Leo Martínez
Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night in June 1889 while he was staying at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. The painting depicts the view from the artist's asylum room window at night, although it was painted from memory during the day. Van Gogh created multiple variations of this view, including The Starry Night, which is the only nocturne in the series. The painting is considered one of van Gogh's most famous works and is currently housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
| Year | 1889 |
| Month | June |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Genre | Post-Impressionist |
| Location | Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France |
| Current location | Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City |
| Number of versions | 21 |
| Notable elements | Exaggerated scale of cypress trees, imaginary village, celestial bodies including Venus and the moon |
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Vincent van Gogh arrived in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence on 8 May 1889. He had suffered a major mental crisis in which he cut off his earlobe, following an argument with Paul Gauguin, with whom he had been living and painting in Arles. Van Gogh voluntarily committed himself to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole psychiatric hospital, an asylum dedicated to the treatment of the mentally ill.
During his year-long stay, Van Gogh continued to struggle with his mental health, but it was also a period of high productivity. He created almost 150 paintings and numerous drawings, including ‘The Starry Night’, ‘The Almond Tree Branch in Bloom’, and ‘The Iris’. He was inspired by the beautiful colours and landscape surrounding the facility. He was also productive due to his access to a second-story bedroom and a ground-floor studio.
The view from his bedroom window inspired many landscape paintings, including The Starry Night, which was painted in his studio during the day, from memory. Van Gogh described the view in a letter to his brother, Theo: "Through the iron-barred window, I can see an enclosed square of wheat...". He also wrote about the morning star, which "looked very big". The Starry Night is the only nocturne in the series of views from his bedroom window.
The village in the painting is an imaginary addition, based on sketches rather than the actual landscape seen from the asylum. Van Gogh's treatment of his motifs prompts associations with fire, mist and the sea, and the natural scene combines with the intangible cosmic drama of the stars.
Today, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a charming village filled with historic architecture and an artistic vibe. Visitors can take a free, one-hour walking tour through the landscapes that inspired Van Gogh, starting from the Estrine Museum, which has a multimedia educational space devoted to the life and works of the painter.
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The painting's celestial elements
The Starry Night, painted by Vincent van Gogh in June 1889, is the only nocturne in the series of views from his bedroom window. The painting is a depiction of the view from his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise.
The celestial elements in the painting have been interpreted in various ways. Van Gogh himself wrote about existing in another dimension after death and associated this dimension with the night sky. He wrote, "Hope is in the stars," and "this earth is a planet too, and consequently a star, or celestial orb." However, he also stated that the painting was "not a return to the romantic or to religious ideas."
The twisting, spiralling lines in the painting have been interpreted as having nothing to do with the Northern Lights, the Milky Way, or some spiral nebula. Some interpret the painting as Van Gogh expressing a personal Gethsemane, referring to the discussion of Christ on the Mount of Olives in his correspondence with Paul Gauguin and Bernard. Biblical allegory is present throughout Van Gogh's work, and he did not need a special motif, especially a starry sky, to convey these ideas.
The celestial elements in The Starry Night are part of Van Gogh's synthesis of motifs, combining natural, scientific, philosophical, and personal elements. The painting is an attempt to express a state of shock, with the cypresses, olive trees, and mountains acting as catalysts. The celestial elements, along with the landscape features, sing the praises of Creation in this iconic work of modern art.
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Starry Night's journey to the MoMA
Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night has been a beloved visitor favourite at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City since its first appearance in 1935. The painting was acquired by MoMA in 1941 through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest.
The Starry Night was painted by van Gogh in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, in June 1889. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, a former monastery that served as a mental asylum. Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to the asylum on May 8, 1889, following a mental breakdown and an infamous act of self-mutilation in late December 1888.
During his year-long stay at the asylum, van Gogh remained highly productive, creating several notable works, including Irises, a self-portrait, and The Starry Night. The painting was created during the day in van Gogh's ground-floor studio, based on sketches and previous variations of the view from his bedroom window. The view has been identified as the one from his bedroom window, facing east, which van Gogh painted variations of no fewer than twenty-one times, including The Starry Night.
The painting's celestial elements include Venus, which was visible in the sky at the time, and an imaginary village based on sketches rather than the actual landscape seen from the asylum. The Starry Night has been subject to various interpretations, ranging from religious symbolism to representations of van Gogh's emotional turmoil.
Today, The Starry Night hangs on the fifth floor of MoMA, welcoming visitors and art enthusiasts alike to admire its beauty and delve into the mind of its creator, Vincent van Gogh.
