VCE Studio Art Year 11

Vce Studio Art Year 11 students have studied the life and art of the famous artist Vincent Van Gogh. The iconic painting 'Starry Night' shows the influence of both Japanese woodcut art and Impressionism. 

Van Gogh paints his view from St Remy hospital as an in-patient, where he admitted himself during a period of poor mental health. 

The night sky was painted as though he is cutting the paint with a wooden tool. Its wild textural surface emulates the famous Great Wave of Kanazawa by the famous Japanese artist Hokusai. While at the same time being symbolic of the turbulent state of Vincents mind. 

The colours are placed next to and on top of each other rather than blending them. His use of a complementary palette and his loose gestural brush strokes further enhance the emotive impact of this masterpiece, causing his unique style to be readily identifiable.

Starry Night is one of Van Gogh's most loved works. Its flowing movement and dark mood provide an experience that can be felt by humanity. 

My students have recreated this piece as a collaborative abstract work as 4 separate paintings joined together to form a whole image. After watching a documentary about his struggles they related to his difficult moments and felt a connection with the artist.

The students enjoyed learning about Van Gogh and even practising his often rushed application of paint to emerse in the action of his technique and appreciate the also careful placement of complementary colours to keep their vibrancy.

We all support the education and understanding of mental health in our school environment and local community. Art has not only become an expression of life but also a process we can utilise in healing our past.

Ms Sarah Schwabe

Talia Chapman

Melissa Orduna

Livio De Carvalho Ho

Bodie Conway-Glanz

Harshdeep Singh

Vernon Simpson