Source of Inspiration: Context and Artistic Movement
Even though Van Gogh’s infamous lack of recognition at the time when he reached his artistic peak is slightly exaggerated, people know him by two or three of his art pieces, at best, and The Starry Night is one of them (Brodskaia, 2014). Representing the very essence of Post-Impressionism by using colors in an unusual and even challenging fashion, the painting strikes the viewer with the pure feeling of the surreal that surrounds it (Harte, 2014).
The use of lines drawn with short brush strokes as opposed to silhouettes that would have been a much more common and easy choice made the painting unique and unusual. The sharp contrast between the tones (i.e., the deep blue and black for portraying the night and bright yellow and green for depicting the stars) makes every detail leap out of the painting, making it both fantastic and very tangible (Brinkley, 2014).
Metamorphosis Comes: When the Sun Rises. Narrative and Connection
The Starry Night has given inspiration for the piece that I would like to call The Bright New Day. The image was created with the help of crayons (green, lime green, black, royal blue, gold, and orange) and drawn on an A-4 paper (mostly smooth, slightly prominent texture; medium thickness). The curvy, wavy lines in The Starry Night became the model for drawing the curves of a river floating across a mountain valley.
The contrast between the theme (i.e., the night) and the colors (green and yellow) also prompted the choice of colors for The Bright New Day, where black and dark-green is featured heavily despite the setting of the picture. Therefore, the drawing is linked to The Starry Night not only technically but also thematically, continuing the idea of portraying the night-time landscape and counterpointing the urban night setting to pastoral daytime. Remaining one of the greatest art pieces of all time, The Starry Night continues to inspire people and evoke original ideas.
References
Brinkley, H. (2014). Starry mind: The life and times of Vincent van Gogh. New York, NY BookCaps Study Guides.
Brodskaia, N. (2014). Post-impressionism. New York, NY: Parkstone International.
Harte, P. E. (2014). Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh: Leaders in visual arts. Victoria, Australia: Oz Harte Art.