The Hidden Symbolism in Van Gogh's Starry Night

Vincent  is probably the most beautiful and admired painting ever. It can be readily considered as one of the most celebrated paintings in the world due to its magnificent color and dreamy texture, swirling with so much detail. More than its aesthetic appeal, however, the painting held great value and meaning because it depicted the inner turmoil and emotional state of Vincent van Gogh himself at the time of creating the painting.

Painted in 1889 while at the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Starry Night is the visualized representation of his unrestful mental state. The chaos with which the view is depicted concerning the over-expression of motion in the twisted sky carries the audience into the feeling of possibly the turmoil in his violent mental illness episodes. 

The use of light is most symbolic in Starry Night, where stars and a full moon certainly grab the focus by truly glowing about such a dark blue tone. This may reflect the hope and significance of the artist to find in the darkness which had engulfed his life. These may symbolize the stars as eternal or heavenly, representing a hope for peace or salvation on his subconscious mind level, regarding the spiritual wants of the artist.

There is also an important feature: the large cypress tree in the foreground. Cypress trees, in traditional contexts, symbolize death and mourning in art. Their presence here may indicate that Van Gogh thought about mortality. It stands between heaven and earth in the front of this figure, connecting earth with heaven, the bridge between life and death or between materialism and the spiritual.

Much symbolism lies in the peaceful village below the crazy sky. While the heavens churn, the village rests calmly and quietly on earth. This contrast may symbolize how Van Gogh sometimes may have felt removed from the world around him-the calm of the village being unattainable and distant.

There appears to be a nest of equilibrium-the human ant is silent and the world is noisy - that so far speaks of intense imbalance in Van Gogh in regard to inner turmoil with the outer world. Starry Night is no longer a pretty landscape, but a powerful reflection of mood and artistic soul, emotional depth, and the yearning for a spiritual connection. 

The Hidden Symbolism in Van Gogh's Starry Night