Symbolysm Of Van Gogh`S Masterpiece
Distant, cold and beautiful stars have always attracted people. They pointed the way in the ocean or desert, foreshadowed the fate of individuals and entire states, helped to comprehend the laws of the universe. And night luminaries have long inspired poets, writers, and artists. And Van Gogh's painting Starry Night is one of the most controversial, mysterious works which reflects symbolysm of Van Gogh`s masterpiece.
Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in the south of Holland into a family of a Protestant pastor. Relatives described the boy as a capricious, boring child with strange manners. However, outside the house he often behaved thoughtfully and seriously, and in games he showed good nature, courtesy, and compassion. Vincent was sent to a boarding school, where he studied languages and drawing. However, already in 1868 he left school, returning to his parental home. Since 1869, the young man worked as a dealer in a large trading and art company, owned by his uncle. There, the future painter began to be seriously interested in art, often visited the Louvre, the Luxembourg Museum, exhibitions, and galleries, trying to comprehend hidden painting meanings. But due to disappointment in love, he lost his desire to work, instead deciding to become a priest, like his father. So, in 1878, van Gogh was engaged in educational activities in a mining village in southern Belgium, instructing parishioners and educating children. However, Vincent's only true passion was always painting. He argued that creativity is the best way to alleviate human suffering, which even religion cannot surpass. But such a choice was not easy for the artist. He was removed from the position of a preacher, he became depressed and even spent some time in a psychiatric hospital. Besides, the master suffered from obscurity and material deprivation. Almost no people were willing to buy a van Gogh painting. However, it was this period that would later be called the heyday of Vincent van Gogh's work. He worked hard, in less than a year creating more than 150 paintings, about 120 drawings and watercolors, many sketches. But even among this rich heritage, Starry Night stands out for its originality and expressiveness. It's interpretation may not be literally. Perhaps this made the great painter famous throughout the world.
For the first time, Van Gogh's “Starry Night” was mentioned in the correspondence of Vincent with his brother. The artist says that the desire to portray stars shining in the sky is dictated by a lack of faith. Subsequently, he also said that the night luminaries always helped him to dream. A similar idea arose from van Gogh for a long time. So, a similar plot has a canvas written by him in Arles (a small town in southeastern France) — “Starry Night over the Rhone”, but the painter himself spoke disapprovingly of it. He claimed that he was unable to convey the fabulousness of the world. The painting “Starry Night” became for Van Gogh a kind of psychological therapy, which helped to overcome depression, and disappointment. Hence, the emotions of the work, and its vibrant color, and the use of impressionistic techniques. But does the canvas have a real prototype? It is known that the painting was created in a mental hospital in Saint-Remy, where Van Gogh was treated after a story with a cut off ear. One of the few masterpieces written not from nature. Indeed, at night patients were not allowed to go outside, only during the day. From the window of his chamber, Van Gogh saw a piece of sky and star. The rest 'finished' the imagination. The artist believed that everything in the world has a soul. That is why his 'Starry Night' as if 'breathing. ' By the way, the whirlwinds in the starry sky of Van Gogh, as some researchers believe, are nothing more than turbulence.
Critics are trying to make an analysis of the number of night lights means. They are identified with the Star of Bethlehem, which marked the birth of the Messiah, and with the 37th chapter of Genesis, which refers to Joseph’s dreams: “I saw another dream: here, the Sun, and the Moon, and eleven stars worship me. ”
Both the stars and the crescent are surrounded by the brightest shining halo. This cosmic light illuminates a restless night sky, in which amazing spirals rotate. They claim that the Fibonacci sequence is captured in them which is a special harmonious combination of numbers that occurs both in human creations and in living nature. For example, the location of scales on a fir cone and sunflower seeds obeys this pattern. It can be seen in the work of van Gogh. Silhouettes of cypress trees, reminiscent of a candle flame, perfectly balance the bottomless sky and peacefully sleeping earth. They act as mediators between the unstoppable movement of the mysterious cosmic bodies, creating new worlds, and a simple, ordinary provincial town.
