As she turns her gaze
Down the slope to the harbor where I lay
Anchored for a day

Guinevere had golden hair
Like yours, mi'lady, like yours
Streaming out when we'd ride
Through the warm wind down by the bay
Yesterday

Seagulls circle endlessly

I sing in silent harmony
We shall be free

- David Crosby, Guinevere

Vincent Van Gogh painted this unforgettable image, Starry Night Over the Rhone, in 1888. This painting depicts a nighttime view of the town of Arles, along the bank of the river Rhone. It was painted on a bank only a few minutes walk away from where Van Gogh was living. The painting exhibits obvious similarities to the more famous The Starry Night, although, I feel this painting is superior. Unlike The Starry Night, the eye is not immediately directed towards the sky by swirls. Instead, a horizontal line divides the painting into two halves, neither outdoing the other. This gives the viewer more freedom to wander about the painting without feeling distracted or conflicted. The more textured brushstrokes on the top half appear more aggressive and physical, while the bottom half feels comparatively serene.

When considering the couple in the foreground, I was reminded of the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song Guinevere, a romantic tune set among the sights and sounds of a harbor. The lyrics from the last verse depict a couple walking along the bank of a harbor, losing themselves among the anchored ships and endless circling seagulls in the sky. Starry Night Over the Rhone reflects a similar sentiment, with the calmly anchored boats on the bottom, contrasted by the endless stars in the sky. Thinking of the painting from the point of view of the couple gives it a completely different perspective and reveals the true source of its power-an ordinary nighttime scene transformed into something extraordinary, not by any persons’ doing, but by simply being.