🌻 Starry Night - Van Gogh Chronicle

Step into the world of Vincent van Gogh through this immersive, high-performance web chronicle.

Features • Quick Start • Gallery • Architecture

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🎨 Why "Starry Night"?

This isn't just a portfolio project; it's a digital museum experience. We've combined modern tech with a design system inspired by Vincent's soul—using rich HSL colors like Banana Yellow and Starry Blue to create a space that feels as vibrant as his canvas.

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✨ What's Inside?

• 🏠 Immersive Home: A cinematic entry into Vincent's world with video backgrounds.
• 🖼️ 2,100+ Artworks: Explore a massive collection in a stunning, searchable masonry grid.
• ⏳ Interactive Timeline: Travel through his life milestones, from Groot Zundert to Auvers-sur-Oise.
• 💌 Personal Letters: Read the intimate correspondence that shaped art history.
• 🎓 Legacy Sections: Educational content designed for all ages, including a dedicated "Kid's View."

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🚀 Quick Start (One-Click!)

We've made it as simple as possible to get the project running on your machine.

1. The Windows Launcher (Easiest)

If you're on Windows, just double-click: 📂 start_starrynight.bat

This will automatically check your tools, install dependencies, start the backend/frontend, and open the app in your browser at http://localhost:5173.

2. VS Code Integration

If you have the project open in VS Code:

• Press F5 to launch everything.
• Or, click "Run" inside package.json above the start script.

3. Manual Way (Step-by-Step)

If you want to run the components individually or are debugging:

Step A: Install All Dependencies

# From the root directory:
npm run install-all

Step B: Start the Backend (Server)

cd server
npm start
# The server will run on http://localhost:3000

Step C: Start the Frontend (Client)

# Open a new terminal
cd client_backup
npm run dev
# The client will run on http://localhost:5173

Tip

Make sure both the server and client are running at the same time to ensure data loads correctly from the API.

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📸 Gallery Preview

The Home Experience	Art Gallery

Interactive Timeline	History & Legacy

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🏗️ Under the Hood

We moved from a standard React setup to a Performance-First Architecture. By using Express for the heavy lifting and Vite for the snappy frontend, we ensure the 2,000+ images load smoothly without crashing the browser.

• Frontend: React 19, Vite, Framer Motion (Animations).
• Backend: Node.js & Express.
• Data: JSON-driven architecture (No database setup required!).

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👨‍💻 Built with ❤️ by Aryan Rathore

Interested in more? Check out my GitHub Profile.

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© 2025 Van Gogh Chronicle. All rights reserved.

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."