Module Two - Project 2: An analysis on Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

 

Chloe McCaskill

An analysis on Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Starry Night is one of the most popular paintings by artist Vincent Van Gogh. It was painted in 1889 and is now valued at over $100 million. It sits in the MoMA in New York City. Something that makes this work of art so striking is the color choices. Vincent utilized a pallet with three main colors that I pulled out directly from his art and placed them on the side. In Van Gogh’s genius, he decided to work with complementary colors. The yellow and blues sit opposite each other on the color wheel, making each stand out when combined. The yellow seems brighter and fuller with the blue background intensifying it. Together they create a high contrast that is visually appealing for all audiences. It draws the eye easily. The darker shades are most likely just darker versions of the blue and yellow. 

Starry Night is an interesting piece of art to analyze because of the way Van Gogh included multiple Gestalt principles. For anyone who knows the origins of the Gestalt Theory, might be surprised to recognize just how much Van Gogh has in his artwork, especially considering the theory was made much later on. Nonetheless, we can see a variety of principles. The cyprus tree nearest to the viewer is bigger and in the foreground, behind it are the houses and mountains which are less in focus. This is the Gestalt principle of figure-ground. The way we view the tree as the object of focus showcases this. Furthermore, Van Gogh's painting style easily reflects the Gestalt principle of continuity. One’s eyes can trace the tree, then the mountains, clouds, and the loops in the sky. Everything in this painting flows together, giving the eyes a pattern to follow along with. It lulls the viewer into a soft, comforting, almost dream-like state, where they are then faced with the bright composition of the stars. 

Another reason why this painting is so alluring is its composition. We’ve discussed the colors and the flow of the lines, but what I haven’t addressed is the rule of thirds. Van Gogh places the subject of the painting, the tree, to the side at a little more than one-third of the painting. He also uses the rule of thirds to divide between the mountains, sky, and civilization below. By using this compositional technique Van Gogh makes the viewer seem small, and everyone else small too. The large tree and smallness of the city contribute to the tone of the painting. It highlights the awe of the heavens. 

The use of these complementary colors, gestalt principles, and the rule of thirds all work together to contribute to my interpretation of the work as a whole. It conveys the message that humanity is small and insignificant, but in a gentle way. Van Gogh points to looking to the stars, seeing their eternity and admiring the natural beauty that surrounds them all. The complementary colors pull the viewer out of their misery about mortality and instead excite them with the life they currently have. The foreground makes the viewer feel as if they too are standing behind that towering cypress tree and watching the city. The continuity of the lines in the sky represents each person trying to read or find a path to go in life, in the stars. The rule of thirds makes the viewer small. Together these things make The Starry Night a painting about reflection on mortality, and nature.