The Starry Night At first look Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” seems like a painting of the night sky over a small town. Van Gogh was an incredible painter, and was able to make his paintings look very realistic. “The Starry Night” is no exception. Van Gogh uses artistic elements, such as the colors he choose, brushstrokes, and images to help make the paint look realistic, and appeal to emotions of viewers. These images and elements are used to give the viewer of the painting a feeling of hope or safety in times of darkness. The first thing that is noticed when looking at the painting is the stars in the night sky. Van Gogh has painted night skies previously to painting a starry night, by doing so he was able to almost perfect how the night skies looked. The use of the bright colors against the cool and dark colors of the sky gives it an extremely realistic look. Van Gogh uses the stars to show the light that is in darkness. Although the night sky is dark, the moon and the stars help provide light in the night. For centuries stars were used as a way for travelers to find their way in the dark. Just like actual stars, the stars in The Starry Night appear to be guiding the viewer to the village. This can be seen as hope, because although it is dark, there are stars to help guide you. The village in the painting is seen as being lit up and almost glowing. He uses the warm colors against the dark sky to give the viewer a sense of warmth and safety. Because of the colors of the stars against the night sky and the town in the background, Van Gogh is able to give the painting a realistic look and is able to give the viewer a feeling of hope. Other than the colors he chooses, Van Gogh’s brushstrokes and method of painting allows the painting to be realistic. The circular brushstrokes around the stars give the appearance of the stars radiating light. This also lets the stars stick out from the sky because two different strokes are used. The swirling strokes in the sky also stick out of the sky. The difference in brushstrokes grabs the viewers’ attention and appears to be leading to the town. As you look into the back ground of the painting, the layering of the pain over each other gives the painting depth the straight brushstrokes on the hill also help give the illusion of distance. Van Gogh layers the painting this way to give the viewer a sense of being on a hill looking down on a village. The bush on the left of the image also helps add dimension to the painting. Because of Van Gogh’s method and brushstrokes, he can more effectively appeal to the emotion of the viewer. The town in the distance can be seen as an image of safety. From the