FAME V�Lesson 2

Vincent van Gogh & Gustave Holst

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Vincent van Gogh�Artist: “Starry Night” (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890)

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• Born in Zundert, Netherlands and died on July 29, 1890 (age 37)
• Redheaded boy with penetrating blue eyes, the eldest of six brothers and sisters
• Self educated and well read
• Followed father’s profession and ministered to poor coal miners in South Belgium.
• Drifted from one occupation to the next (sold books, worked as a picture leader in The Hague, London, and Paris, and taught school in England)
• Passion for painting with the support of his brother Theo
• Moved to France, village of Arles and continued to paint in a manic-like way, capturing images of Arles in his unique, color-soaked styled
• Mental state continued to detoriate and in 1889, Van Gogh entered the asylum at Saint-Remy where he remained for a year
• Painted and send pictures to his brother for storage and sale
• Died in asylum
• Van Gogh’s career spanned only for 10 years, yet he produced over 1700 works

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Painted one year before his death

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• Medium: Oil on canvas painting

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• 11 swirly stars and a bright yellow crescent moon

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• Painting (measures

(28 ¼” x 36 ¼”)�

- background: hills

- middle ground: � Moonlit town with a � church

- Foreground: dark � green silhouette of a � cypress tree and � houses

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• Part of collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York city

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The Starry Night

 Most well known iconic American painting

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CHARACTERISTICS of his PAINTINGS

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COLORS

Use of Complimentary colors

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LINES AND TEXTURE

Thick whirly lines accentuated by pure, bold color. Texture is evident with bold, swift swipes of his broad brush that imparts a palette knife effect.

Wheatfield with Crows

The Potato Eaters

• Born in Cheltenham, England in 1874, the son of a Swedish father and an English mother
• Sickly child often plagued with asthma who found it difficult to keep up with hid younger brother Emil
• Began musical career at a very tender age, practicing piano daily under the supervision of his organist father
• Composed first piece at the age of 12 inspired by a poem he was supposed to memorize for homework
• Started composing while still a student and gained some practical music experience at age 17 by conducting village choirs nearby
• Developed neuritis, his right arm gave trouble all his life.
• Attended Royal College of Music and took up trombone
• Married in 1901 and was appointed as a director of Music at St. Paul’s Girls school in Hammersmith and stayed there nearly the rest of his life
• Holst believed in learning by doing rather than from textbooks. He encouraged students to create compositions of their own.
• Holst ha d time only to compose on weekends and summer holidays. That’s why it took 2 years to write “The Planets”
• Died on 25 May, 1934

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Gustave Holst Composer (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934)

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Music Description - The Planet

• In 1916, Holst completed” The Planets”, it was “new” music, radically different

from any other existing English music.

• Introduction to astrology motivated to write “The Planets”
• Studied astrology closely and became skilled in interpreting horoscopes while

composing the work (1914-1916)

• He meant to emphasize the astrological character of each planet, rather than its roots in Greek mythology
• Thematic, non-sonata piece comprised of seven musically diverse movements
• The antithesis of Mars, aggressive Bringer of War, is Neptune, the thoughtful Mystic.

Its music is quite impressionistic depiction of the atmosphere. Some call it one of the

most awe-inspiring pictures ever of the Infinite.

• The other movements are: Venus, Bringer of Peace, Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity, which

incorporates English folksong and dance, the impressionistic Mercury, Winged Messenger, Saturn, Bringer of Old Age, � which was Holst’s favorite movement from the work, and Uranus, the Magician, a piece sounding like a wild nightmare.

• Holst wrote no tribute for Pluto as it had not been discovered when he was writing THE PLANETS.
• “The Planets” has been called “the classical source of all subsequent space music.”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0bcRCCg01I

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