Achieving Change In Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night

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Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night represents the overpowering waves of change sweeping change over an unsuspecting town, stuck in the ways of old. Just one look at this painting evokes a feeling of old versus new. As you study the work of art you can’t help but feel the struggle between these two powerful forces. Vincent van Gogh does a wonderful job telling the story of a town not ready to adapt to a new world. The swirling blues and yellows of the night sky in Starry Night represent the new ideas of the people. The night sky shines brightly on this town, so bright that it’s impossible to miss, but many houses, possibly in an attempt to drown out the light of change, have left their own lights on. The night sky, even with light pollution from below, is still shining bright with no signs of dulling, showing how powerful change and new ideas can be. The town in the painting represents the natural tendency to stick with what you know and are comfortable with. Each house in the town is its owner's personal echo chamber which shields the people from the light of change produced by the night sky. Going outside would be enough for these people to see the way of the new world, but instead, they stay within their echo chambers, only seeing and hearing the things that they already believe. …show more content…

First, the viewer may see a massive wave, in this case representing some event that will destroy the people's echo chambers and allow them to see the light, changing how they view the world forever. The viewer may also see an impenetrable wall surrounding the town in the form of a mountain range. If this is what the painting contains this may be why the town is so stuck in its ways in the first place; isolation from the outside world. The painting then becomes about how even when in complete isolation from the outside world the lights of change still manage to shine

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