Aesthetic

Aesthetics not only assist us in exploring and comprehending the universe through our senses, but they also play a part in our enjoyment. Good aesthetic experiences have been found in studies to affect them emotionally, resulting in emotions of relaxation, affection, and pleasure. For decades, philosophers and artists have tried to figure out what makes anything aesthetically attractive in painting. We don’t yet have a clear remedy but certain theories seem to have stood the test of time. One of these ideas is the ‘Golden Section’ or ‘Golden Ratio,’ which can be seen in nature, architecture, and fashion; as well as Vincent Van Gogh’s, ‘Starry Night’. 

“Starry Night” is known as a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing piece of artwork; however, this is merely for contrasting reasons. Many philosophers in the tradition of aesthetics correlated beauty in visual arts and our perception of that with comparisons; a painting full of differences will catch our attention, and make us completely infatuated with it. There are parallels between vertical and horizontal lines (the cypress tree and the moon), there is a comparison of a peaceful city at the bottom of a composition with virtually dystopian chaos going on within the sky, there are many contrasts of colours (yellow, black, blue, the darkened form of a spruce tree). As well as the painting’s details being contrasting, one main difference is in the topic. The night is meant to be a period of relaxation, a very still peaceful moment, however, the painting evidentially is not displaying a calm and relaxed atmosphere. 

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