Analysis Of Van Gogh s Agony By Lauren Soth And Under The...

One of the most mysterious and thought-provoking images to date was painted in 1889 from a mental health institution in St. Remy, France by non-other than Vincent Van Gogh. The opulence of blues and yellows has the ability bring a viewer to its knees, mostly in a subconscious manner that evokes a kind of spiritual quest, perhaps one that Van Gogh was on himself. The Starry Night is still heavily contemplated and its meaning is still relatively unknown and quite debated, as is the man himself. In an effort to gain an understanding of not only the painting but the painter himself, I chose two articles that provide an understanding of the art and the artist: Van Gogh’s Agony by Lauren Soth and Under the Starry Night by Denis J. Billy. Both writers take a different approach to grasping the elusive understanding of this wondrous work but occasionally find some similarities and understanding of him and his work, which I will elaborate on through the course of this paper. The mystery associated with the Starry Night has haunted scholars for years and even led them to use his declining sanity as the only source of his work. Arguably, while this is true, it is not necessarily the only truth, and it is definitely not a complete theory. While I believe his psychology does play a large role in his conception, it is not the only explanatory factor for his actions or thoughts. Just like any other occurrence or creation, there is more than one intention or factor that decides how