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Van Gogh's mental health
The Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh is known to have created the painting 'Starry Night' in June 1889. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to the asylum, which was a former monastery, on May 8, 1889, following a mental breakdown and an infamous act of self-mutilation that occurred in late December 1888.
Van Gogh is known to have suffered from several mental health issues throughout his life. He is believed to have had bipolar disorder, with a history of self-harm and at least one psychotic break. He also suffered from seizures or crises, which resulted in his infamous self-mutilation where he cut off a part or all of his left ear. Following this incident, he was admitted to a hospital in Arles, where his condition was diagnosed as "acute mania with generalized delirium". Dr. Félix Rey, an intern at the hospital, also suggested the possibility of "a kind of epilepsy" or mental epilepsy. These attacks increased in frequency and severity by 1890, with the longest lasting nine weeks from February to April of that year. During these episodes, Van Gogh experienced confusion, unconsciousness, stupor, and incoherence, which greatly impacted his ability to create art or communicate through letters.
While Van Gogh's mental health challenges deeply influenced his art, it is important to note that he was highly productive during his stay at the asylum. In addition to 'Starry Night', he created other renowned works such as 'Irises' and a blue self-portrait. Despite his struggles, Van Gogh's art provided him with an outlet for expression and a means to explore his emotions and the world around him.
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The painting's religious symbolism
Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889, one year before his death. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise. It is regarded as one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western canon and has been subject to various interpretations, including religious symbolism.
Some art historians and critics have identified religious themes in the painting. Noted art historian Meyer Schapiro highlights the expressionistic aspects of the painting, suggesting it was created under the "pressure of feeling" and is a "visionary [painting] inspired by a religious mood". Schapiro interprets the painting as having an apocalyptic theme that refers to the New Testament Book of Revelation. He identifies an image of a "woman in pain of birth, girded with the sun and moon and crowned with stars, whose newborn child is threatened by the dragon".
Art historian Sven Loevgren builds on Schapiro's interpretation, describing the painting as an "infinitely expressive picture which symbolizes the final absorption of the artist by the cosmos". Loevgren compares Van Gogh's "religiously inclined longing for the beyond" to the poetry of Walt Whitman. He interprets the eleven stars in the painting as a reference to one of Joseph's dreams in the Old Testament Book of Genesis.
Art historian Lauren Soth also finds religious symbolism in the painting, calling it a "traditional religious subject in disguise" and a "sublimated image of [Van Gogh's] deepest religious feelings". Soth points to Van Gogh's admiration for the paintings of Eugène Delacroix, especially his use of Prussian blue and citron yellow in paintings of Christ. Soth theorizes that Van Gogh used these colours to represent Christ in Starry Night.
However, Van Gogh himself denied that the painting signalled "a return to romantic or religious ideas". In a letter to his brother, he wrote that the painting was a form of expression of "the purer nature of a countryside compared with the suburbs and cabarets of Paris". Van Gogh was opposed to paintings with canonical references and repeatedly criticised his friends Emile Bernard and Paul Gaugin for their excessive religious paintings, considering them to be "rapes of nature".
Despite Van Gogh's statements, critics maintain that the painting represents various religious themes. Some interpret the painting as a representation of the Biblical Agony in the Garden, with the stars and moon symbolizing Jesus and his apostles. Others see the painting as a personal Gethsemane, referring to Van Gogh's discussions of Christ on the Mount of Olives in his correspondence with Gauguin and Bernard.
The cypress tree in the painting has also been interpreted as a symbol of immortality, reaching into the sky and serving as a direct connection between the earth and the heavens. This positive interpretation of the cypress symbolism is supported by a letter Van Gogh wrote to his brother, in which he likened death to a train that travels to the stars.
In conclusion, while Van Gogh denied the presence of religious ideas in Starry Night, the painting has been widely interpreted as containing religious symbolism. These interpretations vary from seeing the painting as a reflection of Van Gogh's personal religious struggles to identifying specific Biblical references and themes.
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Frequently asked questions
Van Gogh painted several starry night scenes, but the most famous is "The Starry Night", which is also the only nocturne in the series of views from his bedroom window.
Van Gogh painted variations of the view from his bedroom window no fewer than 21 times, including "The Starry Night".
Van Gogh was inspired by the view from his asylum room's window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. He wrote to his brother, Theo, in May 1889, describing the view: "Through the iron-barred window, I can see an enclosed square of wheat...".
