogh. Everyone knows the story of the cut off ear after a quarrel with the artist Paul Gauguin. Vincent lived in Arles in 1888, where he dreamed of creating a residence for artists in a yellow house he rented. He invited Gauguin, and the artist agreed to come. Van Gogh was happy as a child, he admired the talent of Paul Gauguin, especially for his arrival he painted pictures with sunflowers (he wanted to decorate a friend's room with them).

During his visit to Arles, Paul Gauguin painted a portrait of Van Gogh at work

For some time, Gauguin and Van Gogh worked fruitfully together, but more and more creative differences arose between them. Paul Gauguin believed that the artist should fantasize more in creating his works, while Vincent was an adherent of working with nature. Gauguin wrote: “I feel like a complete stranger in Arles. Vincent and I rarely agree, especially when it comes to painting. He hates Ingres, Raphael and Degas, whom I admire. To put an end to the controversy, I tell him: "You're right, General." He really likes my paintings, but when I work on them, he constantly points me to one or the other flaw. He is a romantic, and my tastes are primitive. "

"Self-portrait with a cut off ear and a pipe" Van Gogh wrote after a quarrel with Gauguin

In total, Gauguin spent two months in Arles. During quarrels, he often threatened Van Gogh with his departure. And on December 23, 1888, he decided to leave the yellow house and spend the night at the hotel. Vincent thought the artist had left. The next morning, all of Arles was seething with the news that Van Gogh had had a fit of insanity that night. The artist cut off an earlobe, wrapped it in a scarf and took it to a brothel to give it to a prostitute. Returning home, Van Gogh lost consciousness. In such a state, he was found by the police, who were summoned by the inhabitants of the brothel. Vincent was admitted to the city hospital, and Gauguin left without saying goodbye. The artists never met again.

Work on Starry Night. After the story with Gauguin, Van Gogh was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. Vincent agreed to stay in the convent asylum for the mentally ill in Saint-Remy.

Unlike other patients, Van Gogh was not assigned to the clinic. After daily work, he could leave the monastery walls, he could return to his cell. He was under such supervision as was deemed necessary and as independent as possible; and Van Gogh believed that treatment would help him. The low wall that surrounded the monastery remained for weeks in his imagination a border that he could not cross. In an effort to recover, the voluntary patient remained within the framework that was not binding for him. He wanted to find safety and protection. Gradually he became interested in the surrounding landscape, carried away by cypress trees, olive groves and rare vegetation on the hills. The motives surrounding the artist already possessed that strange originality, that dark, demonic side to which his art was increasingly striving.

During his stay at the monastery, Van Gogh in June 1889 painted the picture "Starry Night", fantasizing about this plot. Perhaps this was due to the influence of Gauguin, who believed that one should work more with imagination than with nature. The artist looks down at the village from an imaginary high point. To the left of her, a cypress rushes into the sky, to the right an olive grove, shaped like a cloud, crowds, and waves of mountains run towards the horizon. The manner in which Vincent interprets these newly found motives evokes associations with fire, fog and the sea, and the elemental force of nature is combined with the immaterial cosmic drama of the stars. The eternal spontaneity of the Universe at the same time idyllically rocks a person's dwelling in the cradle and threatens him. The village itself could be anywhere: it could be Saint-Remy or Nuenen at night. The spire of the church seems to be drawn to the elements, being both an antenna and a lighthouse, it resembles the Eiffel Tower (whose fascination has always been reflected in the night landscapes of Van Gogh). Together with the vault of heaven, the details of the landscape glorify the miracle of creation.

