Who? Vincent Van Gogh ( ), Dutch Painter

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1 Who? Vincent Van Gogh ( ), Dutch Painter What? Starry Night (Oil on canvas, 29 x 36 ¼ ) When? June, 1889 Where is it now? The Museum of Modern Art, NYC Why is this artist/artwork important? This is Van Gogh s most famous painting. It demonstrates his ideas that an artist can manipulate line and color to express the artist s inner feelings when looking at nature.

2 Background Information: - - Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 in Holland. His father was a Protestant minister. Van Gogh also wanted to be a minister and started off doing that, but switched over to painting because he thought he could bring happiness to people by creating beauty. - - Studied art in Belgium and began painting pictures of the peasants living near him. Wanted to show the beauty of hard- working people. Didn t make them look pretty. He applied the paint thickly (known as impasto- in paste) to convey that the people worked with the land. For example, The Potato Eaters (1885). In 1886, he went to Paris. His brother, Theo, was there and worked for a famous art dealer. Through his brother, Vincent was introduced to many of the most modern artists of the period, including Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet and Paul Gauguin. - - From the Impressionists, Van Gogh changed his way of working, used brighter colors, shorter strokes. He was also looking at new ideas: Artists were really interested in Japanese Prints (bright colors, sharply outlined edges to figures). - - In 1888, Van Gogh moved to the small French town of Arles. He painted the local people and landscape in a new style Example: The Arlesian Woman (1888-9). - - He was very interested in color theories what happens if you put two colors next to each other, do they have an effect on each other (Complementary Colors Orange/Blue; Red/Green; Purple/Yellow will make each color look brighter when placed next to each other). - - He also used color and brushwork to express his emotions. He felt that certain colors were associated with different moods. For example: Yellow was associated with joy and warmth: Darker colors were associated with fear, anxiety). Lines: straight lines were associated with calmness and tranquility, swirling lines were associated with excitement (sometimes fear, sometimes extreme beauty and joy).

3 - - Van Gogh was ill during this time. Note to presenters: Scholars no longer believe that Van Gogh was simply insane. He seems to have suffered from a blood disorder, which caused him to have hallucinations and seizures. He was unable to paint when he was having attacks. These attacks let him to develop severe anxiety and depression. - - In 1889, Van Gogh was admitted to a hospital in St. Remy, France. He did lots of paintings over the next year, many of which were views from his hospital room window. - - Starry Night (June, 1889).Shows a view from Van Gogh s hospital window of the town on beautiful starry night. Artist s description of the scene: "This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big," van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo, from France. "Looking at the stars always makes me dream," he said, "Why, I ask myself, shouldn't the shining dots of the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France? Discussion questions: - - Has anyone seen this picture at The Museum of Modern Art? - How does this work make you feel? What kinds of brushstrokes did he use, how do they effect the mood of the picture? What about color? - - How do you think Van Gogh felt? - - What do you notice about the sky/moon/stars in this painting? - - What else is in the painting (large cypress tree at the left, church in the center is a Dutch church that he inserted).

4 For more information: Websites: Books: Jane Bingham, Art on the Wall: Post Impressionism. Chicago, Mike Venezia, Getting to Know the World s Greatest Artists. New York, Project ideas: 1. Using blue construction paper and crayons, the kids will create a night sky scene of their own. - - Encourage the children to think about a time that they were out at night and saw something exciting. Could be a starry night, could be fireworks. - - Have them choose colors that they feel would express feelings that they had/have. Encourage them to apply the crayon thickly and to use different kinds of lines to convey feelings. 2. Materials: Finger Paint, Painting Paper (something made to absorb paint, so it doesn t seep through), paper plates, paper towels or wipes - - Have the children paint a landscape. Could be a night scene or something they see out the window. Encourage them to use their fingers to make the lines expressive.

5 Comparative Images : Self- Portrait with Easel, 1888 (There are no known photographs of Van Gogh) The Potato Eaters, 1885

6 The Arlesian Woman, (Woman from the town of Arles)