Ethical Analysis Of Van Gogh's The Starrry Night

Following his infamous breakdown in which he mutilated part of his own ear, Vincent was eventually hospitalized at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. The location was an asylum and clinic for the mentally ill near the village of Saint-Rémy in southern France, and ultimately the birthplace of the piece. During his rehabilitation there, Van Gogh was prompted to paint, though he rarely ventured very far from the asylum’s walls. In his private room he had a sweeping view of the Alpilles mountain range.

During his stay Van Gogh was also given a small studio for painting. The room did not have the view the mountains but rather a view of the asylum’s garden. It was there for assumed that Van Gogh composed The Starry Night using elements of his previously completed

As stated by Paul Martin Lester in his Visual Analysis paper, there are Six principal ethical philosophies that are used to analyze an image. They are golden rule, hedonism, golden mean, categorical imperative, utilitarianism, and veil of ignorance. Here is a perspective on the utilitarianism principle as it relates to Van Gogh 's The Starry Night.

When Van Gogh was creating The Starry Night, he was being held in Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum. He utilized utilitarianism because he didn’t idly sit by in his confined quarters and think only of himself. Instead, he decided not to give up and continued to paint works of art that others could enjoy. In light of the fact that he had not received any recognition for his previous works, and hadn 't commercially sold any works at that time.

Van Gogh was paced in the asylum because of the self-mutilation of his left ear as well as his many mental illnesses. It is possible that Van Gogh may have cut off his ear because of the fear of his brother halting his financial support. This further goes to support the idea of Utilitarianism in that Van Gogh 's still worked to paint The Starry Night while knowing that he would receive no financial

Some imagine that the stars hold a biblical meaning. By painting exactly eleven stars, Van Gogh may have been referencing the book of Genesis in the Bible, more specifically Gen 37:9, which reads: “Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” (NIV). This key verse tells the story of Joseph and how he was outcast by his eleven older brothers. In Joseph’s dreams, the eleven stars were a metaphor for his eleven brothers. It was revealed by God that someday his brothers would become subservient to him. The resentment and jealousy his brothers held against him resulted in the events in which Joseph was sold into slavery and underwent years of imprisonment. Van Gogh may have identified with Joseph in the story because just as Joseph underwent years of imprisonment, Van Gogh also exhausted the last years of his life in locked up in the Saint Paul asylum. Joseph failed to receive acceptance and respect from his older brothers. Similarly, Van Gogh fell short of receiving recognition of his artwork from critics, as well as his own brother