Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)
What we learned-
- Since the work has been completed, astrologists have confirmed that van Gogh’s skyscape is an accurate depiction of where the stars would have been during the time it was painted. Who says Post-Impressionists aren’t accurate? :)
- Van Gogh used swirling motions around the stars and throughout the sky to create a sense of movement (3rd graders, think about the “Make a Splash” project we’re currently doing!).
- A leader of the Post-Impressionist movement (which was primarily French, though Van Gogh himself was Dutch), van Gogh utilized a very thick paint application known as impasto. This particular work took 8 months to dry, the paint was so thick!
Discussion Questions:
- Though van Gogh was not a Christian (Something that surely contributed to his troubled life!), there are pieces of God’s glory and beauty that can be found in his work! How is God glorified in “Starry Night?”
- Even with only four “and a half” colors (black, white, yellow and blue- and the green that resulted from blues and yellows beside each other), van Gogh created in “Starry Night” one of the most famous artworks in history. Does an artwork need a lot of color to be successful?
