Vincent
Van Gogh
Starry Night
Oil on Canvas, 1889
"I am not an adventurer
by choice but by fate."
Vincent Van Gogh
•
Born in Holland
•
One of six children
•
The son of a pastor and
raised in a religious
atmosphere
•
Mostly self-taught artist
•
Post-Impressionist
•
Very short career due to
mental illness
•
Only sold one painting
during his lifetime
Still Life: Vase with Roses
Oil on Canvas, 1890
The Importance of Drawing
Vincent Van Gogh firmly believed that to be a great painter you had to first master drawing before
adding color. He wrote over 1,000 letters to his brother and friends, often including sketches of
subjects he was interested in.
Plowman with Two Women, 1883
Road with Men
Walking, Carriage,
Cypress, Star, and
Crescent Moon,
1890
Early Work
The Potato Eaters, 1885
Oil Painting
One of Van Gogh’s first
masterpieces.
•
He did not have a
lot of confidence in
his skill as an artist,
and neither did his
parents
•
His brother
supported and
encouraged him
•
He started focusing
on and studying art
at the age of 27 and
is mostly self taught
•
His early works were
done with dark
colors
Impressionism
In 1886, he went to Paris to join his brother Théo, the manager of
Goupil's gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon,
inevitably met Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin.
Having met the new Impressionist painters, he tried to imitate their
techniques; he began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint
in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists’ style.
Bois de Boulogne with People Walking
Oil on Canvas, 1886
Still Life: Vase with Fifteen
Sunflowers
Oil on Canvas, 1888
Post-Impressionism
Unable to successfully copy
the style, he developed his
own more bold and
unconventional style.
Post-Impressionist painters
wanted to express their
meaning beyond the
surface appearance; they
painted with EMOTION,
INTELLECT, and THE EYE. The
post-impressionism painters
stressed their personal view
of the visual world and had
a freely expressive use of
color and form to describe
emotions and movement.
Still Life: With Basket and Six
Oranges
Oil on Canvas, 1888
A Dark Time
After failing to create an
artist community in France,
Van Gogh’s mental illness
overcame him.
He committed himself to a
mental asylum after going
after Paul Gaugin with a
knife and then cutting off
part of his ear.
He stayed in the asylum for
almost two years. He
painted “Starry Night,” while
there and many other
pieces.
History shows that he took
his own life only six months
after leaving the asylum.
Mulberry Tree
Oil on Canvas, 1889
What he Left Behind
Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a
technique that grew more and more impassioned in brushstroke, and
intense color, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. He was
an emotional painter and used art as a therapy to express himself.
In spite of his lack of success during his lifetime, Van Gogh is now viewed
as one of the most influential artists having helped lay the foundations of
modern art.
The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles,
at Night, Oil on Canvas, 1888
Old Man in Sorrow
Oil on Canvas, 1890
The only piece sold while Van Gogh
was alive.
The Red Vineyard
Oil on Canvas, 1888
Starry Night Café
STEP ONE
Put your name on
the back of the
paper.
Core Elements of Art Covered:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Contrasting Colors
Proportion
Shadow
Movement of Line
STEP TWO
1/3 from the bottom,
draw a curved line.
STEP THREE
Draw the curve of the
bottom of the cup first.
Connect two lines going up.
STEP FOUR
At the top of the cup,
match the curve at the
bottom of the cup. The
draw the opposite curve
to complete the top of
the cup.
STEP FIVE
Draw the cup handle.
STEP SIX
Draw the swirls and lines.
Draw the shadow curve on
the bottom of the cup.
STEP SEVEN AND EIGHT
Go over the swirl lines with dashes to create
the illusion of motion. Then fill in the cup.
You may need to layer this with color.
REMAINING STEPS
Make the corner and side of
the cup a little darker. Add
color to the table that is
different from the cup. Use
a darker color to add as the
shadow under the cup.