Cologne Cathedral, Cologne Germany
Tonya McCullohs
Bonnie Smith
CRN: 20601
 The Renaissance
 The Counter Reformation and The Baroque
 The Age of Revolution
 The Working Class and The Bourgeoisie
 The Modernist World
After the success of the Protestant Reformation in which myriads of people left Catholicism, the Catholic Church, as a
way of winning back those who had left, began a movement called the Counter-Reformation in which they sought to
redefine, 0r perhaps more accurately reform, the church’s image. The Catholic Church’s strategy was to reshape its image
through reshaping the arts. Out of this move, an ever increasingly elaborate and ornate form of art expression came to be
known as Baroque style, with the Vatican City in Rome as the center piece. In the first half of the seventeenth century, St.
Peter’s Basilica’s Square was transformed by the design of Bernini with an expansive 800 foot square surly rounded by 284
huge Doric columns. This dramatic design was meant to embody the (Sayre 309)message of the Church that its motherly
arms embraced its flock, which is still the message of the Catholic Church today.
This Baroque style of art that came about was centered on creating a work of art that would draw the view in
emotionally. Interestingly enough, the name baroque probably came from the Portuguese word for a large, irregularly
shaped pearl: barroco. However, this name was first used in a derogatory way insinuating that this style of art was so very
ornate and over-the-top that it bordered on being tacky at best. The influence of the Baroque began with the Catholic
Church’s Counter-Reformation movement, readily seen in Rome and most particularly at the Vatican, and moved on to
Venice, which was the center of musical expression in Europe in the seventeenth century. (Sayre 309)
Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles le Brun,
Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors),
Begun 1678.
Palace of Versailles
Christ Preaching (the “Hundred-Guilder Print”).
Masaccio,
ca. 1648-1650.
Ink on paper
The Ecstasy of St. Teresa.
Gianlorenzo Bernini.
1645-52.
Marble
Louis XIV, King of France.
Hyacinthe Rigaud,
1701.
Oil on Canvas.
Woman with a pearl necklace.
Jan Vermeer,
ca. 1664.
Oil on Canvas.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
Gian Lorenzo Bernini essentially defined the style of Baroque through his
challenge of the artistic traditions of his day. Through the patronage of the
Church’s popes and cardinals, he was able to dominate the Italian art world for most of the
seventeenth century through his innovative sculptural and architectural projects. His departure from
traditional artistic styles into more ornate and emotionally expressive interpretations led the way for
other artists to explore the free-flowing, dramatic world of Baroque. Bernini’s father, Pietro, himself
was a sculptor and so he began his artistic career in his own father’s studio. It became soon apparent
that he had a true gift f0r creating expressive sculpture with Flora and Priapus, as well as, A Faun
Teased by Children
Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned Bernini to create several larger-than-life marble
statues for his villa in Rome. The magnificence of Bernini's novel style quickly established him as the
foremost sculptor in Italy. One of the statues, Apollo and Daphne, mesmerizingly demonstrates the
common Baroque theme of metamorphosis. Never before had a sculptor been able to create such
subtle variations in the texture of the marble to create the illusion of soft human skin. Additionally,
he illustrated the metamorphosis theme beautifully by transforming Daphne’s hands into the leaves
and bark of a tree.
Another notable sculpture would be Bernini’s statue of David, which goes beyond
Michelangelo's skill in crafting the human form in marble. Bernini added torsion that created such a
lively stance that almost seems to reach out into the viewer’s space. Perhaps his greatest masterpiece,
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, immortalizes Saint Teresa in a mystical trance as she was physically
overwhelmed by a miraculous vision. It is truly a stunning work of art compelling the viewer to
wonder just what was it that Saint Teresa saw in her vision to have put her in such as state. (White)
Our Lady of the Victory of Malaga.
