Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night As An Example Of Post-expressionism

Vincent Van Gogh is considered one of the most well-known post-expressionism artists of his era. He was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland on March 30, 1853, and grew up in a religious and cultural background (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d.). He lacked self-confidence and was temperamental, and in his early years he believed that his true purpose in life was to be a gospel preacher. It took several years before he finally recognized his true passion as an artist. Van Gogh had already been unlucky in love several times, had several unsuccessful career prospects, and was dismissed from preaching in the Borinage.

Van Gogh began studying art to bring a sense of happiness, studying in Belgium and Paris, and was inspired by fellow expressionistic artists. He first mimicked his peer’s techniques, but eventually began to evolve into his own style. From there Van Gogh moved to Arles in hopes of opening his own school of art, however his nervous disposition resulted in an altercation with Gaugin, causing him to slice off a portion of his ear lobe (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d.). Van Gogh was subsequently institutionalized at an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He was released a few years later, under physician supervision, however two months later on July 29, 1980 he ended his life (Biography, 2014). During his short career, he did not experience much success, was often malnourished, and lived in poverty. However, his legacy has flourished since his untimely death, and his artwork is now considered the foundation of modern art (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d.).

Van Gogh first began his artistic career painting in the dark style of the Dutch Baroque (Fichner-Rathus, 2010, pp. 437). The impressionist movement was beginning to gain traction when Van Gogh then moved to Paris in 1886, and he was inspired by several artists of the impressionist movement, including Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d.). He was also interested in the neo-impressionists use of pointillism in their artwork, such as Seurat and Signac’s research on the division of the spectrum of light, and Gauguin’s usage of synthetism (Impressionniste, n.d.). After failing to mimic the popular styles used by his peers, Van Gogh began to develop his own techniques inspired by his studies of neo-impressionism. He began developing optical illusions using small brush stokes of primary and complementary colors in his pieces (Impressionniste, n.d.). Like most artists in his period though, while he was able to exhibit his paintings in windows of stores or cafes, unfortunately he was not able to sell his paintings. In fact, in his lifetime he only sold one of his paintings with the help of his brother (Van Gogh Gallery, n.d.). Feeling a burden to his brother, Van Gogh moved to Arles, which is where he further developed his most important post-impressionism works (Fichner-Rathus, 2010, pp. 437).

One of Van Gogh’s most famous landscapes, Starry Night, was painted while he was hospitalized at an asylum. His painting depicts a fantastical view of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence from the confines of his iron-barred window. He went on to create several versions of this view, although Starry Night is the only one portraying nighttime (Vincent Van Gogh, 2009). The palette of Starry Night consists of oil on canvas, using bold applications of hues of blues, greens, and yellows. The brushstrokes used are thick, bold, and are meticulously placed in a way that are all at once precise yet dynamic. The vantage point of the depiction is an imaginary viewpoint of the artist looking down on the village (Vincent Van Gogh, 2009). Your eyes are drawn across the canvas and focus towards the center by the large cosmic array of the night sky. Van Gogh balances the painting with the cypress trees reaching up to the heavens to the left, while the moonlight shimmers brightly to the right. He further creates unity with the bright-shining stars and dots of light in the village homes beneath.

Starry Night was painted during one of Van Gogh’s most detrimental times of his life. He had just been incarcerated for mutilating his ear, and members of the public worried for both his and their safety. Van Gogh was confined in an asylum for two years, and his only view was that of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He suffered from debilitating epileptic episodes and mental illness (Fichner-Rathus, 2010, pp. 437), and his painting reflected his innermost hopes and joys, as well as apprehensions and despair. Van Gogh wrote to his brother, “I paint as a means to make life bearable… Really, we can speak only through our paintings” (Fichner-Rathus, 2010, pp. 437). Analysis of his paintings suggest that the cypress trees reaching up to the heavens suggest a connection between heaven and earth, and compare it to his final demise (Vincent Van Gogh, 2009). Starry Night offered a rare glimpse into what Van Gogh saw and felt at nighttime while in isolation.

Van Gogh’s style of painting changed over the course of his short career. He began with the style of the Dutch Baroque, but quickly started to experiment with new techniques to include more impressionistic qualities after living in Paris and Arles. Many of his pieces were of landscapes, flowers, local people, and self-portraits. As his mental state became more severe though, his style became more chaotic, stylized, and his paintings had an edge to them. Starry Night is one of these more dynamic pieces, providing an imaginative abstract view of the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence skyline that differs to some of his more traditional pieces.

I initially chose Starry Night for my final paper because of its bold usage of colors and the dynamic application of oil paint. What also caught my attention was the sinister-appearing cypress tree looming over a beautiful backdrop of the village and night sky. It stood out like a sore thumb from the painting, but it was oddly relatable and the more that I researched about Van Gogh’s history, I began to further understand the significance of his painting and the meaning behind it. Van Gogh grew up as a social outcast, as he was shunned by the opposite sex, failed to make it in the art community, and had mental and medical issues, but he was always able to use art as an emotional outlet. Van Gogh was the cypress tree; an eyesore in an otherwise fantastical world, and while many scholars believe the cypress tree was an indication of suicidal thoughts and his illness was severe enough for him to end his own life, I trust that when he painted Starry Night he was in a good place. Van Gogh once wrote to his brother; “I try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove of it” (Van Gogh, 1885, par. 3). I believe that at times everyone feels like they are a social outcast but don’t know how to describe it in words. His Starry Night painting allows us as a viewer to experience the release of emotions in a whirlwind of a colorful sky, that it is okay to be the outcast, and acceptable to be the odd one standing out.

While Vincent Van Gogh’s legacy lives on posthumously, if I had to change one thing about his artwork, it would be that it would have been more appreciated in the time period that he lived in. He was on the cusp of creating a new method of expressionistic artistry that was misunderstood by many. Had he received formal recognition from his peers or society or if psychotherapy practices were more understood, then just maybe Van Gogh would not have succumbed to his short fate, we could have witnessed an even greater repertoire of his works of art, and I can only imagine what influence he would have had across a multitude of genres during his lifetime. Van Gogh pushed the boundaries of post-expressionism to its limits, paved the way for modern art, and continues to inspire artists far and wide to this day.