A Starry Night at the MoMA

You step outside into the cold, dark night as the stars sprinkled throughout the azure sky gleam brilliantly overhead. A tranquility born of slumber fills the air, while a sinister structure sprouts from the earth in the foreground. The setting described is that of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous “The Starry Night.” A new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan showcases some of Van Gogh’s most famous and influential pieces, masterfully demonstrating the artist’s prodigious talent. Divided into five broad categories, including “Early Landscapes,” “Peasant Life,” and “Poetry of the Night: The Country,” the exhibition spans the career of a truly seminal artist. The aforementioned “The Starry Night” draws onlookers like moths to a flame, entranced by the vibrant colors and violent strokes that have become fundamental tools in the artist’s extensive repertoire. “The Potato Eaters,” completed in 1885, brilliantly captures the essence of an ailing generation. Juxtaposed with the foreboding imagery in “The Cottage,” the tragedy depicted through Van Gogh’s paintings is unparalleled. His artwork is not merely confined to the generation in which he lived—his work transcends the confines of time, relating to all generations. The exhibition is one that should surely not be missed.