Starry Night

Directed by: Matthew Stoiber

St rring Vincent van Gogh

& Clive Bell

Vincent van GoghSelf-PortraitOil on canvasParis: 1887Wadsworth AtheneumHartford, CT

Freewebs.com

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

Vincent van GoghSelf-Portrait with Bandaged EarOil on canvasArles, 1889Courtauld Institute GalleriesLondon, UK

Joyreactor.com

Vincent van GoghStarry NightOil on canvasSaint-Rémy, France: 1889The Museum of Modern ArtNey York, NY, USA

Web.mnstate.edu

Clive Bell (1881-1964) / Formalism

Mission

Aesthetic Emotion Significant Form

Critic, Artist,

Spectator

Primitive vs. Descriptive Works

Formalism

Neatorama.com

Vincent van GoghStarry NightOil on canvasSaint-Rémy, France: 1889The Museum of Modern ArtNey York, NY, USA

Tripro.org

Photoshop CS6

Photoshop CS6

Photoshop CS6

Photoshop CS6

Photoshop CS6

Vincent van GoghStarry NightOil on canvasSaint-Rémy, France: 1889The Museum of Modern ArtNey York, NY, USA

QuestionsDoes an aesthetic examination of Starry Night require a neo-formalist interpretation rather than a formalist interpretation? Are both insufficient?

What pitfalls do you see in formalism, especially as it applies to Starry Night?

How can we reconcile the apparent formal and seemingly intertwined representational aspects of Starry Night?

Doe formalism (or neo-formalism) help us progress toward a definition of art? Is formalism alone sufficient?

BibliographyBell, Clive. “The Project Gutenberg EBook, Art, by Clive Bell.” Gutenberg.com: The Leading

Gutenberg Site on the Net. Frederick A. Stokes Company Publishers, 25 Oct. 2005.

Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.gutenberg.com/>.

Trachtman, Paul. "Van Gogh's Night Visions." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, Jan.

2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Night-

Visions.html?c=y&page=3>.

"Vincent Van Gogh: The Paintings (Starry Night)." Vincent: The Paintings. N.p., n.d. Web. 26

Nov. 2012. <http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0612.htm>.

"Vincent Van Gogh." Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://

www.vangoghgallery.com/>.