There are multiple key details in Starry Night, as we discussed in class. The interesting thing about the details is that they can be interpreted in anyway. There does not seem to be any right or wrong depiction of this image. The more I tried to decipher each detail, the more my opinion of what each detail means changes. What the details reveal about the image can be described or seen in so many different ways. One could spend hours just looking at it and deciding what everything means.
What
I think this image represents was changed multiple times throughout the discussion
we had in class. In one way I see it as taking place underwater. It almost
looks like the viewer is placed underwater and looking upwards at the sky
through the water. This would explain the dilution of the stars’ and the moon’s
reflections. The choice to use blue rather than black may also signify water
rather than the bare night sky. It’s possible that this is some kind of
mystical underwater town. The choice of colors makes it seem like a sort of
gloomy cold place.
The
other prominent way that the details speak to me is through the dark greenish
object and church. We also discussed this in class. I feel that the dark object
represents evil or the devil. It may be fire that just appears to be green
against the blue. The church which is lined up with it signifies the light or
good. I feel the church is the protector of the village on this cold night even
with this evil object peering at it from a distance.
Your explanation on why you think this image might be from an underwater view is well backed up, and it makes me think twice about my original response to this prompt.
ReplyDeleteI feel like there could be a wrong depiction of this image - to an extent. There are details that immediately stand for something such as the stars and the color of the day. Stars only come out at night. Someone may say this is supposed to depict what the town looks like at noon.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do agree with you when you say that this painting is an open book. There are many interpretations that can be thought of because of the one abstract black structure which is what makes this painting very good for discussion. The idea of the church and what it means is a good point - perhaps it may even provide us with Van Gogh's outlook on religion?
I like the idea of the underwater because it sort of look like it and make me have a different point view of the meaning of the image
ReplyDelete