Starry Nights and Cosmic Wonder

 

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
    or loose the cords of Orion?
32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
    or can you guide the Bear with its children?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
    Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Job 38: 31-33 NRSVue 

When we visited the archipelago known as Haida Gwaii in June we knew that we would miss out on the wonders of the night sky. Even though these astonishing islands sit well off the coast of British Columbia, far from any major source of light pollution we were there at the time of the Summer Solstice. We aren't sure if the sky was ever dark enough or clear enough to see the stars we were tucked into bed long before that was a possibility.

This cosmic experience may be ours when we make a trip in the other direction this month. We will return to Newfoundland, the place I began my United Church ministry in 1980, to the small group of islands including Change Islands and Fogo. We have experienced the wonders of the night sky in Newfoundland many times, including the Northern Lights. For us this is a spiritual experience, the awe and wonder of Creation. Somehow the night sky can make us feel both insignificant and intimately part of the vastness of the Universe. 

I would love to take in the current exhibition in the region where Van Gogh created Starry Night and other works. Maybe the LEGO Starry Night would placate me...not likely... 

VAN GOGH AND THE STARS

A COSMIC JOURNEY THROUGH 165 WORKS BY OVER 76 ARTISTS!

Sat 1 Jun – 8 Sep 2024

The Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles is delighted to present Van Gogh’s famous “cosmic poem” Starry Night (Arles, Sept. 1888), one of the masterpieces in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay.

The return of this painting just a few metres from where it was made, provides an opportunity to produce an exhibition that sheds new light on both the sources the artist drew on to create it and its enormous influence.

Through a variety of scientific, historical, and poetic approaches, the work of past and present artists will shed new light on Van Gogh’s work, highlighting its legacy and unshakeable strength.
Curated by Jean de Loisy and Bice Curiger, the exhibition Van Gogh and the Stars will highlight the erudite work and research carried out by Vincent van Gogh throughout his life, driven by his inner vision, his torments, his acute sense of observation, but also by his environment. The unique literary and scientific climate that developed in the second half of the nineteenth century will also be presented to the public, through an exhibition of the research that fascinated the public at the time, as well as the work of the great scientific illustrators such as Étienne Léopold Trouvelot and Lord Ross.

The influence of this nocturnal scene has been considerable, as shown in the work of subsequent artists such as Edvard Munch, Kasimir Malevitch, Georgia O’Keeffe, Helen Frankenthaler and other major figures who are featured in the exhibition. A fascination with the night has persisted in contemporary art, where it has taken different forms. Works by Tony Cragg, Alicja Kwade, Anselm Kiefer, Dove Allouche, Yves Klein, Lee Bontecou, and others will also be included in this journey to the stars undertaken thanks to the return of Starry Night to the banks of the river that inspired it…