Van Gogh’s Fascination with the Weather and Meteorology

The Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh is a name recognized by everyone, not just avid art enthusiasts. Starting from his iconic paintings like Starry Night to his tragic end, every aspect of van Gogh’s life holds immense fascination to individuals even today.

But not many people are aware of the fact the highly celebrated artist was himself fascinated with the weather and meteorology. In fact, he found it as a source of inspiration for several of his masterpieces that amaze people all across the world.

Childhood Interest

As a child van Gogh enjoyed observing clouds and wind and would spend hours doing so. This fascination didn’t fade away as he grew up but it only strengthened and became more profound. So much so that he started creating painting scenes that meticulously showcased different weather conditions.

“The weather is changing again— it is like a symphony of colours and effects,” van Gogh once wrote to his brother Thoe. He would go on to elaborate in which direction did the wind blow, the hue of the sky, the intensity of the light, and much more. This shows that how important the weather was to van Gogh. Both of them wrote letters to each other where they mentioned about weather and how it affected his moods. Also, how the changing weather influenced his artworks.

Van Gogh’s Paintings Inspired by Weather

Rain

Van Gogh’s fascination with the weather is apparent in many of his masterpieces. In his oil painting “Rain,” he beautifully captured the massive downpour, with raindrops falling in thick sheets and creating ripples in a puddle on the ground.  Van Gogh used every brush stroke perfectly in order to create a masterful piece of art.

The painting is done in great detail, with details such as leaves swaying from a tree branch, torrential rain, and the reflection of light from the ground hitting it. Even though his work depicts one of the rawest expressions of water, Van Gogh still managed to paint it in such an artistic manner that it will strike you right away as beautiful.

Starry Night

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”

No wonder he created the dramatic ‘Starry Night’ with swirling sky, bright stars, and crescent moon. The stars and moon are depicted with thick, swirling brushstrokes that seem to move and vibrate with energy, while the village below is portrayed with more solid and stable forms. It’s only justified that the artwork has been called both “unconditional appreciation” and “a little kiss from heaven.”

With its intense brushstrokes, Starry Night captures the fleeting moment of a star-lit sky in a single breathtaking painting. Vincent’s masterful depiction of the night sky is captivating and timeless, transcending time and conveying universal emotions like love and longing.

This painting is not only a masterpiece of the post-impressionist movement, but it is also a vivid representation of the Dutch artist’s interest in the night sky and the phenomena that occur within it.

Wheatfield with Crows

Painted just a few months before his demise, ‘Wheatfield with Crows’ is one of the artworks on van Gogh’s painting list that gives an overpowering impression of drama with a stormy sky with dark and ominous clouds. A vast, golden wheat field stretches into the distance under a tumultuous sky, and crows flies ominously through the air.

Van Gogh’s use of color in the painting is remarkable, with the dark blues and grays of the sky contrasting sharply with the bright yellows and oranges of the wheat field. The crows themselves are rendered in black, which serves to heighten their sense of menace and foreboding.

“Wheatfield with Crows” is a melancholy and foreboding artwork that seems to express the artist’s emotional state in the final months of his life. It creates a sense of unease and impending doom, while the golden wheat field seems to symbolize the fleeting beauty and transience of life.

Conclusion

Vincent van Gogh’s fascination with the weather and meteorology is a testament to the artist’s curiosity and sensitivity to the world around him. For van Gogh, the weather was more than just a scientific phenomenon – it was a source of inspiration and a reflection of his own emotional state. By observing and painting the weather, van Gogh captured the essence of the natural world and conveyed his own inner experiences in a way that continues to resonate with audiences today.