Friday, April 17, 2009

Starry Starry Night...

"Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land
Starry, starry night,
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue,
morning field of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand" - Don Mclean

Somehow after listening to this beautiful song ages ago and some discussions with an old friend, I have always been curious about Van Gogh's Starry Night and why it is so famous... While I was in Amsterdam for the Easter, I went to the famous Van Gogh Musem and spent almost the entire day looking at some of his best works... We were also lucky that the Museum had a special exhibition " Colors of the night" and they had loaned the famous "Starry Night" from its home (NY Museum) to Amsterdam for display during Spring... What more could I have asked for... It was an amazing experience walking through thr exhibits and spending time on each of his painting to understand the psyche of the great artist (one who was not recognized while he was alive)... Starry Night especially was very interesting more so because it is not painted like how a night would be, but more of artist's imagination... I ve never been a great art lover.. but Van Gogh's themes were so simple yet complex that draws you towards his paintings... Apparently there are so many interpretations to this painting and what artist might have imagined (literally and symbolic), but it still remains a mystery....

"Now I think I know,
what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free,
They would not listen,
they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will... "
Links: http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starrynightlyrics.html

2 comments:

Ms.N said...

nice :).

i think ths is the second post i am reading about van gogh and his starry night. i am not sure if i am so much of a painting-lover, but may be a euro trip will decide me on that!

Sriram said...

I am not arty either.. but it is nice to spend time on paintings and try to imagine what the painter was thinking when he painted it... so whats the other ost you are talking about?/
BTW.. Starry Night is always in NY museum.. perhaps ur next trip to NY u can get a sneak peak... or if u visit Amsterdam soon enuf..