Blue Light Visualization with Edvard Munch’s Starry Night

Bring awareness to the memories, thoughts, and emotions evoked during this blue light visualization inspired by Edvard Munch’s Starry Night (1893) and his many uses of the color blue.

Munch’s Starry Night is an emotionally charged painting of the coastline in Asgardstrand, Norway, where the artist recalled falling in love. Feelings were an important component to Munch’s artistic practice, and he believed that his abstracted landscapes altered depending on who viewed them. For Munch, color was a particularly powerful tool to express emotions and psychological states.

Upon first viewing, the painting appears monochromatic, a wash of blue where sky melts into shore. Further close looking and reflection reveals the nuances in shades and texture of the paint. It is a rich, layered canvas that provokes feelings and invites viewers to engage with their thoughts and memories.

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/blue-light-visualization-edvard-munch-starry-night/

See the painting in person at the Getty Center: https://www.getty.edu/visit/ 

Hear about the history of the color blue in art with author Victoria Finlay in this week’s deeper dive conversation. Look for this conversation in your podcast feed or on our YouTube channel Thursday, or find it on our website. 

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Production team:

Host: Lilit Sadoyan

Producers: Zoe Goldman and Gideon Brower

Mixer and Sound Designer: Jaime Roque

Executive Producer: Christopher Sprinkle

For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

• Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/
• If Objects Could Talk is a family-friendly show where Getty museum objects, like a Greek vase or porcelain clock, come alive to share their story: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/
• ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/
• Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world. 

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

• Getty: https://www.getty.edu/
• Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/
• Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/
• Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/
• Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/