A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to one of the most famous museums in all of New York City, the Museum of Modern Art, the MOMA. Although, initially I was there to see the exhibit displaying the works of Charles White, there was one painting in particular that I, perhaps like many of the people who go the MOMA, was especially excited to see in person. That work is one of the most famous works of art of the nineteenth century, if not all human history. That work is Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night”. I have seen this painting countless times on photographs and it is the very first painting that comes to mind when I hear the term “impressionism”.
This piece hardly requires a description as most can recognize it from a mere glance, so I thought it would be more interesting to talk about the lesser known facts about the artist of this famous painting. Vincent van Gogh is arguably one of the most famous impressionist artists in history. Impressionism is a style of art that originated in France in the 1860’s and focuses on depicting an impression of a given moment or scene. Another well-known fact about van Gogh is that he has cut off his own ear at some point, which I personally find to be both very disturbing and fascinating, as it proves the proverb that genius comes at a cost. What is less known about his self-mutilation was the story behind it. Vincent van Gogh, although born into a wealthy family with his brother being a successful art collector, chose to abandon his affluent lifestyle and to live among the people of the lower class such as homeless people and “courtesans”. In addition to having psychotic episodes, van Gogh was a heavy drinker, a toxic combination that climaxed in August of 1888 when, after a confrontation with his friend Paul Gaugin (another famous French impressionist) and the dissolvement of said friendship, van Gogh, in an angry frenzy cut off part of his own ear with a razor. Following this incident, the artist was administered into a psychiatric hospital, where, in fact, he drew the internationally renowned “Starry Night” that I saw at the MOMA. In painting this work, van Gogh used many colors that are not normally associated with the night sky. He believed that the night is significantly fuller of life and exuberance than day, hence the bright yellow stars and moon that illuminate the night sky that is typically associated with darkness. In conclusion, this work is a prime exemplification of Vincent van Gogh’s genius as an impressionist, because in it he shows that one’s impression of a scene is significantly more important than an imitation that anyone can see.
