The Wonder and Awe of a Starry Night

                                     The Starry Night -- Vincent Van Gogh

This is Unesco World Art Day (the UN has a day for just about everything) and I ended up reading a fascinating article in the New York Times by Russell Shorto about Johanna Bonger Van Gogh. Jo, as she called herself married Theo, renowned artist Vincent's brother. Except that at the time Vincent was toiling in anonymity, struggling with mental illness, dependent on Theo for art supplies and money to pay the rent. Theo was making a name for himself as an art dealer who was willing to represent the Impressionists, a group of painters rejected by the art establishmen.

Theo died shortly after Vincent, 33 and 37 respectively, and Jo was a widow with an infant after only 21 months of marriage. Remarkably, she had the determination to become the steward of Vincent's huge body of work which up until that time generated no interest on the part of critics or collectors. Her efforts are reflected in Shorto's title, The Woman Who Made Van Gogh.

I was struck by the fact that before Vincent's death he sent a painting to Theo which disturbed him because he felt that it conveyed his beloved brother's mental decline. Jo recognized the brilliance in The Starry Night, which is probably Vincent's best known painting today. 

I've written about the conjecture that the startling colours and vibrancy of the The Starry Night are indicative of the powerful contrast in a sky unaffected by light pollution in the area where Vincent spent his final months. We are becoming increasingly aware that few people on the planet have any sense of the night sky because of ambient light and that this is a spiritual loss. Surveying a sky with the Milky Way arcing across, or watching a meteor shower, can make us feel inconsequential,  while filling us with wonder and awe at the same time. 

Interestingly, Vincent was hoping to include a Christ image in this painting but wasn't satisfied with his efforts so "settled" for the work which is so well known around the world. 

Thank God for Johanna Bonger Van Gogh and her resolve to bring Vincent's genius to the fore.