The Starry Night by Van Gogh Essay

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Introduction

The Starry Night is one of the ancient pieces of antique paintings and it has continued to draw a lot of interest in the museum galleries and art exhibitions the world over. One of the most interesting aspects in the painting is the use of colors to bring out the textural aspect in this painting.

One of the attributes that has made this painting very common is the fact that over time it has continuously been replicated by many artists and students over the course of time. There are certain very important features that make this painting to grow in popularity; perhaps the most important feature is the fact that there is a representation of the sky that is characterized by the stars that whose illumination causes a blaze that is further on enhanced by the crescent outline of the moon (Pioch, 1).

The exaggeration of these features perhaps makes the use of colors in this painting even more crucial; the fact that many people can easily identify with the scene that is represented in this painting is perhaps one of the reasons as to why it is regularly chosen by most of the student to show the effects of using different colors to represent different textures and emotions through a work of art.

Use of Different Colors in the Starry Night

Different colors represent different emotions and feelings in a work of art such as a painting; perhaps one of the most important facts in the use of color is the ability to actively involve the visual use of colors to ensure that a viewer is able to clearly visualize the painting and get a feeling of the true reflection of the scenery that is put forth in the painting.

The use of different colors in the painting can serve to bring different emotions to a viewer; originally, Van Gogh was able to make use of the color textures to show the peaceful essence of the hills and horizons (Pioch, 1).

The cool dark colors are able to revive memories of the early childhood years in addition to spurring on the imagination; a viewer is able to get an imagination of what exists in the skies and also creates a sense of distance.

It is also important to consider the fact in the original paintings the colors are used to bring out a sense of size in the painting, a change of the colors will bring an entirely different aspect with regard to size. Another important aspect use of color is the ability to bring out the aspect of isolation of certain structures in the painting; the dark colors used in this regard are able to bring out the massiveness of the structure in the painting. Finally the colors used in the structure enables the viewer to be able to make their own analysis of the background features in the painting including the bushes and the variety of objects in the painting (Pioch, 1).

Representation of Different Colors in the Painting

It is important and crucial to note that the use of different colors in a painting bring out different effects and interpretation on the part of the viewer, in this case a change of the colors from those that were originally used by Van Gogh will ultimately create a different interpretation of the painting by the viewer.

This is because the texture will change and this will result in a different effect in terms of emotions; another important aspect is the representations of the reflections of the different colors in the skyline that will be definitely affected by the change of the colors.

In the modified paintings it is important to consider the motivation for the use of the paintings that were selected; one of the important aspects is that the different colors that have been chosen actually represent different feelings and emotions and also they do affect the overall texture which ultimately has an effect on the painting in terms of distance.

In the second painting a few aspects have been changed and these include the background colors which have changed form a light blue to a dark blue color, the structure in the foreground has also been modified and the dark color has been made more vivid; perhaps the most important aspect of the painting that has been affected by the change of the colors is the aspect of distance; in the original painting, the artist was able to clearly bring out the aspect of distance but as a result of the modifications in the second painting, the distance seems to have been significantly reduces as a result o the color choices.

In the third and fourth paintings there is a kind of complete overhaul of the colors resulting in a completely different interpretation of the painting; one of the important aspects of the Van Gogh Painting was the fact that the use of the white and yellow colors was able to create a spiral effect that brings out a textural effect to represent the skies.

In the third painting it is important to note that the change of the colors that are associated with fewer echoes creates an entirely different effect in the picture. In this painting the aspect of distance seems to have altogether disappeared and the as the colors used for both the background and the structure in the foreground are similar, therefore the use of color in this painting modifies the texture of the painting resulting in the disappearance of the aspect of distance that had been vividly represented in the original painting.

There is however some aspects that are still eminent in this painting as the colors used still create some kind of contrast in the picture despite the change of colors.

The aspect of illumination that had also been associated with the stars as shown clearly in the previous painting is also absent in this painting; the change of the colors in this aspect also creates a change in the interpretation of this new color scheme.

In the final painting, the use of the green color to engulf the whole painting creates a kind of silhouette that leads to a disappearance of the illumination as well as the distance that had been created in the painting.

The use of the bright colors in this aspect therefore leads to merging of the various objects in the painting and they all appear to be in the same place and context. This therefore creates a clear distinction between the use of the bright and the dark colors.

Conclusion

It is evident from the use of the different color themes in the painting that the use of different and contrasting colors results in different textures in a painting that ultimately creates different emotions in for the viewer of a painting.

However in the Starry night, the aspect that is changed in the painting is the effect of distance and distinction between the various features that are represented in the painting. The use of the different colors in the four paintings therefore creates different interpretations of the paintings as is clearly evident.

Works Cited

Pioch, Nicolas. Gogh, Vincent van: The Starry Night. Paris: Web Museum. 2002. Print.

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