Psychoanalytical Strokes of Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night.

 

Look up into the sky, what do you see? While others would say different eyes appreciate differently, I believe life experiences shaped us into what we see and believe. Just like Vincent Van Gogh, he went into an eventful life during his times that has shaped his art styles and strokes. He is famously known as a "mad" artist due to his psychological experience. Although people say that his art styles are influenced by Claude Monet, I suppose it also had to do with his mental being at that time.

The picture above is a scene from a meteorological update of a weather forecast. It shows a gloomy day due to a brewing tropical depression. Noticed a slight similarity between the two pictures? The main shade is dark blue with some movements that can be seen through lighter shades of colours. The Starry Night was painted by Van Gogh during his time in an asylum which was during one of his depressive episodes. Hence, the painting could be seen as his coping mechanism because of his "gloomy" feelings. He was locked in a room with window bars, but he could still draw a view that makes those who see it not realize of his restrictions. This is where it conforms to Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory. 

Projection and Introjection

Introjection helps the ego with losing by providing ideas, impressions and influences. During this time where Van Gogh was locked, he was separated with his friend Gauguin where he initially had plans to have his own artists' community in a countryside named Arles. However, there were conflicts between them due to their difference of styles. Therefore, the aspect of being separated from his dream has caused him to introject and project things he could not obtain at that time for his own pleasure to numb his pain and longing, that gives the fragmentation of something tragic and sentimental. In other words, Van Gogh missed the idea of Gauguin despite their deteriorated relationship which can also be seen by the colour contrast of blue and yellow.

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Modernism

Another point-of view that I believe is important is that art is a means of healing. Art therapy is now widely known for its ability to help ease the conflicting mind. People who suffer from a conflicting mind can also appear to have "noisy" situations inside their head. Usually, they will need activities that require free will to project their situation, however they can also have a short attention span. Therefore, they will always need to find something new to be distracted. A conflicting mind for me is also equivalent to abstract art, which is according to modernism, a rejection of realism and concrete values.

As appeared in Van Gogh styles of painting, his brush strokes are apparent. In The Starry Night, his brush strokes created a unique scene of a moving-like panorama unlike usual representation of the sky. In a way, he conforms to modernist artistic values. Furthermore, Van Gogh's ability to create a sky that looks like it is moving proves how special his creative eyes are, because unlike the meteorological weather forecast update who uses modern technology to view the movement, his "madness" allows him to see differently which makes him become one of the most notable painters.

I am Nik Nursyafiya (2014886) and this is my evaluation on Van Gogh's The Starry Night through Pscyhoanalytical Theory.

Till next time!