Vincent Van Gogh lived during the late 1800’s, a time of postimpressionism, where artists took subjective views and painted their world according to their own unique personalities and perceptions. The most famous piece by Van Gogh, Starry Night, was created while he was seeking treatment in a mental asylum for his depression and bipolar disorders. In the work Van Gogh portrays an unnamed European village amongst a dark wilderness, complete with dimmed lights. Notably, the message being revealed through the painting is about Van Gogh’s psychological state of mind. The elements and principles in the painting Starry Night seem to be reflective of the disturbance that Van Gogh suffered in his personal life. Due to Van Gogh’s bipolar disorder and mental state at the time, the wide range of emotions and thoughts that may have been running through his head are shown in this art. 

The most noticeable part of the painting is the composition of it. It is arranged in a way that seems to have not been as thought out as it could have. The placement of figures and objects lead to ideas of Van Gogh’s emotions at the time, and why he placed certain things where he did. The night sky is very big, and makes up most of the painting. Throughout the sky there are twirling clouds, shining stars, and a glaring crescent moon that is located in the top right corner. These details provide the painting with a variety of emotions, and allow the audience to make interpretations of each. The view of the night sky and the village that lay beneath it, are slightly hidden by a giant cypress bush. The houses in the village are very miniscule, and seem to intermix with the forest and mountain off in the background. The layout of the painting is an indication of the mental dislocation of Van Gogh’s thoughts and feelings at the time because everything is placed in a unique way which shows that his mind was wondering while painting this piece. Suffering from a bipolar disorder would allow for that to happen because the brain is in an unstable place. 

After closely analyzing the composition of Starry Night, an understanding of the mental instability in Van Gogh’s life was easily made. The night sky is very overwhelming, being that it easily captures one’s attention. The ability of the sky to have such a powerful effect on emotion is because of the symbolic meaning behind it. The night sky typically represents feelings of darkness and loneliness which in essence shows why Van Gogh portrayed it the way he did. Van Gogh was alone in the mental asylum, so he probably felt very depressed. The sky was dark, which makes it difficult to see. This must have had a huge effect on Van Gogh because he was struggling to see the positives. The sky is reflective of this depression as it fills most of this painting. Van Gogh was in the midst of his despairing emotions. The way in which the clouds were strangely painted allows for the work to be unnatural. If someone is depressed and suffering from a bipolar disorder it is difficult to come across as the natural person. This shows in his artwork, specifically in the clouds because of the way they looked rushed and just thrown onto the piece of art. The heavy brush strokes that make up the clouds allow one to believe the idea that Van Gogh suffered from some form of severe attack that effected his capability to perform. It seems like he put the clouds on the painting for detail, but was not very concerned about how they turned out. When one is suffering from a mental disorder they may have a lack of motivation, and it seems to be showing here. The shining stars that Van Gogh placed throughout the sky illustrate a critical change in his emotions. This could be a result of his bipolar disorder because he suddenly changed the emotion of the dark, cloudy night sky. The stars give the audience a reason to presume that Van Gogh still had emotions of hope in his life. Stars generally symbolize light that guides one forward in the right direction. Essentially, the stars represent the fact that Van Gogh could have begun to find a cure of his illness. The purpose of a mental asylum is to come out differently than how you went in, so the stars show the positive affect’s that Van Gogh is feeling. He is still hopeful that he can overcome his illnesses. If the sky was a complete dark sky than this assumption could not be made, but the fact that it has some light allows for the thoughts of change in his emotions. The tiny village in the painting is a sign of separation in Van Gogh’s view. It represents the world to Van Gogh at the given time, so the restful feeling could reflect Van Gogh’s depression. The village is not as noticeable as other pieces in the painting. The fact that Van Gogh is alone in the asylum, and not living in a community such as a village, could lead to the idea that he believes he does not belong. Being mentally depressed and suffering from mental disorders may lead to the assumption that one is not like a majority of people. The steeple in the center of the village sticks out and symbolizes unity. Van Gogh’s reason of isolating this could be to signify his isolation in life. In the painting there is also a large cypress bush. Typically, cypress bushes are associated with mourning. Any other bush or tree could have been used in this place, so that really allows the audience to understand Van Gogh’s thoughts of death. The way in which it is painted brings much attention to the eye. It makes it seem as if Van Gogh wanted it to be noticeable. This could lead to the idea that the Cypress represents the despair that Van Gogh must have been going through in that moment. Since death is usually associated with this specific bush, Van Gogh must have been tossing away his intensity for life. When suffering from a bipolar disorder, suicidal thoughts can become common. Due to the composition of objects in the painting, Van Gogh’s suffrage of his mental instability was easily seen through the rollercoaster of emotions displayed throughout the painting.

Van Gogh’s choice of color in the Starry Night leads to various thoughts of how his emotions are constantly fluctuating. The abundant shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, and grey that Van Gogh uses, correspond to the true character of the painting. The true character of the painting is of high energy due to the mental instability Van Gogh was suffering when painting this piece. His mind was rushing from one idea to the other, and nothing was organized in any way. The dark shades of blue and grey that fulfill a majority of the night sky, add a gloomy and depressing feeling of emotion. Van Gogh clearly experiences these feelings for a majority of the time, so it makes sense as to why these colors cover most of the painting. The variety of bright colors used in the painting come across as unusual because together they are a very odd combination. They illustrate Van Gogh’s bipolar disorder, and the idea of his emotions changing rapidly. The bright colors are also used to contrast Van Gogh’s ideas of life and death because they are the main source of light in the painting. Life and death must have been debatable to Van Gogh because of the turmoil he encountered throughout his life. The main light source is coming natural from the stars. Light is not being produced by man in this painting. As stated earlier in the essay, the village has a dark and gloomy scene. Due to the minimum light coming from the houses in the village, conclusions can be drawn that the people in the village are unaware of the bursting life occurring in the sky above them. Van Gogh may have painted this in a comparison with himself, and that he is unaware of the world around him. He is lonely and trapped due to his illnesses, and he cannot escape the depression he is having. The few lights that actually are on in the houses may give Van Gogh a slight feeling of protection from the darkness. These lights show signs of his slow recovery while at the asylum. Colors are strongly used to suggest emotion, and they easily allow for a diverse number of interpretations to be made.

In conclusion, Van Gogh spent his life as an artist during a time where artists reflected upon their views of life, and the way they thought and felt. Emotions were displayed numerously throughout the painting which allowed for many perspectives to be taken. The different emotions were a result of the mental disorders that Van Gogh had. Van Gogh’s distinct and diverse use of various elements and principles in his paintings visibly portrayed the struggles that he faced throughout his lifetime. In the Starry Night, all the little details add together to portray a big picture, and here it was the great emotional intensity that Van Gogh faced.