Luis Niño, About 1740, Oil on Canvas
No doubt that Luis Niño got his inspiration for this painting
from engravings of the statue of the Virgin of the Victory of Málaga,
which were widely distributed in the New World. The actual statue is
in Málaga, Spain, which is a port city. The Virgin has often been
considered as a patron of sailors, ships, and their voyages. The original
statue portrays a seated Madonna with the Infant Christ on her lap. This particular statue of
the Madonna was dressed in an actual lavish garment depicting the current fashion at that
time. It was common place to bestow luxurious garments on such statues throughout Spain
in the 18th century. In the painting, it looks as though the Virgin is standing, rather than
sitting because of the wideness of the dress. In reality, the garments were made very wide to
actually cover the throne of the statue on which the Virgin sat. Engravings of the Virgin of
Málaga were distributed widely in the New World and may have helped inspire Niño’s
painting.
Many aspects of this painting point to local Inca and Peruvian influences. Most
notably is the extraordinary use of gold overlay in this painting and the particular technique
was created by first building up raised layers of gesso and then applying gold leaf over that.
The rounded shape of the Virgin’s dress is similar to the Inca earth-mother goddess,
Pachamama, who was often depicted in the shape of a mountain. The crescent moon with
the two vertical lines above is appear similar to the shape of a ceremonial Incan knife, which
was also used as a symbol for conquest and victory. (Our Lady)
Bernini, Gian Lorenzo. Photograph. N.D. Web Gallery of Art. 29 October 2013. <http://www.wga.hu/framese.html?/html/b/bernini/gianlore/sculptur/1620/david0.html/>.
Bernini, Gian Lorenzo, The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed.
New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Hardouin-Mansart, Jules and le Brun, Charles. Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors), Palace of Versailles. In
Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010,
Resources.
Masaccio, Christ Preaching (the “Hundred-Guilder Print”). In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre,
1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Nino, Luis, Our Lady of the Victory of Malaga. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
“Our Lady of the Victory of Malaga”. Denver Art Museum. Web. 31 October 2013.
<http://creativity.denverartmuseum.org/1969_345/>.
Rigaud, Hyacinthe, Louis XIV, King of France. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Sayre, Henry M. Discovering the Humanities, 2nd ed.. Boston, Mass.: Pearson, 2013.
Vermeer, Jan, Woman with a Pearl Necklace. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Veronese, The Feast of Levi, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson, 2010, Resources.
White, Veronica. "Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bern/hd_bern.htm
(October
2003)/.
In the late 18th century, increasing demands in the form of heavy taxation from the British monarchy
without proper representation in the Colonies, sparked the beginnings of the American Revolution.
Similarly, the common people of France were increasingly frustrated by the despot activity of Louis XVI and
tensions boiled over in 1789 when a mob stormed the Bastille and en effect, began the French Revolution.
These two revolutions brought ab0ut great social change throughout the world and would eventually lead to
further revolutions around the globe. This period became known as the Age of Revolution, which also
ignited new forms of art expression. Neoclassicism dominated on into the mid-19th century, but was
accompanied by an almost completely opposing style that began at the very end of the 18th century. This
opposing style was termed Romanticism because it valued the personal and the individual over the social
and orderly and even duty to state, which the Neoclassicism represented. So, during these extremely
turbulent times in world history, art of that day clearly depicted the two streams of political and social
thought that formed the basis for so many revolutions in so many countries around the world. (Sayre 377)
La Madeleine.
Pierre-Alexandre Vignon
1806-42.
Paris
To Versailles. To Versailles.
Musée de la Ville de Paris, Musée Carnavalet, Paris,
October 5, 1789.
Engraving
Interior of Tintern Abbey.
J. M. W. Turner,
1794.
Watercolor.
Napoleon Crossing the Saint-Bernard.
Jacques-Louis David.
1801-01.
Oil on Canvas.
The Hay Wain.
John Constable.
1821.
Oil on Canvas.
Caspar David Friedrich
September 5, 1774 - May 7, 1840
Perhaps the most important painter of the German Romantic movement in the 19th century was a
landscape painter by the name of Caspar David Friedrich. Friedrich is best known for his alluring
allegorical landscapes, which displayed silhouetted figures against night skies, morning mists, barren
trees, and Gothic ruins. The contemplation of nature was evident in all his work with undeniable
spiritual and symbolic overtones.
