Impressionism In Vincent Van Gough's 'Starrry Night'

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In the mid 1800’s realism was developed as a style of painting to replicate the world as it was seen in a traditional artistic style. This allowed for a new style of art to be created that was based of a real moment or scene but to forget the traditional artistic laws such as distinct lines and forms. Approaching art from this impressionistic view Monet’s painted “Impression, Sunrise” bringing to life a natural scene of a hazy harbor using quick, short brush strokes and defining uses of color and natural light. Van Gough’s “Starry Night” uses similar impressionistic styles to paint a natural scene using vibrant contrasting colors, yet he embellishes the scene to create art that in not merely a landscape but a piece of self expression and shifted …show more content…

As Van Gough pushed the bounds of impressionism, he helped create the class of post-impressionism and art that did not follow the traditional style. While held in an insane asylum Van Gough painted the “Starry Night,” a depiction of a small city and the night sky overhead. The piece was painted in the early morning before the sun was coming up looking out of his prison. Just as most impressionistic works of art are outside Van Gough followed the rule in this piece, however the scene is crafted from Van Goughs memory, with a city from his childhood and a landscape he couldn’t completely view from his location. It is clear that you can see the exaggerations in this painting when you look at the stars. It was painted during a time of mental insanity leading the artist to have a unique use of self expression and a shifted reality to create an abstract painting. The painting pulls more meaning and speculation because there is more then just a passive experience of looking at a painted landscape. Shown plainly is a landscape, using long brushstrokes that you can make out just like the one on the Sunrise. It also uses intense colors of blue, yellow, and orange …show more content…

Monet uses classic impressionism to paint art as a window like his famous work “Impression, Sunrise.” Van Gough follows impressionistic styles painting landscapes and using bright colors to draw in emotional connections. Rather then use a quick straightforward style like Monet he allowed for unique self-expression, particularly in one of his most famous works of art “Starry

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