Another night landscape of Van Gogh - "Cafe Terrace at Night"

“I painted a landscape with olives and a new sketch of the starry sky,” Van Gogh wrote about this painting to his brother Theo, “and although I have not seen the last canvases of Gauguin and Bernard, I am deeply convinced that the two sketches mentioned are written in the same spirit. When these two etudes remain in front of your eyes for some time, you will get from them a much more complete picture of the things that we discussed with Gauguin and Bernard, and which interest us, than from my letters. This is not a return to romanticism or religious ideas, no. It is in the way of Delacroix, that is, with the help of color and pattern, more arbitrary than illusory precision, that it is possible, sooner than it seems, to express the rural nature. "

Features of the picture. Starry Night was not Van Gogh's first attempt at portraying the night sky. A year earlier, in Arles, the artist painted "The Starry Night over the Rhone". Night scenes attracted the master, he often worked in the dark, attaching candles to his hat, as the old masters did.

Now the painting "Starry Night over the Rhone" is kept in Paris

Van Gogh wrote to Theo that he often thinks about the stars: “Whenever I see stars, I start to dream - just as involuntarily as I dream, looking at the black dots that mark cities on the map. Why, I ask myself, should the light points in the sky be less accessible to us than the black points on the map of France? Just as we are carried by a train, when we travel to Rouen or Tarascon, death carries us to the stars. However, in this reasoning, only one thing is indisputable: while we live, we cannot go to the star, just as, having died, we cannot get on the train. It is likely that cholera, syphilis, consumption, cancer are nothing more than heavenly vehicles, playing the same role as steamships, omnibuses and trains on earth. And natural death from old age is tantamount to walking on foot ”. Working on Starry Night, the artist wrote that he still needs religion, which is why he draws stars.

There are many interpretations of the Starry Night painting. Some even note that it accurately conveys the position of the stars in the June 1889 night sky. And this is quite likely. But the wriggling spiral lines have nothing to do with the aurora borealis, the Milky Way, a spiral nebula, or the like. According to other interpretations, Van Gogh painted his own Garden of Gethsemane. As evidence of this assumption, the discussion about Christ in the Garden of Gethismane is cited, which Van Gogh at that time conducted in correspondence with the artists Gauguin and Bernard. This is also possible. It is also possible that this picture also reflects the presentiments and mental suffering of the painter himself. But biblical allegories run through all the works of Van Gogh, and he did not need a special plot for this. Rather, it was a desire for synthesis, which juxtaposed scientific, philosophical and personal ideas. "Starry Night" is an attempt to convey the state of shock, shock, and cypresses, olives and mountains served only as a catalyst. Then Van Gogh was more than ever interested in the material essence of his plots, as well as their symbolic meaning.

It is noteworthy that many scientists in Van Gogh's paintings reflect natural phenomena. Komsomolskaya Pravda collected facts about how the works of the Dutch artist help researchers.

The original painting "Starry Night" (oil on canvas 73.7x92.1) is kept in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The work was transferred there in 1941 from a private collection.

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Which Russian museums have Van Gogh's masterpieces

Vincent Van Gogh's paintings can be viewed in Moscow and St. Petersburg. So, in the Museum of Fine Arts. Alexander Pushkin keeps "Red Vineyards in Arles", "The Sea at Sainte-Marie", "Portrait of Dr. Felix Ray", "Walk of Prisoners" and "Landscape at Auvers after the rain". And in the Hermitage there are four works by the famous Dutchman: "Remembrance of the Garden at Etten (Ladies of Arles)", "Arena at Arles", "Bush", "Huts".

The painting "Red Vineyards" is one of the few works of Van Gogh, which was bought during the artist's lifetime

The material used data from the book “Van Gogh. Complete Works ”by Ingo F. Walter and Rainer Metzger.

One of the most famous paintings - "Starry Night" by Van Gogh - is currently in one of the halls of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was created in 1889 and is one of the most famous works of the great artist.

The history of the painting

Starry Night is one of the most famous and popular works of art of the 19th century. The painting was painted in 1889 and it perfectly conveys the unique and inimitable style of the greatest

In 1888, Vincent Van Gogh, after an attack on Paul and a severed earlobe, was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. This year the great artist lived in France, in the town of Arles. After the inhabitants of this city turned to the mayor's office with a collective complaint about the "violent" painter, Vincent Van Gogh ended up in Saint-Remy-de-Provence - a village for the year of his residence in this place, the artist wrote more than 150 paintings, including this very famous masterpiece of fine art.

