Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter. He is often grouped with the Impressionists but he was more of an expressionist. He painted the world not how he saw it, but how he felt it. He felt things very deeply and often he felt lonely and sad. It is said he sold only one painting when he was alive and often had to tear up his paintings to use them to stuff the holes in his roof to keep the rain out. Not many people understood his art. His brother, Theo, appreciated Vincent van Gogh's work. Van Gogh painted with thick, heavy strokes with palette knives and brushes.
I've always loved The Starry Night. The sky is kept from twisting and swirling into darkness by the pulsating stars. The moon hangs in the corner like a lantern casting light into the edge of night's dark cloak. A large cypress tree stands guard over the quiet, sleepy village below. Each brush stroke is part of the movement of a dancing sky and a dreaming earthly home below.
This is why I am painting this work of art outside my classroom door. I hope students can see how I attempt to make my own rendering of this artwork. Students will see how I struggle and how every painting goes through, what I like to call, the "wonky phase" when nothing looks as you had planned or want it to be- and that's okay! That's exactly how it should be for awhile. I hope my students see that to create something great is a challenge, but it is worth the effort. As Vincent van Gogh said, "I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."
I've always loved The Starry Night. The sky is kept from twisting and swirling into darkness by the pulsating stars. The moon hangs in the corner like a lantern casting light into the edge of night's dark cloak. A large cypress tree stands guard over the quiet, sleepy village below. Each brush stroke is part of the movement of a dancing sky and a dreaming earthly home below.
This is why I am painting this work of art outside my classroom door. I hope students can see how I attempt to make my own rendering of this artwork. Students will see how I struggle and how every painting goes through, what I like to call, the "wonky phase" when nothing looks as you had planned or want it to be- and that's okay! That's exactly how it should be for awhile. I hope my students see that to create something great is a challenge, but it is worth the effort. As Vincent van Gogh said, "I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."