Van Gough's mystique in my eyes

This was not the first time I had seen “The starry night” by Vincent Van Gogh. Being almost as famous as the Mona Lisa, this painting is everywhere, printed on diaries and mugs and phone wallpapers. It’s impossible to miss it. However, I’ve always pondered over what makes it so extraordinary, so different from all these other masterpieces. Is it the tale of the quintessential misunderstood artist who painted it in an asylum? Or is it the painting itself, with its swirls of colour that stands out so vividly.

When I look at the Starry night, I find it hard to look beyond the shiny stars which intimidated the entire painting. It certainly is exaggerated or even abstracted to an extent and yet realistic enough at the same time. The way the sky is painted is almost disturbing with the swirls of colour creating a sense of turbulence. The cypress tree that rises before the backdrop seems almost haunting somehow. The entire scene gives a sense of disturbance to me. What interests me however, is the juxtaposition that is so apparent in the painting. Alongside the surrealistic sky with the bright stars, the village that lies beneath is unexaggerated and realistic. While the tree seems to be something right out of a Stephen King novel, the village seems like a sleepy town where nothing exciting really happens.

Along with anecdotes of Van Gogh cutting off ears, I encountered several interpretations of this classic painting. Some called the painting emotional and some related it the bible. Some even consider it to be a manifestation of his mental instability. It is hard to pinpoint what exactly draws you towards a painting. For me, the allure of the painting lies in the air of mystery that shrouds the entire painting. The use of tones of blue and yellow create almost a mystical effect in the painting. It seems to have a dark mood to it, despite the bright stars that dominate the painting creating a sense of foreshadowing.

Vincent Van Gogh’s life is an intriguing story. Though troubled, his work was extraordinary. The Starry Night seems to a testament to his tragic life.