Ages 10-14+

There is always a period in your childhood where you are most happy. In this picture, Sunflowers, Van Gogh expresses his joy of sunflowers through his paintings. When I was 10, I met my best friend on the first day I transferred to the new school. Right when I walked in the new classroom, he stood up and offered me a seat. This immediately gave me a sense of belonging. Van Gogh uses bright and cheerful colors, yellow and orange, to paint his sunflower picture. He used bright colors because he finally found something to be happy for, because he wasn't always happy. He also uses long, soft strokes to paint his picture. The long strokes symbolize that he's concentrating and the soft strokes symbolize that he's happy at the same time.

Ages 5-10

There is always a moment in a person's life where they have no control over what happens. In this painting, Wheat Field with Crows, there is a long road down a field. When I was 7, my family and I moved to the U.S. from Switzerland. It was a great challenge for me. For example, I had leave all my friends and relatives, learn a new language, and adapt to the new environment. The shakiness of Van Gogh's strokes help further represent the struggle. There is also a moon lighting up the road. The moon represents my family and friends that helped me "light up" and make it easier for me to walk through my road. He used dark colors, along with light colors, and that also represents that even though I had many struggles, I also had support from those around me.