Vincent Van Gogh and His Artistic Style

In about ten years Vincent Van Gogh (1853-90) had been a painter from 1880 to 1890. He was regarded as a middle-aged artist in his distinctive style of wavy lines and bold colors. He was able to perform work quickly throughout his productive age, sometimes up to three days and under an hour daily. For nine years he spent actively developing his abilities to a point where he could easily and efficiently implement. As a painter, Van Gogh was late in his career. In 1878-80 he sketched the miners that made up his Congregation, when he was in his mid-20s, while he was a lay preacher in Belgium.

The era that Vincent Van Gogh was a part of was the Post Impressionism. Post-impressionism is an early concept used in the two last decades of the 19th century to apply to the styles formed by French artists and Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Post-impressionism is not a particular art approach, method, or style. The most prominent post-Impressionism individuals all independently developed their types, yet they all joined in opposing impressionism. We see bright, vivid colors and very creative art in the paintings of Van Gogh and Gauguin, whereas the works of Cezanne seemed like form and Seurat professionally use paint lines, pointillism. All these artists were acquainted with and influenced by the Impressionism trend but were not related to it and developed their works from the naturalism used by the impressionists in different directions. In terms of light and color, impressionism represented reality. Such limitations were dismissed by post-Impressionists and were rather more descriptive. The results of light and others such as that seen in the Impressionist period did not concern them, they were less idyllic. Their importance would have to be conveyed beyond the surface appearance; they are colored with feeling, mind, and body. Post-Impressionists stressed a personal view of the visual world and used color and shape creatively to depict feelings and gestures. In the early 20th century, post-impressionism contributed to cubism and fauvism.

The Starry Night, the most famous and probably the most mysterious night sky art in Saint-Remy, is van Gogh’s painting. A rising moon and dispersing stars hang over a town, and around design stretches over the night. A tree stands in the front like black fire, and we can see faint contours of hills moving to the right in the distance. The colors are very interesting to glance at when gazing at Van Gogh’s Starry Night. The hue he uses is so dark, and the colors are so breathtaking. The colors certainly create a fascination feeling.

What I get from the vision of the art is excitement as to what heaven and the town feel like. As Van Gogh created this painting, he based it on what he saw and the places that he had seen. The atmosphere in this picture is undoubtedly what draws tourists to this art. He didn’t see the world as swirls clearly, but here he tells us to look at the sky. We see it from his point of view and this room produces the town at its heart. This lets the audience know that we are on the top of a hill and marvel at it all. What I like about the way in which Van Gogh rendered this image is the use and integration of color into the art. He added paint thickly to display this pattern, which is well mingled with both colors and swirls. The swirls represent different items in this picture as well. The swirls appear to be part of the artwork which depicts the breeze which moves through the skies of the night and around the city below. It also includes the clouds that seem to move through the wind drawing. As Van Gogh drew, he generally liked a black palette, and this drawing incorporates a variety of dark colors. He does not just render this beautiful scenery in one hue. The whole paint is combined to produce the swirls and the pattern. The moon is so full of colors. What we normally see as the night sky seems really beautiful. The stars and the moon are definitely the sources of the so-called Starry Night. When I see this painting, I want to enjoy the night sky and appreciate the area, while all the bright colors around me are noticeable. I am pleased with the elegance of the landscapes we see every day, including dawn, dusk, and the atmosphere of the evening. This artwork inspires a lot of viewers to see it and to understand how to see what lies ahead. Having time to stop and observe our surroundings is something we should all do more often, so perhaps we can render something as special as the Starry Night. The Starry Night can be viewed in so many forms and encourages everyone to reflect on what the image looks like.

Being that Vincent Van Gogh looks at things from a different perspective, he has really left an impact on me. He has made me realize that there is more to life than just looking at the way things are meant to be seen. He teaches me to look past what’s in front of me and look within to convey a certain message. We look at everyday objects and never look at them from a new perspective. Moving on the pass this class, I definitely will be taking Van Gogh’s advice into my actual life and view things from a different angle. You never know what someone can see or learn from just by viewing something from a new perspective. If this is what helped him paint, I’m sure this would help someone in a thinking process as well.