Influencing Perception The Differences between Rocks at Belle-Île, Port-Domois by Claude Monet and The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh are all the more striking when one accounts for their similarities. In this paper, we will examine both pieces by how they were made, their historical context, as well as they compare to each other. At the time of its creation Van Gogh is going through great emotional turmoil, having been institutionalized for cutting off his own ear and offering it to a prostitute, released, and then institutionalized again. It is believed that painting kept him emotionally stable, through later in his life his mind would deteriorate regardless. He painted Starry Night in the asylum 's gardens from several sketches and the
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In his painting, Starry Night, Van Gogh 's audience feels as though they are peering into a memory of a dream. The swirling brush strokes of the sky and surreal and emotional colors capture the attention and seem to peer into the unseen universe, but the result is hardly lifelike. Monet, on the other hand is far more interested in keeping the realism of his images intact. In the Rocks at Belle-Île, viewers might feel ill at ease looking out into the endless expanse of a restless ocean before a storm, taken in by the illusion of movement created by the quick hurried brush strokes and sharp contrast. Starry Night uses bright, vibrant blues and yellows to create the sky, contrasting with the stark darkness of the cypress tree and parts of the earth below, the color is another of the many abstract design choices for this piece. Contrary to the color pallet of Rocks at Belle-Île which is comparatively realistic and suitably drab depiction of the subject matter, this more realistic approach serves only to highlight the suspense of the scene. Both paintings are straightforward in terms of composition, Rocks at Belle-Île has a more gradual transition from foreground to midground, accounting for the post impressionist style of Starry Night is likely responsible for this more sudden transition from foreground to background. Despite their similar styles, both painting 's differences could be on account of the different purposes of
In his painting, Starry Night, Van Gogh 's audience feels as though they are peering into a memory of a dream. The swirling brush strokes of the sky and surreal and emotional colors capture the attention and seem to peer into the unseen universe, but the result is hardly lifelike. Monet, on the other hand is far more interested in keeping the realism of his images intact. In the Rocks at Belle-Île, viewers might feel ill at ease looking out into the endless expanse of a restless ocean before a storm, taken in by the illusion of movement created by the quick hurried brush strokes and sharp contrast. Starry Night uses bright, vibrant blues and yellows to create the sky, contrasting with the stark darkness of the cypress tree and parts of the earth below, the color is another of the many abstract design choices for this piece. Contrary to the color pallet of Rocks at Belle-Île which is comparatively realistic and suitably drab depiction of the subject matter, this more realistic approach serves only to highlight the suspense of the scene. Both paintings are straightforward in terms of composition, Rocks at Belle-Île has a more gradual transition from foreground to midground, accounting for the post impressionist style of Starry Night is likely responsible for this more sudden transition from foreground to background. Despite their similar styles, both painting 's differences could be on account of the different purposes of