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Remembering Vincent by Doris H David

Painting Project: In the Style of Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh Painting Project
© Doris H David 2003, 10 x 14", watercolor on Arches 140 lb cold press
From the Artist: "My painting is a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh and his original work, Starry Night, which has haunted artists, including me, since he first painted it. Although my painting is a daytime image, the original eleven stars, cypress trees, and sense of movement remain part of my rendition.

"There is a theory that the story of Joseph in the Old Testament may have influenced the composition of Starry Night. 'Look, I have had another dream', he said, 'I thought I saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars, bowing to me.' Genesis 37:10."

From the Painting Guide: I'd not heard the Joseph theory before, but it does seem of a coincidence for Van Gogh to have painted 11 stars just because he felt like it. And of course he was the son of a Christian preacher, and had studied religion and worked as a lay preacher himself. In 1880 he abandoned his religious activities and instead began to paint the people he'd been preaching to, with his brother Theo supporting him financially.

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