Favorite Work of Art: Part 2

Van Gogh wrote to his brother saying, "This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big." His painting, Starry Night is rooted in both imagination and memory. The painting is literally churning; its thick, sweeping brushstrokes evoke movement. Its subject matter embodies his response to nature, in which a dominating cypress unites the swirling sky and the peaceful village below. The village is said to be partly invented. The church spire is reminiscent of the Netherlands, Van Gogh's native land.

The painting remains wildly popular for many reasons. While the subject matter of the painting is familiar enough to appeal to a wide audience, it affects viewers individually. The part most are first taken with is the sky, which is filled with swirling clouds, stars surrounded by their own orb of light, and a bright, crescent moon. The brushstrokes keep the viewer's eyes moving about the painting, following the thick lines. The movement within the painting is exaggerated, keeping the viewer involved. Below the horizon is a small town. The center point of which is a large steeple, reigning prominent over the town. The steeple is said to cast a sense of stability over the town, creating an idyllic scene. To the left of the painting is a massive dark structure. Most historians agree that the shape is a tree, a cypress to be exact. But it is still the focus of some controversy. The structure is much larger in scale than anything else in the painting, creating a sense of depth. The outer contours of the structure mirror the sky in that the curving lines seem to tie all the different aspects of the scene together.

I have now determined that Starry Night is my favorite painting because of the brushstrokes. I feel as if the thickness of the stokes and the many different colors that remain evident in them are refreshing in comparison to typical oil on canvas works. I especially like how you can trace the exact strokes Van Gogh made, which went first, and what colors were placed where (since there is little blending). His methods keep the viewer extremely involved. It's easy to imagine him actually painting Starry Night, and that is why I love it so much.