Starry Night was created by Vincent Van Gogh in 1889.  The painting is of the French city at night with a bright yellow moon and stars in the sky.  Van Gogh often painted landscapes either around him or from memory.  He often wrote letters to his siblings about his paintings and felt as though the night was filled with more color than the day.

When trying to understand the meaning behind Starry Night, it is helpful to explore it in a psychological analysis.  Van Gogh was working with another artist, Paul Gauguin in 1888.  When the relationship came to an abrupt halt, Van Gogh was upset and cut his ear off.  He was then placed in an asylum for mentally ill patients.  He created over 150 paintings during his stay and Starry Night was one of them.  The swirling patterns of the clouds seem energized representing Van Gogh’s own struggle with mental illness.  The stars are such a contrast from blue to yellow that it gives the sense of hope.  Possibly that is Van Gogh’s own hope portrayed in the painting.

Another analysis that is interesting when studying Starry Night is contextual.  When the city is viewed closely the buildings are all dark, however there is contrast in the windows with bright colors giving a sense of comfort.  The town is calm compared to the movement represented in the sky.  The church is in the center of the painting with the steeple at an exaggerated height.  This symbolizes harmony.  There is also a cypress tree to the left of the painting which signifies sorrow.  It could be Van Gogh’s sorrow for his situation and illness.

References

Starry Night

Khan Academy

 Moma

Artble

As a side note, I wanted to share with you why I chose this artwork.  My kids elementary school art teacher collected bottle caps and re-created Starry Night in the hallway at the school.  The caps are screwed to the wall and the children were able to help with this large project.  I have always loved what she did and wanted to know more about the piece.  We have an amazing art teacher!