Starry Night Critique

Can someone help me to paraphrase this Critique? Thank you

Starry Night Critique

January 28, 2016

This painting is entitled “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. Painted in 1889, it is a 73.7 cm by 92.1 cm oil on canvas painting. It is a landscape of a small town beneath the hills at night, with a large cypress tree rising up in the middle left. The colors are mostly blue, yellow, and green. There is a church in the middle with it’s steeple rising  up in the center. A bright moon is suspended in the top right corner.

This artwork is arranged mostly by small active lines. These small, flowing lines create rhythm with the swirls and small curves by leading the eye through the sky. This artwork uses informal balance with a large cypress on the left and a small lower town on the right. Van Gogh creates contrast by pairing bright yellow with the dark blue in the sky. Emphasis is crated by putting a large dark object in contrast with the bright sky, as well as a large bright moon as a focal point.

The mood of this work suggests a rather sad mood. It’s dark and dominantly blue colors along with the flowing lines seems to represent a flowing sadness or depression. The atmosphere is that of a quiet town, such as a quiet mind of the sad. The fluidity almost seems like a river that one could float down, washing away the hardships and plagues of the mind. This artwork may represent the madness of Van Gogh, and the sadness that he receives as a result of his illness.

This is a successful piece of art. Without any background in art, you would still feel the emotions invokes by the painting, with the predominantly dark blue colors and flowing lines. This painting’s composition is unique with its small, repeating lines to create such a flow and feeling of the environment. The artwork conveys the mood of sadness and depression and flows throughout the background, making the sky a river, flowing down the painting into one’s mind.