Starry Night by Van Gogh. Description of the picture

A distinctive feature of the painting is its incredible dynamism, which eloquently conveys the emotional experiences of the great artist. Images in the moonlight at that time had their own ancient traditions, and yet no artist could convey such strength and power of a natural phenomenon as Vincent van Gogh. "Starry Night" is not written spontaneously, like many of the master's works, it is carefully thought out and composed.

The incredible energy of the whole picture is concentrated mainly in the symmetrical, single and continuous movement of the crescent moon, stars and the sky itself. Overwhelming inner experiences are wonderfully balanced thanks to the trees in the foreground, which in turn balance the entire panorama.

Painting stylistics

It is worth paying utmost attention to the amazingly synchronized movement of the heavenly bodies in the night sky. Vincent van Gogh deliberately depicted the stars significantly enlarged to convey the shimmering light of the entire halo. The light from the moon also appears to be pulsating, and the spiral curls very harmoniously convey the stylized image of the galaxy.

All the riot of the night sky is balanced, thanks to the city landscape depicted in dark colors and the cypress trees that frame the picture below. The night city and trees effectively complement the panorama of the night sky, giving it a sense of gravity and gravity. Of particular importance is the village depicted in the lower right corner of the picture. He seems serenely calm in relation to the dynamic sky.

Equally important is the color scheme of the painting "Starry Night" by Van Gogh. Lighter shades blend harmoniously with dark foregrounds. And the special technique of drawing with strokes of various lengths and directions makes this picture more expressive in comparison with the previous works of this artist.

Reasoning about the painting "Starry Night" and the work of Van Gogh

Like many masterpieces, Van Gogh's Starry Night almost immediately became fertile ground for all kinds of interpretations and discussions. Astronomers began to count the stars depicted in the picture, trying to determine which constellation they belong to. Geographers unsuccessfully tried to find out what kind of city is depicted at the bottom of the work. However, the fruits of the research of neither one nor the other have not been crowned with success.

It is only known for certain that, painting "Starry Night", Vincent departed from the usual manner of writing from nature.

Another interesting fact is that the creation of this picture, according to scientists and researchers, was influenced by the ancient legend of Joseph from the Old Testament. Although the artist was not considered a fan of theological teachings, the theme of eleven stars eloquently appears in Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Many years have passed since the great artist created this painting, and a programmer from Greece created an interactive version of this painting masterpiece. Thanks to a special technology, you can control the flow of colors by touching your fingers. The spectacle is amazing!

Vincent Van Gogh. Painting "Starry Night". Does it have a hidden meaning?

Books and songs are written about this picture, it is also in electronic publications. And, perhaps, it is difficult to find a more expressive artist than Vincent Van Gogh. The painting "Starry Night" is the clearest proof of this. fine art still inspires poets, musicians and other artists to create unique pieces.

Until now, there was no consensus about this picture. Whether the illness influenced her writing, is there any hidden meaning in this work - the current generation can only guess about it. It is possible that this is just a picture that the artist's inflamed mind saw. Nevertheless, this is a completely different world, accessible only to the eyes of Vincent Van Gogh.

Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night is one of the most famous works of art. But what is the meaning of this painting masterpiece?
Most people can tell you that Vincent Van Gogh was a famous impressionist who painted The Starry Night. Many have heard that Van Gogh was "crazy" and suffered from mental illness throughout his life. The story that Van Gogh cut off his ear after a fight with his friend, French artist Paul Gauguin, is one of the most popular in art history. After which he was placed in a psychiatric hospital in the city of Saint-Remy, where the painting "Starry Night" was painted. Did Van Gogh's health condition affect the meaning and imagery of the picture?

