Worksheet: Critiquing Van Gogh (middle school level)

Vincent Van Gogh: Moody Places

One morning Vincent Van Gogh woke up early before the sun had risen. He looked out his window in France. The sky was still dark except for a morning star shining brightly. Van Gogh once said, “Looking at the stars always makes me dream.” Inspired he painted The Starry Night. Instead of painting the sky exactly as it looks in real life, van Gogh filled his picture with imagination and emotion.

Everything in this scene expresses a feeling. Look into the swirling blue brushstrokes in the sky. The wind seems to be whirling with excitement. The bright stars look like fireworks bursting in the night. Below the dazzling sky, van Gogh painted a calm, quiet, town. In the centre he added a peaceful church that he remembered from his homeland, Holland. Can you find the steeple? Can you find the trees that reach upwards like flames? Full of movement and energy, van Gogh’s painting is turbulent, hopeful and alive.

  • What time of day or night is it? How can you tell?
  • Notice all the swirls. What do they tell you about the weather?
  • What feeling does the sky have? What about it seems exciting? What other words describe it?
  • Look at the place below. Where is this? What mood does this place have? Is it calm or active, quiet or loud? What other words would you use?
  • Travel to the background near the town. Notice those blue curving lines behind it. What could those be?
  • Look at the trees. How would you describe them? Find a church. What else do you see?
  • Look at all the lines and brushstrokes. Can you find curves and dashes and straight lines? What patterns do you see?
  • Notice the colours. How many different kinds of blues do you see? What mood do the colours create?
  • Think about the way the sky usually looks. What in van Gogh’s picture looks make-believe?
  • Compare this sky to Munch’s sky. How are they different or similar?





Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889,

oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.1cm

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