Painting from class

For this blog entry I choose ‘Starry Night’ by Van Gogh. The texture in this painting is obviously not smooth, certain colors look like they would physically jump out at the viewer and be more noticeable than other sections of the painting. Lighting holds a big balancing facture with this painting; the sky is separated from the city by the mountains (Or, depending on your view, the waves coming into the city). The large flame in the left side of the painting also balances out all the light colors with something invasive and violent looking compared to the first glance serenity. This painting is made mostly out of horizontal lines, while the most noticeable vertical line, is the flame intersecting taking over the attention of the viewer.


Van Gogh was a strange man; he belonged to a new group of painters who weren’t classical painters anymore. Artists like Van Gogh painted for their own gain and no longer to speak about history or to even paint for commission. The new outlook on society made for a new outlook on art, just as any sort of social revolution leads to new outlooks on every type of art or means of expression. Van Gogh was a part of a new group of artists, who did art because it called for them; they were artists for their own need. Art was no longer made in situ, but for wherever it would end up when the artist was done. Along with this influence Van Gogh himself was unstable as well. He spent most of his time under the stress of needing money and when or where he would find his next meal. The painting itself, no matter what period of art is it under, is very methodical, the process of making this painting most likely took days to assemble in the form that he wanted.