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Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night History

Sunday, July 26, 2009
Related Tags: gogh | painting | night | van | foreground
 

Instructions

The Starry Night Over the Rhone 1888

  • Step 1:
    This earlier Starry Night is often overlooked. Painted with oil on canvas, the scene features a similar color scheme and wavy technique. It marks an earlier attempt Van Gogh made to paint at night and capture what he considered to be bright, alive and powerful.

Dimensions

  • Step 1:
    The Starry Night, painted in 1889, is oil on canvas, measuring 29 inches by 36 1/4 inches.

Setting

  • Step 1:
    The painting focuses on the sky above a small town with a large tree in the foreground. The town is based loosely on Saint-Remy while the sky is concocted from Van Gogh's imagination.

Color Scheme

  • Step 1:
    The painting consists mostly of blues, greens and yellows, combined in swirls and various hues. The painting highly contrasts light and dark hues in both the foreground and background.

11 Stars

  • Step 1:
    Vincent Van Gogh was a religious man for most of his life and drew a church steeple into the painting. Many believe the 11 stars in the painting signify a quote in Genesis alluding to 11 stars. This is so far unproved.

Reproduction

  • Step 1:
    Starry Night has been replicated numerous times; it is one of the most well-known images in modern culture. It can be found in prints, calendars, bamboo hangings, magnets, screen savers and many other mediums. One of the most famous uses of the painting is Don McLean's song "Starry, Starry Night," which is based on the painting.

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