Starry Night Symbolism

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The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is an exceptional painting full of color, texture and emotion. The night sky vibrates with ''wave-like energy'' and the stars ''explode like fireworks'' (Dixon, 378). There are swirling clouds and a brightly lit crescent moon. There is a twisted cypress tree that rises upwards from the landscape below. The quiet town under the star-lit sky is painted with dark colors but the brightly lit windows of the houses create a sense of comfort. In comparison to the powerful night sky, the village is at peace and the stilllness of the night can almost be felt. The painting is asymmetrical and the arrangement of stars dotted over the surface is busy. There are different layers on the canvas that appear vertically as three areas (foreground, mid-ground and sky). The luminous moon ''counterbalances the cypress tree on the left'' (Dixon, 378). Van Gogh uses strong and thickly layered brush strokes. The swirls and coordinated circles are stylized and have a powerful effect on the painting. He uses different techniques for the dark cypress and nearby white star. ...

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