Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Salvador Dali's Persistence of Time Essay

Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Salvador Dali's Persistence of Time - Essay Example The essay "Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Salvador Dali's Persistence of Time" compares "The Starry Night" by Van Gogh with "Persistence of Time" by Salvador Dali. Both paintings are now in the Museum of Modern Art or Moma in New York City. Van Gogh considered his now-iconic The Starry Night, which he painted from his barred window at Saint-RÃ ©my, a failed attempt at abstraction. Before leaving Saint-RÃ ©my, he wrote to Émile Bernard: "I have been slaving away on nature the whole year, hardly thinking of impressionism or of this, that and the other. And yet, once again I let myself go reaching for stars that are too big--a new failure--and I have had enough of it. In contrast, Salvador Dali’s painting of Persistence of Time was a product of Dali’s evolution as a multi-faceted artist. When the Persistence of Time was painted, Salvador Dali was dabbling in surrealism. But it is important to mention that while Salvador Dali was a leading figure in surrealism and me taphysical painting, he was also interested in science and religion especially after the Hiroshima bombing in the The Second World War where his interest in atom was heightened. Vincent Van Gogh only began painting during the last 10 years of his career. Unlike Salvador Dali who started his career early and already recognized at age 27, Van Gogh was virtually unknown in the artistic world during this lifetime. Van Gogh can also be said to be inclined with religion being a son of a Minister. Dali is more predisposed to science.