Evening Landscape with Rising Moon - Vincent Van Gogh
By Ritika Tiwari Thursday, April 06, 2017 Art, AtoZChallenge
I personally love how Van Gogh can depict nature in the most beautiful colours possible. But looking at his old work, you realize, he wasn’t always like that. Young Vincent was a rebel who drew paintings of his mistresses and skulls.
But like a true Hollywood movie, Vincent moved to France and everything changed. With so many scenic beauty around, he noticed the changing colours of nature, and put his own twist to it on the canvas.
He lived in Arles where there were a lot of wheatfields which inspired him so much that he drew more than a dozen paintings as a part of his Wheat field series. But the painting that we are talking about today was actually made by Van Gogh when he was admitted to an asylum in Saint Remy in 1889 (he had depression and his panic fits were getting worse).
From the hospital window bars, Vincent drew whatever he could see which also included cypresses, lilies, and irises.
In fact, he was at the peak of his creativity between 1889 to 1890, when he died. So much so that he drew more than 150 paintings, including many of his masterpieces.
About the Evening Landscape with Rising Moon
Also known as the Landscape With Wheat Sheaves and Rising Moon, the painting is one of Van Gogh’s masterpieces because of the changing colours but a constant pattern.
Whether you look at wheat, mountains, or the moon, its all done with the same pattern. But what makes the painting more amazing is the use of different shades of the same colour, which is a signature Van Gogh technique.
Being a post impressionist, Van Gogh didn’t paint objects just like they were, he used colour to show his reaction to the object. And that is why, the moon looks so bright - if it weren’t for the description, anyone would have mistaken it for the sun.
My thoughts
I was going through the entire Wheatfields series that Van Gogh did, and this is the only painting of the set where he decided to use the same pattern everywhere. Though, there are two small houses that are tucked in corners and not painted with the same pattern. (May be he added them later? Or may be he just got bored with the pattern?)
And honestly, there is something so hypnotic about the whole painting, it draws you in completely. It feels as if he wanted to depict the nature’s underlying rhythm with his brushstrokes and colours.
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20 comments
I fell in love with this painting, the first time I saw it.
ReplyDeleteSame here Sheethal :)
DeleteThanks for taking us on tour of rising moon of Van Gogh :)
ReplyDeleteHope you will enjoy my story under this moonlight. Will give amazing effect though. It goes by the title of On the trail of silver mist
Glad you liked it Aditya :)
DeleteOr maybe Van Gogh did the houses plain, because he wanted to show that nature and human creation are two different things? Like, men cannot create things the way nature does? (Just thinking out loud)
ReplyDeleteYou're right: the pattern does have a very hypnotic feel to it, and I would have thought the moon was the sun at first glance!
Wow, that is a very good point Mithila! I did not even think about it. May be you are right, may be it was Van Gogh's secret message to all of us
DeleteThis is a fabulous painting. It is too bad is art cost him so much, though we are richer for it.
ReplyDeleteI think Art was his life. It saved him in a way and gave him a legacy. Thats probably the reason he couldn't stop painting even in the last days of his life
DeleteIf the moon is painted brighter than sun that differentiate his paintings from others
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Yes, it definitely does :)
DeleteI love Vincent's works, but this one is a little busy :-) Cheers, Denise
ReplyDeleteProbably depicting his state of mind then :)
DeleteThe learning arc in Van Gogh's paintings is endless, just like the cycle of the moon. You've now offered me another new perspective of his work.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true Gail. I cannot help but wonder what other masterpieces we would have had today if he didn't die so soon
DeleteVan Gogh was a troubled genius and I love looking at his self portraits because the more erratic his brush strokes were meant the more erratic he was. One can literally see when he was close to a breakdown or a manic phase. His use of yellows and blues always captivated me. Funny, his last painting in the wheatfield shows birds-ravens or crows which mean death and the path that suddenly stops basically indicates what he was about to do
ReplyDeleteYes, I do remember seeing that painting. In fact, that is another painting where he beautifully used blues and yellows.
DeleteI am actually going to write about the entire Wheatfield series for W. There are just so many Van Gogh paintings to talk about and so little time!
It's a beautiful painting, so vibrant. But then, most of Van Gogh paintings are.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I would have taken the moon for the sun. That is an intersting mix, I think. There must be a reason behind the misplacing of the sun and the moon.
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