30 Day Blog Challenge Day 25: Talk About A Piece of Art I Have

It's day 25 of my challenge. Today's assignment is to talk about a piece of art I love. I should start by saying that I don't actually own any real original art. I do have some posters of great art works. And the one that immediately leapt to mind was one that I love so much that I have a poster of it hanging on my bedroom wall and on my classroom wall. It's Van Gogh's Starry Night. 

I don't know exactly what it was that attracted me to this painting. I like Van Gogh's work in general, but none compare to this one. The swirling stars remind me of an ocean in the sky. His brush technique (and I should say I am not by any stretch an art expert) give me a real sense of movement. Another feature I'm drawn to is the church in the village. It seems to stand over all the other buildings. I find myself staring at it all the time. 

I was excited to actually get to see the real painting at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I must admit I didn't even know it was there until I stumbled upon it right after spending a great deal of time in front of Monet's Water Lilies. I stood, mouth agape, in front of it for at least fifteen minutes and I have to say that no reproduction can do justice to the original. It was simply breathtaking. 

Connected with that is one of my favorite songs, Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) by Don McLean. It didn't make my top ten, but it's definitely in the top twenty. Here's a video of McLean singing the song with visuals of several of Van Gogh's paintings. 

It's also one of the most parodied paintings of all time. Here are a few of my favorites: