In the foreground is the silhouette of trees and a pointed mountain that reaches almost to the end of the sky. In the background
is a village of small buildings. The sky takes up majority of the painting. The stars and moon are swirling. Name the piece above and its painter. How has the artist used symbolic expression in this painting? Include 3 examples/descriptions.
This piece is by Vincent van Gogh, called Starry Night. Van Gogh used created a horizon using horizontal lines; the cypress tree and mountains are vertical and almost seem to reach for the sky; the stars are interacting as one with the entire seen below, becoming a part of nature and the environment; both cypress trees are in the foreground so that our view point shifts and their symbolic expression is that of a different nature than the other objects seen in the painting; the house are smaller purposely, so that they are not viewed as important compared to the natural elements; the only building that is accentuated is the church, which symbolizes a spiritual connection with nature.
