Starry Night Vincent Van Gogh

1. Starry Night Vincent Van Gogh Jordan Thompson

4. Biography • Vincent Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in the Netherlands • He was a teacher in England, then he moved on to become a preacher • He decided to become an artist at the age of 27 in 1880 • He taught himself to draw and paint, and received financial support from his younger brother.

5. Biography • Vincent Van Gogh had mental health problems and spent time in psychiatric hospitals • Van Gogh’s artwork was inspired by the colors and countryside around him. • While suffering from depression in July of 1890 Van Gogh shot himself, and died two days later.

6. Background of painting • The Starry Night is one of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. The painting shows a night view outside Van Gogh’s sanitarium room at Saint Remy-de-Provence. It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941. It is one of Vincent Van Gogh's most sought after pieces.

7. Into the painting • People can relate to this scene, because it is so simple • Exaggerated features and swirls keep the viewers eyes moving, which keeps them interested • There is a peaceful town below the bright night sky • The excitement of the sky and the calmness of the town creates a balance • Van Gogh used a mix of cool dark colors and white to portray drama and movement throughout the painting • The dark object to the left of the painting is a mystery • It gives the viewer a chance to really think about the scene and truly interpret the painting

8. Van Gogh’s Inspiration • Van Gogh was fascinated with light, and night. • He wrote to his brother in 1888 "It often seems to me that the night is much more alive and richly colored than the day” • Van Gogh was known as the audacious, crazy, passionate painter which explains his exaggeration in many of his paintings. • Many people believe that poems by Whitman inspired Van Gogh. They believe that the painting is Whitman's poems in visual form.