Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night – 1889

Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night – 1889

Picture size: 1.55M, resolution: 2560×2027

Van Gogh's night sky is a churning energy field. Under the stars of the explosion, the village is a quiet place. Connecting the earth and the sky are flame-like cypress trees, a tree traditionally associated with cemeteries and mourning. But for Van Gogh, death was not an ominous sign. "Looking at the stars always makes me dream," he said, "why, I ask myself, shouldn't the shining dots in the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France?" Just like when we take the train to Tarascon or Rouen, we reach a star with death.

The artist wrote about his experience to his brother Theo: "This morning I saw this country from the window long before sunrise, there was nothing but the morning star, it looked very big. This morning star, or Venus, may be the big white star on the left in the middle of Starry Night. On the other hand, small villages were invented, and the spires of churches are reminiscent of Van Gogh's native Netherlands. The painting, like its companion olive tree, is rooted in imagination and memory. Leaving the Impressionist doctrine of truth behind nature in favor of restless feelings and intense colors, as in this passionate picture, Van Gogh made his work a litmus test for all subsequent Expressionist paintings.

Painting information

Title: Starry Night

Creator: Vincent van Gogh

Creation date: 1889

Location Create location: Provence

St. Remi style of the Region: Post-Impressionism

Source: Acquired through Lily P.Bliss Bequest

Physical dimensions: w921x h737 mm

Original title: La nuit étoilée

Medium: Oil on canvas