Religious interpretation

In 1888, Van Gogh wrote a personal letter to his brother Theo: “I still need religion. That is why I left the house at night and started painting the stars. " As you know, Van Gogh was religious, even served as a priest in his youth. Many scholars believe that the painting contains a religious meaning. Why are there exactly 11 stars in Starry Night?

"Behold, I had another dream: behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars are worshiping."[Genesis 37: 9]

Perhaps painting exactly 11 stars, Vincent Van Gogh is referring to Genesis 37: 9, which tells of the dreamy Joseph, exiled by his 11 brothers. It is not difficult to understand why Van Gogh could compare himself to Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery and imprisoned, like Van Gogh, who made Arles his refuge in the last years of his life. No matter what Joseph did, he could not earn the respect of the 11 older brothers. In the same way, Van Gogh, as an artist, failed to get the favor of society, critics of his time.

Is Van Gogh a cypress?

Cypress, like daffodils, is found in many of Van Gogh's paintings. It would not be surprising if Van Gogh, during the depressive period when Starry Night was being painted, associated himself with the frightening, almost supernatural cypress in the foreground of the painting. This cypress tree is ambiguous, it is contrasted with such bright stars in the sky. Perhaps this is Van Gogh himself - strange and repulsive, he is drawn to the stars, to the recognition of society.

Starry Night (SPF Darina Turbulence), 1889, Museum of Modern Art, New York

"Looking at the stars, I always start dreaming. I ask myself: why should the bright points in the sky be less accessible to us than the black points on the map of France?" - wrote Van Gogh. "And as the train takes us to Tarascon or Rouen, so death will take us to one of the stars." The artist told his dream to the canvas, and now the viewer is surprised and dreams, looking at the stars painted by Van Gogh.

Starry Night - Vincent Van Gogh. 1889. Oil on canvas. 73.7x92.1

The master felt cramped within the real world. He considered that it was his fantasy, the play of the imagination that was needed for a more complete image. It is known that by the time the painting was created, the author was undergoing another course of treatment, he was allowed to work only if his condition improved. The artist was deprived of the opportunity to create on nature. Many works during this period (including "Starry Night") he created from memory.

Powerful, expressive strokes, rich colors, complex composition - everything in this picture is designed for perception from a distance.

Amazingly, the author managed to separate the sky from the Earth. One gets the impression that active movement in the sky does not in any way affect what is happening on earth. Below is a sleepy town, ready to fall asleep in a peaceful sleep. Above - powerful streams, huge stars and incessant movement.

The light in the work comes precisely from the stars and the moon, but its direction is indirect. The glare that illuminates the city at night looks random, broken away from the general mighty vortex that reigns over the world.

Between heaven and earth, connecting them, a cypress grows, eternal, undying. The tree is important for the author, it is the only one capable of transmitting all the heavenly energy to those living on earth. Cypresses strive to the sky, their aspiration is so strong that it seems - in another second and the trees will part with the earth for the sake of the sky. The age-old branches directed upward look like tongues of green flame.

The combination of rich blue and yellow colors, a well-known heraldic combination, creates a special atmosphere, fascinates and attracts attention to work.

The artist has repeatedly turned to the night sky. In the famous work "The Sky over the Rhone", the master still does not approach the image of the firmament so dramatically and expressively.

Many interpret the symbolic meaning of the picture in different ways. Some are inclined to see in the picture a direct quote from the Old Testament or Revelation. Someone considers the excessive expressiveness of the painting to be the result of the master's illness. All agree on one thing - by the end of his life the master only increases the inner tension of his work. The world is distorted in the artist's perception, it ceases to be the same, new forms, lines and new emotions, stronger and more precise, are discovered in it. The master draws the viewer's attention to those fantasies that make the world around them brighter and more non-standard.

Today, this particular work has become one of the most recognizable works of Van Gogh. The painting is in the American Museum, but the painting gets to Europe regularly, it is exhibited in the largest museums of the Old World.