Van Gogh's Starry Night

It has certainly been an eventful start to another year of me enjoying art in the beloved capital of the United Kingdom. Despite my inability to keep up with my blog writing, I have already seen some wonderful exhibitions in London in the first few months of the year. I really can't wait to pull myself together and tell you all about them. To ease myself into the writing habit, I would like to share with you a painting and a song that came into my head last night as I was falling asleep, blissfully happy as I usually am at the end of the day. Though that song wasn't a happy one...

Funnily enough, this is also a great build up to my review on the current RA's most-successful and prob most-loved exhibition this year - " The Read Van Gogh: the artist and his letters".

Starry Night is one of my favourite Van Gogh paintings. I don't remember the first time I saw this painting but I remember being very very young. It has always mesmerized me, the colours, (and later) the brush strokes... something haunting about the stars. And I have always loved stars, especially gazing at them at night by the beach during the Summer holidays in those young days... how much bigger, brighter and more beautiful they are than normal ("normal" to me was big city, big lights and very rare shinning stars).

.. and Vincent's painting reminded me of those summer nights I love so much. Like Vincent while living in the city sometimes I would miss those starry starry summer nights. Perhaps that was why song then the painting came into my head?

Don Mclean's "Vincent"  , also a song that moves me very much. Don not only describes one of VG most famous paintings with beautiful lyrics but he also talks about the artist that many misunderstood, an artist should be known for more than just his paintings and his insanity.

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.

For they could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.

...

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...