Vincent Van Gogh, the creator of The Starry Night, was born in Groot Zundert, The Netherlands on March 30th, 1853. Van Gogh was the son of Theodorus van Gogh, a pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church, and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. Van Gogh mainly painted and drew images of the poor in the early stages of his career. Van Gogh eventually painted his first important work in 1885, The Potato Eaters. In 1886, Van Gogh moved in with his brother in Paris and further improved as an artist. He stayed true to his own unique style, but was influenced by the Impressionists and the Japanese art. His art became more colorful and bold. Van Gogh moved to Arles where he painted his blossom works. Later, Gauguin moved in with him. During a fit of irritation, Van Gogh cut off the bottom lobe of his left ear. He continued to suffer mentally and emotionally. He eventually was committed to an asylum. It is at this asylum that Van Gogh painted his famous The Starry Night. He continued to battle with his mental illness and created more paintings. Finally, in 1890, Van Gogh set out to paint in the fields of Auvers and shot himself in the chest. Van Gogh's work was increasingly becoming more critically acclaimed at the time of his death and was the beginning of the Expressionist era. Van Gogh's varying mental stability, depression, and nomadic lifestyle influenced his work. Specifically, Starry Night is a visual art piece in the form of an oil painting on canvas. Its size is 29- x 36 ΒΌ-. The painting's physical appearance is that of representational art with a unique perspective of a night sky. The lines Van Gogh painted are thick and imply tremendous movement. The eye is drawn to the flow of the lines between the bright stars in the dark sky. The lines of the cypress tree in the foreground seem to set the tree aflame. The landscape in the middle ground has a cascading sense of movement. The hues used in this painting are dark in nature, creating a realistic tone.