Friedrich was born in 1774 in Greifswald, Germany. He studied in Copenhagen until 1798 before
settling in Dresden. His maturity as an artist came during a time when, throughout Europe, a growing
sense of spiritualism was to be desired above the materialism of the day. This need for a greater sense of
being more spiritually attuned was often expressed in art through reassessing the natural world. Other
artists such as John Constable and J. M. W. Turner also contributed to this greater sense of spiritualism
through their depiction of nature as being divine while considering human existence was a ruse at best.
During his lifetime, Friedrich was actually a very prominent artist. However, when during the
second half of the 19th century, with Germany moving towards modernization, Friedrich’s contemplative
renditions of stillness were seen as dated and his work lost favor with the public. His work was later
rediscovered in 1906 when 32 of his paintings and sculptures were held in exhibition in Berlin. From
thereon, his work was appreciated by the Expressionists, the Surrealists and even the Existentialists, who
frequently drew inspiration from his work. Today Friedrich is considered a painter of international
importance, as well as an icon of the German Romantic movement. (Caspar David)
Wanderer above a Sea of Fog.
Caspar David Friedrich,
1817-18. Oil on Canvas.
Some have speculated that the figure in Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is
Friedrich himself, which means that the painting would be a self portrait.
Certainly the young man in the painting has red hair, just as the artist did.
H0wever, tradition says that the contemplative man in this painting is that of a high-ranking forestry
officer, Col. Friedrich Gotthard von Brincken of the Saxon infantry. His green uniform appears to be
that of the volunteer rangers, who were called into service against Napoleon by the King of Prussia.
Indeed, this painting may have been meant to be a patriotic tribute of sorts.
With the mystical fog surrounding him, the silhouetted figure stands in quiet contemplation,
surveying the mist of fog hovering over the sea. One can only imagine what the thoughts were in this
young man’s mind as he takes in the almost eerie scene swirling around him. The strategic use of having
the subject’s back towards the viewer lends a sense of seeing through the figure’s eyes what he is
beholding and thus, the viewer can enter into his personal experience frozen in time through this
mesmerizing painting.
Friedrich sketched the Wanderer above a Sea of Fog at the place of inspiration,
Elbsandsteingebirge, in Saxony and Bohemia and later painted this scene in his studio. The landscape
and beauty of his homeland, Germany, was always an inspiration for Friedrich as he often depicted
mountains, trees, and the heavy mist above the sea in many of his works. (Wanderer)
“Caspar David Friedrich”. Casper David Friedrich, The Complete Works. Web. 30 October 2013.
<http://www.caspardavidfriedrich.org/>.
Friedrich, Caspar David. Self Portrait. 1880. Casper David Friedrich, The Complete Works. Web. 30 October 2013.
<http://www.caspardavidfriedrich.org/>.
Friedrich, Caspar David. Wanderer above a Sea of Fog. 1817-18. German History in Documents and Images. Web.
30 October 2013. <http://germanhistorydocs.ghidc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=2211&language=english/>.
Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Saint-Bernard. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M.
Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
John Constable, The Hay Wain, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Musée de la Ville de Paris, To Versailles. To Versailles. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st
ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Trumball, John, The Declaration of Independence, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed.
New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Turner, J. M. W., Interior of Tintern Abbey. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources
Vignon, Pierre-Alexandre, La Madeleine. In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
“Wanderer above a Sea of Fog”. Artble. Web. 30 October 2013. <http://www.artble.com/artists/
caspar_david_friedrich/paintings/wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fogdavid_friedrich/paintings/
wanderer_above_the_sea_of_fog/>.
Early in the 19th century, Louis XVIII, upon assuming the French throne after Napoleon was defeated, was
faced with dealing with the reforms implemented by the Revolution and even by Napoleon himself. Luis XVIII’s
younger brother, the Count of Artois, took an opposing view and the Ultra Royalist movement was born. The
Ultra Royalists were families who had suffered at the hands of the revolutionists, so they fought to get their lands
back that had been confiscated and to reverse the reforms that had been made during the revolution and
subsequently, by Napoleon. During this time, they also imprisoned and executed countless revolutionaries.
