Term paper. Term Paper: Vincent Van Gogh. Literature & Language

TERM PAPER: VINCENT VAN GOGH
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Term Paper: Vincent Van Gogh
There have been several great artists in the past. These artists are specifically known for the uniqueness and the quality of their paintings. Vincent Van Gogh is considered among the greatest painters of all time. In almost all of his paintings, there is a rough beauty, bold colors, emotional honesty, and deep impacts. One of his most famous paintings is “The Starry Night”, painted one year before his death in 1889. The painting has oil on the canvas that can have multiple interpretations. However, the painting in general has an important theme, communication of vastness. Looking at the painting, it shows a small town which has been verified as the view that Van Gogh had from the window of his hospital bed. The town is juxtaposed against a vast and blue night sky that has several bright stars. Starry Night shows the influences that Van Gogh had on poetry, depression, astronomy, personal religious conflict, all which show how Van Gogh can uniquely create a view of reality. In this essay, I argue that the that the excessive expressiveness of the painting was as a result of the mental illness that Van Gogh was undergoing at the time of the painting.[Stassi, Vincent S., and Elaine O’Brien. "Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night: Insights from Poetry, Art History, and Astronomy." (2007).]
The painting shows clouds swirling in a starry night and a bright moon that appears to be overlooking a village. The painting is strong and expressive with dense colors making it easy to perceive from a distance. Van Gogh does amazingly to separate the earth and the sky in the painting and there is a sense the whatever happens on the ground is not affected by the motion in the sky. Below, there appears to be a drowsy town that is ready to go to a peaceful sleep. Above there are huge stars and powerful streams that seem to have un-easing movement. There is also light being radiated by the moon and the stars but they have an indirect direction. There are reflections that highlight the city at night. The cypress that grows between the earth and the sky seems to be eternal and undying. It provides a connection between the two. They seem to want ever so much to reach for the sky, to an extent that they might leave the ground. Combining the yellow and blue color brings much attention to the work.
At the time of the painting, Van Gogh was suffering from mental illness and that has been seen as the reason why his painting, the starry night, was so expressive. Specifically, the brush strokes were very thick, creating a drama in the painting that is hard to ignore. He had shown earlier signs of mental disturbances when he threatened his friend, Paul Gauguin, with a razor. His mental illness problem has also been blamed for being the reason he cut off his ear. In the course of his life, he struggled with mental issues and spent time in an asylum and hospitals. Time and again, he emerged from his mania and did wonderful paintings. However, he finally could not bear his mental issues anymore and in 1890 he fatally shot himself, dying two days later.
In the book, "Van Gogh’s Ears”, one astounding fact is that Van Gogh cut off is ear...