Van Gogh Museum

1. Van Gogh
Museum
Amsterdam,
Netherlands
Critiqued by Rachel Boone

2. About the Museum
• This museum has the world’s largest collection of artworks by
Vincent van Gogh [1853 - 1890].
• Includes:
• Over 200 paintings
• 500 drawings
• More than 750 letters
• You can learn all about
his biography and
immerse yourself in his
artwork.

3. Who is Vincent van Gogh?
Born in the Netherlands [1853]
Died: 1890 in France
A world-famous artists
“The Starry Night” is one of his most notable
works
Was known for impasto techniques in his works –
thick application of paint on canvas [usually oil] is laid
on so thickly that the texture of brush strokes or palette
knife are clearly visible.

4. Van Gogh’s Works
“Wheatfield with crows”
• Painted in 1890 in Auvers, France
• The menacing sky, the crows and dead-end
path are said to refer to the end of his life
approaching.
• Van Gogh wanted his wheatfields under
stormy skies to express sadness and
extreme loneliness, but at the same time he
wanted to show what he considered
‘healthy and fortifying about the countryside’
• He used powerful color combinations in his
painting: the blue sky contrasts with the
yellow-orange wheat, while the red of the
path is intensified by the green bands of
grass

5. “Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer”
• Van Gogh painted this vibrant
seascape outdoors [1888]
• In fast, loose brushstrokes he tried to
capture the color of the sea
• He described it as ‘a color like
mackerel, in other words, changing –
you don’t always know if it’s green or
purple– you don’t always know if it’s
blue – because a second later, it’s
changing reflection has taken on a pink
or grey hue.’
• In the paint layer are grains of sand
that got embedded due to painting in
the open air
Van Gogh’s Works Continued..

6. “Self-portrait with grey felt hat”
• Painted in 1887 in Paris, France
• Painted when living in Paris.
• Since his arrival in the city, he had
devoted much study to the dotted
Pointillist technique.
• He managed to apply it in his own
fashion.
• His brushstrokes are running in a
variety of directions, resulting in a self-
portrait with a halo-like circle round his
head.
Van Gogh’s Works Continued..

7. “Starry Night”
• One of the most recognized
pieces of art in the world
• It often feels to me as if the
painting’s fame has far
exceeded that of its creator
• The painting resonates with so
many people and is a testament
to how its beauty is timeless
and universal.
• You can’t help but to feel
immersed in the experience.

8. The Story of Starry Night
• Painted in 1889
• Van Gogh was hospitalized due to
mental illness and thoughts of
suicide.
• He was in recovery but soon
relapsed.
• He returned to incorporating the
darker colors from the beginning of
his career and Starry night is a
wonderful example of that shift.

9. • The brush strokes of the sky swirl; each dab
of color rolling with the clouds around the
stars and moon.
• On the cypress tree they bend with the
curve of the branches
• The whole effect is athereal and dreamlike
• The hills easily roll down into the little village
below.
• In contrast, the town is strait up and down,
done with rigid lines that interrupt the flow of
the brush strokes.
• Tiny little trees soften the inflexibility of the
town.
• One of the biggest points of interest is it
came entirely from Van Gogh’s imagination.
• Blue dominates the painting, blending hills
into the sky.
• The little village lays at the base iun the
painting in browns, greys, and blues
• Even though each building is clearly
outlined in black, the yellow and white on
the stars and the moon stand out against
the sky, drawing the eyes to the sky.
• They are the big attention grabber of the
painting.
The painting of Starry Night

10. • The contrast styles plays on the natural
versus the unnatural
• Dreams versus reality
• Genesis 37:9 Joseph states, “And he
dreamed yet another dream, and told it his
brethren, and said, Behold, I have
dreamed a dream more; and behold the
sun and the moon and the eleven stars
made obeisance to me.”
• Some people associate this quote to the
painting.
• Perhaps it is a reference to his family, who
doubted the success of his career [minus
his brother]
• It could be that Van Gogh simply wanted
to breathe in the higher power into his art,
as he grew up in a religious household.
• Divide the painting into three parts:
• The sky is the divine – it’s by far the most
dreamlike, unreal part of the painting,
beyond human comprehension and just out
of reach.
• The Cypress, hills, and the other trees on
the ground – they bend and swirl, still soft
angles that match the soft swirls of the sky.
• The village – the strait lines and sharp
angles divide it from the rest of the painting
seemingly separating it from the “heavens”
of the sky.
• By looking at the dots of trees rolled
through the village, how the spire at the
church stretches up to the sky: Van Gogh
brings God to the village.
The painting of Starry Night – The Religious
Perspective

11. Van Gogh’s Works
• It’s no doubt that his most
famous work [also my
personal favorite] is “Starry
Night”
• His whole career he
personally only sold a single
painting.
• After his death, his brother
Theo wanted to raise his
brother’s profile but died too 6
months later.
• Theo’s widow Jo van Gogh-
Bonger took up Theo’s task.
• She sold some of
Vincent’s works, loaned
some to exhibits, and
published his letters to
Theo.
• His fascinating life story
is one of the reasons
why his works gradually
took the whole world by
storm.
• Without Jo’s dedication
this would never have
been possible.
Theo Van
Gogh

12. JUDGEMENT
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of
this virtual museum as Van Gogh has
always been a personal favorite of mine.
Particularly “Starry Night”
All of the paintings and letters are laid in
such a way that they are easy to follow
and it feels as if you are in person.
When you want to learn more about a
particular painting or of Van Gogh’s life in
general, it’s relatively easy to find.

13. WORKS CITED
“Vincent Van Gogh.” Van Gogh Museum,
www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/art/vincent-van-
gogh#stories-.
“Moma Learning.” MoMA,
www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-
night-1889/.