Conversely, Louis XVIII sought to strengthen his control by dissolving the Chamber of Deputies and holding new
elections, resulting in a more moderate majority. Additionally, the educational system came under the control of
the Catholic Church, press censorship was instituted and political activity that was deemed dangerous was
banned. Within four years, this forced, relative calm was overturned when the son of the Count of Artois was
murdered. Thus, turmoil once again reigned in France.
Against this politically unstable landscape, the two competing styles of art expression, Neoclassicism and
Romanticism, continued to evolve. However, during this period, they evolved with heavy political overtones and
it was clear to see what side of the political spectrum that the artist was associated with Thus, the hallmark of this
artistic period of time would highlight the struggle of the working class and the bourgeoisie over the aristocracy.
(Sayre 407-408)
Façade of the Opera.
Charles Garnier, Architect.
1857-74.
Paris
Les Fetes de Nuit a l'Exposition
Advertising for the Paris 1900 World's Fair.
1900.
Ink on paper
Summer’s Day.
Berthe Morisot.
1879.
Oil on Canvas
In the Loge.
Mary Stevenson Cassatt,
1878.
Oil on Canvas.
Dance Class.
Edgar Degas,
ca. 1874.
Oil on Canvas.
Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)
Unquestionably one of the most important Impressionist painters of the late 19th
to early 20th centuries, Renoir got much of his inspiration from the old Renaissance
masters, especially from Raphael and Titian. Although he was one of the founders of the
Impressionist movement, in his later years, he would go on to develop a new style that
was based on this inspiration from such masters. This monumental new art movement would come to
influence such new innovative painters as Picasso.
Interestingly enough, Renoir began his artistic career, not as a portrait painter, but as a porcelain painter.
However, his dream was to become a professional artist so he began by copying paintings at the Louvre in 1860.
Sometime later, he connected with the artist Charles Gleyre and was introduced to Claude Monet, Frédéric
Bazille, and Alfred Sisley, with whom he became great friends.
In the early 1870’s, Renoir and Monet decided to establish an independent artist’s society apart from the
Salon. They were soon called the Impressionists because they sought to represent every day modern life in
their art. During this time, he painted Dance at the Moulin de la Galette, which is most notably an iconic
example of the impressionist style as it displays light flickering over the painting’s subjects.
In 1878 during his later years and with abundant financial backing from his patrons, Renoir began to
explore other artistic directions apart from impressionism. Here, he began to look back to the old masters,
such as Titian and Rubens, for more structure and permanence in his paintings. His first painting with this new
approach, Luncheon of the Boating Party, demonstrates more solidity and clarity in the depiction of the figures
and even their purposeful placement within space. Renoir’s popularity as an artist has continued to current
times where he is still considered today as one of the greatest French painters of the modern age for his work as
an Impressionist, but equally so for the undeniable beauty of his late works. (Kang)
Luncheon of the Boating Party.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
1880-1881. Oil on Canvas
Luncheon of the Boating Party remains the best known and most
popular works of art by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The painting captures a
sublime scene of Renoir's friends as they lazily share food, wine, and good conversation on a balcony
overlooking the Seine at the Maison Fournaise restaurant in Chatou. The popular Maison Fournaise was
known to draw Parisians of all classes including artists, writers, seamstresses, society women, businessmen
and even shop girls to eat in the restauarnat or stay in the hotel for the night. With such a diverse group of
subjects, this painting came to symbolize the changing and more modern French society in the mid to late
19th century.
The crafting of this exquisite work of art was nothing short of complicated as he spent months
painting the individual figures when those friends and models were available, as well as constantly making
numerous changes . Despite the difficulty in completing the painting, Renoir was able to retain his vision of
what he wanted the painting to convey and in the end, the Luncheon of the Boating Party turned out to be a
truly remarkable work of art.
