Van Gogh dedicates himself to addressing man’s inner spirituality and nature through his self-portrait and the celebrated Starry Night. The two themes lead to a fusion in style and content which result in rhythmic, dramatic, creative and emotional paintings that convey way more than the sheer look of the particular subject. The self-portrait ingeniously combines the two themes as the artist’s preferred color reflects his characteristic emotional state even as the style of illustration throbs with energy (Schapiro 203). The painting which was ironically done shortly after Van Gogh had left St. Remy asylum in 1989 depicts that the artist was on still battling his demons. The painting is without doubt one of the most passionate self-portraits of all times. On the other hand, The Starry Night is arguably the artist’s magnum opus as the painting portrays the view outside the hospital room window perhaps at night (Schapiro 205). Starry night illustrates a dreamy analysis of the sweeping view that is Saint-Rémy-de-Provence from Van Gogh’s asylum room. This paper expounds on man’s inner spirituality and nature as important themes that Van Gogh addresses in his two works.
Discussion
The Starry Night is based on the artist’s emotions, memories, imagination as well as direct observations. For instance, the steeple on the church resembles the ones common in his home country Holland, and not France (Schapiro 205). The portrait offers an exceptional night-time preview into what Van Gogh witnessed while in seclusion. The portrait brings out nature’s aspects at its best with the author focusing on the little yet conspicuous aspects such as the morning star. Van Gogh depicts a sky full of whirling forms match publishes astronomical views of dusty clouds and gas called nebulae. On further study, the work presents a balanced yet expressive composition as the artists appears to present cypress in an ordered placement. Furthermore, his numerous short brushstrokes as well as densely applied paint set the surface to give the impression of a roiling motion. The complex yet enjoyable mixture of visual contrasts is generated by an artist who appears to have found attention and prettiness in the nocturnal environment. According to the artist in a letter to his brother Theo, the portrait is inspired by a much lively and heavily colored morning: a day he had never seen in his life (Schapiro 206).
The self-portrait by Van Gogh depicts an internal crisis that he undergoes at the time of the drawing. The piercing eyes holds the viewer transfixed even though the focus isn’t on what is transpiring outside but rather in his mind. The picture thus builds its energy from the eyes which appear to be conspicuously tightly drawn (Van Gogh et al. 23). The brushstrokes are drawn in rhythms which extend across the face, amassing energy as the planers ripple via Van Gogh’s coat and hair. The artiste’s face appears to eventually spurt into the whipping turbulence bearing an ice-blue background. The artist employs the use of blue and green colors that are generally calm in nature but when compared with his vividly red hair and abundant beard, they incur a jarring note that flawlessly sets a psychological tone depicted by the portrait (Van Gogh et al. 23). The image is generally courageous in nature symbolizing a man attempting to gain some courage as he grapples with his inner uncertainties.
Conclusion
Man’s inner spirituality and nature are themes that are clearly depicted in the two portraits. On the first instance, Van Gogh expounds the theme of nature as he explores the outside world from a hospital room window possibly at night. The artist employs the light blue and green colors artistically to illustrate the calm nature of the early morning view. On the other hand, the self-portrait is a clear manifestation of Van Gogh’s inner spirituality as he meditates the battles that he is fighting. He seems to be staring in the open but in real sense, he is in deep thought regarding the demons that he is fighting.
Works Cited
Schapiro, Meyer. "The Still Life as a Personal Object—A Note on Heidegger and van Gogh." The Reach of Mind. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1968. 203-209.
Van Gogh, Vincent, and Brock Irwin. Starry night. Athena Reproductions, 1975.
