Betty Bilton

Vincent van Gogh was one of the brightest and the most influential artists of the nineteenth century. Starting to paint in childhood, he soon understood that it was his vocation, and dedicated the whole life to painting. As any artist, Vincent van Gogh created paintings on different topics, and tried to express his feelings, emotions, and attitudes to something with the help of his works. Numerous landscapes, paintings of sunflowers, self-portraits, still lives represented the unique style of this artist, making him one of the most famous representatives of such art movement as post-impressionism. The given paper will present two works by Vincent van Gogh, which are The Night Cafe, and The Sower. Both paintings were created in 1888, approximately at the same time. However, each of these canvases has its own history.

The first picture, which is analyzed, is The Night Cafe. The painting is referred to the Arles period of Vincent van Gogh’s life. After he had moved to Arles, this place charmed the artist, and he painted a lot of canvases, which reflected beauty of the town he lived in. However, as for this very painting, Vincent van Gogh considered it as the worst canvas he had ever made. The painting depicts a cafe at night, where only few people spend their time – some of them drink, some people sleep. Attention of a viewer is caught by a central figure – a man in a light coat, who stands near a table alone. Although the picture is painted in bright colors, it does not make viewers feel happy or cheerful. In accordance with Vincent van Gogh’s words, the aim of the canvas was to depict the terrible passions of humanity. Thus, the painting had to be melancholic and sad, and the artist managed to make people perceive it in this way.

The second picture is called The Sower, and it was also painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1888. In contrast to the first canvas, the artist got his inspiration for this one not from beautiful landscapes of the city, but from the work of another artist. French painter, Jean-Francois Millet, and his painting The Sower inspired Vincent van Gogh, so he decided to transfer the topic of the picture in his own work. However, the artist worked on The Sower for a long time. It is a common knowledge that he changed his mind as for the picture for several times, and this is the reason why one can see several versions of van Gogh’s The Sower. The variant, which is analyzed in the given paper, depicts the sower, who does his work alone in the field. Although the painting seems simple, it makes viewers think about important things while looking at The Sower.

Despite the fact that both pictures of Vincent van Gogh were created approximately at the same time, and each of them has its unique plot and history, there is one more thing, which should be paid attention to. This is color. Color is an inevitable part of art; it is even considered as its most important element. Certainly, artists could create their paintings with the help of black and white colors, but in this case, they would not manage to transfer the meaning they wanted. Color gives an artist a possibility to express more, to transfer feelings and ideas more exactly. Moreover, each artist uses colors in his/her specific manner because for each painter, colors mean different things and evoke different associations. That is why artists never use color for no reason. If a canvas includes red, green, blue, black, or any other color, it means that an artist wants to express some idea with the help of this very particular color(s).

Vincent van Gogh used complementary color schemes in both The Night Caf? and The Sower. In The Night Cafe warm colors and hues predominate. However, attention of viewers is caught by two absolutely opposite colors – warm red and cold green. The walls of the cafe are painted with red, and the ceiling is green. Moreover, these two colors are used not only on background of the picture; thus, creating its atmosphere, but they also can be noticed in details. Vincent van Gogh wrote about this painting: “Everywhere there is a clash and contrast of the most alien reds and greens in the figures of the little sleeping hooligans, in the empty dreary room”. The artist chose these colors purposefully, in order to create strange, mysterious, and even evil atmosphere, and make people feel that “the caf? is a place where one can ruin one’s self, run mad, or commit a crime” (Barr 98). Except mixture of these two colors, the artist uses warm yellow, orange, brown, and cold blue. In order to emphasize separate subjects, and make distinctions between objects depicted on the canvas, Vincent van Gogh uses bold black lines.

The second canvas under consideration is The Sower, and it is also created with the help of complementary color schemes. As well as in the first painting, two opposite colors are used. However, in this canvas they are not green and red, but yellow and blue. Yet, by looking at the picture and seeing opposite colors, viewers do not feel as confused and oppressed as in the case with The Night Cafe. Perhaps, it is so because the artist’s aim was different. It is evident that yellow is the color of the Sun, which is purposefully depicted on the canvas. This color is merged, and then, is changed into orange – color of grain varieties, which grow on the field. Thus, the Sun symbolizes nature, and its power to prevail over people. Another part of the canvas is depicted with the help of blue color in general. The field is dark-blue with addition of red, orange, brown, and black. The sower is also depicted in blue colors, only his face, hands, and hat can be distinguished out of his dark-blue figure. Hence, blue in this case symbolizes terrestrial life. It is evident that usage of complementary color schemes helps viewers to see difference and opposition between power of nature and people. Nevertheless, even if they are contrasted, the artist tends to show that people and nature can exist together if people behave in a wise way, and do not harm nature.

It is evident that Vincent van Gogh used complementary color schemes in The Night Cafe, and The Sower. One can find some similarities and differences in this usage. As for similarities, these color schemes were used in both paintings in order to create specific atmosphere and to make viewers understand the artist’s main ideas. One more similar thing is that composition of opposite colors is sharp because the artist used saturated colors. This very usage of colors has a strong impact on viewers. In spite of the fact that Vincent van Gogh made an emphasis on usage of complementary color schemes, warm colors predominate in both paintings. Thus, warm colors can be found not only in a specific part of a painting where they should be, but even in the part of cold colors, and this is another similarity between two canvases. Nonetheless, the very usage is different. The fact is that the artist used different combinations of color: in The Night Cafe he used red and green colors, and in The Sower yellow and blue colors were combined and contrasted.

The analysis of two canvases of Vincent van Gogh, which are The Night Cafe and The Sower, reveal the following possibilities for complementary color schemes. First of all, both paintings represent that usage of such schemes makes a picture brighter and more vivid. Although the mixture of some colors can be oppressive (as red and green in The Night Cafe), it still has some advantages. Thus, looking at such a strange color combination, first of all, viewers will remember a painting, and secondly, color contrast can make viewers think of an idea the author wanted to transfer. Moreover, the example of Vincent van Gogh’s canvases showed that absolutely different colors can be mixed. As an artist creates his/her paintings in accordance with personal worldview, viewers can meet even more unexpected color combinations, such as pink and yellow-green. Nevertheless, complementary color schemes are a good way to create a unique painting, to help an artist express his/her ideas, and to make viewers catch these ideas.

Having analyzed the usage of complementary color schemes in two pictures of Vincent van Gogh, the following conclusion can be made. First of all, complementary color schemes can be pointed out as one of the characteristics of van Gogh’s artistic style. Secondly, these schemes are useful not only for the artist, but also for viewers of his paintings. Therefore, using these schemes, van Gogh expressed his unique understanding of the world, and viewers can catch the idea of artist’s paintings easily with the help of complementary color schemes. At last, usage of complementary color schemes makes paintings more memorable, and stays in people’s minds together with the names of the artists, who make the world brighter.

The essay was written by the professional writer from land paper https://papers-land.com/ writing service - Betty Bilton.