Luncheon of the Boating Party consists of mainly youthful, romanticized portraits of Renoir's
colleagues and friends as they enjoy each other’s company at the Maison Fournaise Restaurant. These
included the art historian, collector, and editor Charles Ephrussi; Ephrussi's personal secretary, Jules
Laforgue a poet and critic; the actress Ellen Andrée; former mayor of colonial Saigon, Baron Raoul Barbier;
the proprietor's daughter, Alphonsine Fournaise and son, Alphonse Fournaise, Jr. ; the artist Paul Lhote ; the
bureaucrat Eugène Pierre Lestringuez; the actress Jeanne Samary; Renoir’s close friend and wealthy patron,
Gustave Caillebotte; the actress Angèle; the Italian journalist, Maggiolo; an avid boatman and sailor,
Caillebotte and lastly, a seamstress, Aline Charigot, who Renoir would eventually marry. (Luncheon)
Cassatt, Mary Stevenson, In the Loge, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Courbet, Gustave, The Stonebreakers, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Degas, Edgar, Dance Class, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Ganier, Charles, Façade of the Opera, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Kang, Cindy. "Auguste Renoir (1841–1919)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/augu/hd_augu.htm
(May 2011)
Les Fetes de Nuit a l'Exposition, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
“Luncheon of the Boating Party”. The Phillips Collection. Web. 30 October 2013.
<http://www.phillipscollection.org/collection/boating-party/>.
Morisot, Berthe, Summer’s Day, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Pablo Picasso. Photograph. 15 March 2012. Famous People Ever. Web. 29 October 2013.
<http://famouspeopleever.blogspot.com/2012/03/pablo-picasso.html>.
Renoir, Pierre-Auguste, Luncheon of the Boating Party, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre,
1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Self-Portrait Pierre Auguste Renoir. Photograph. N.D. Pierre Auguste Renoir – The Complete Works. Web. 30
October 2013. <http://www.pierre-auguste-renoir.org/Self-Portrait-large.html/>
Around 1850, as new vehicles of transportation were being invented, the age of motion dawns and
the modern era is born First came the steam engine and train, then the automobile and lastly, the
airplane in 1903. Around the turn of the century, motion pictures were created and the assembly line
was developed being able to turn out the production of hundreds of times an individual’s efforts. From
1895 to 1915, scientists discovered various aspects of the inner worlds of matter and energy, leading to the
understanding that although we see matter as stationery, in fact, the atoms that make up the matter are
in a state of perpetual motion.
The arts could not but help respond to this total upheaval of thought about what is and what isn’t,
as well as a magnification in the speed and way of common, every day life. Thus were born new styles of
art expression in the form of “ism’s”: post-impressionism, modernism, simultanism, cubism, futurism,
fauvism, and surrealism. This extreme departure from previous styles of art also greatly influenced the
music, literature, poetry and even psychological understanding of that day. (Sayre 439-440)
The Bahaus Building.
Walter Gropius, Architext
Build 1925-26.
Dessau, Germany
Guitar, Sheet Music, and Wine Glass.
Pablo Picasso,
1912.
Charcoal, gouache, and papiers-collé
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space.
Umberto Boccioni.
1913.
Bronze
Gertrude Stein.
Pablo Picasso,
1906.
Oil on Canvas.
Girl Before A Mirror.
Pablo Picasso,
1932.
Oil on Canvas.
Pablo Picasso
Picasso was a Spanish painter, draftsman, and sculptor. He co-founded the Cubist movement with Georges
Braque and is best known for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work, much of which was quite abstract. In
his early years, Picasso painted in a realistic manner, which eventually would transform into more abstract expression
as his style changed as he experimented with various techniques, theories, and ideas, as well as numerous mediums,
including oil paintings, sculpture, drawing, and architecture. His innovative artistic accomplishments brought him
universal recognition and much fortune throughout his life, making him the best-known figure in twentieth century
art. He was probably the first painter to have a mass audience in his own lifetime and it is estimated that upwards of
hundreds of millions of people had heard of him and had seen his work in reproduction, if not live.
With all this acclaim in the art world, it was unfortunate that his demeanor as an father and a man were less
than respectable. He was sarcastic and superstitious and was cruel to his own children and even nastier to the many
women in his life. In fact, he was contemptuous of women artists and even once remarked about women as being
"goddesses or doormats“, but such misogynistic attributes did not deter the women in his life, as his charm and
virility was quite legendary.
He was also politically lucky. Though to Nazis his work was the epitome of "degenerate art," his fame protected
him during the German occupation of Paris, where he lived; and after the war, when artists and writers were thought
disgraced by the slightest affiliation with Nazism or fascism, Picasso gave enthusiastic endorsement to Joseph Stalin,
a mass murderer on a scale far beyond Hitler's, and scarcely received a word of criticism for it, even in cold war
America.
Amazingly, no painter or sculptor, not even Michelangelo, had been as famous as Picasso was in his own
lifetime. He was the first artist to enjoy the obsessive attention of mass media. His vast output of art, controversial
changes of style and constant pushing of the envelope created much controversy and gossip - and thus such celebrity.
Additionally, he inspired, or at least contributed to most of the art movements of the 20th century. He actually
formed the Cubism movement. He also had a great effect on the early works of American Abstract Expressionist
painters, Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning, among others. (Pablo Picasso)
Starry Night. Vincent Van Gogh,
1889. Oil on Canvas
Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh, as one of the most replicated prints of
all times, is also one of the most well known paintings of modern times. Such
has the effect been of this mesmerizing piece of art that it was even immortalized in Don McLean's song
'Vincent' (Starry, Starry Night). Amazingly, Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime, but his
posthumous popularity is legendary.
There are actually several main aspects to Starry Night that have intrigued people for years and surely,
each attribute affects each person in a different way. The swirling clouds and stars and crescent moon fill the
night sky, with the luminous stars appearing almost as if ablaze. The movement of the painting begs the
viewer to interact with the scene and then other aspects of the painting come into view. The small town at the
bottom of the painting below the rolling hills emit essentially what one senses as a peaceful essence. The
steeple is a major focal point appearing to bring the heavens down to the earth. The large, dark cypress tree in
the foreground creates an even greater sense of size and isolation in conjunction with the quaint, little sleepy
town. The swirling curves from the sky are replicated in this massive tree. The wide variation of size of
objects in the painting lend itself to the creation of depth and even a larger-than-life feel to the painting. One
can only imagine what Van Gogh himself was thinking about when he created this masterpiece and just what
was the story he was trying to convey.
Van Gogh was plagued by mental illness all his life and he actually painted Starry Night while in an
Asylum at Saint-Remy in 1889. Van Gogh was quite religious and in his younger years (1876-1880) he wanted to
dedicate his life as an evangelist. This religious fervor may indeed be reflected in the eleven stars of the
painting, as many have speculated. Genesis 37:9 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.“ (Vincent van Gogh)
Boccioni, Umberto, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre,
1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Gropius, Walter, The Bahaus Building, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Marc, Franz, Die Grossen Baluen Pferde (The Large Blue Horse), In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M.
Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Pablo Picasso. Photograph. 15 March 2012. Famous People Ever. Web. 29 October 2013.
<http://famouspeopleever.blogspot.com/2012/03/pablo-picasso.html>.
“Pablo Picasso and His Paintings.” Pablo Picasso. Web. 29 October 2013.
<http://www.pablopicasso.org/>.
Picasso, Pablo, Gertrude Stein, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Picasso, Pablo, Girl Before A Mirror, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st ed. New Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Picasso, Pablo, Guitar, Sheet Music, and Wine Glass, In Discovering the Humanities, Henry M. Sayre, 1st
ed. New Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2010, Resources.
Starry Night. Photograph. N.D. Van Gogh Gallery. Web. 29 October 2013.
<http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/508/Starry-Night.html>.
“Vincent van Gogh: Starry Night.” Van Gogh Gallery. Web. 29 October 2013.
<http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/508/Starry-Night.html>.