Lena Rivera
The Starry Night, painted in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in June 1889, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. It is considered one of his most famous paintings and is regarded as one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western canon. The painting was created during Van Gogh's 12-month stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, where he suffered from mental illness and periods of despair. The medium of the painting is oil paint on a canvas, with Van Gogh applying the paint directly from the tube, creating thick impasto and intense hues.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Date | June 1889 |
| Dimensions | 29 x 36 1/4 inches (73.7 x 92.1 cm) |
| Classification | Painting |
| Collection | Museum of Modern Art, New York City |
| Location | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence |
| Subject | View from the artist's asylum room window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, with an imaginary village |
| Style | Post-Impressionist |
| Preoccupations | Weather conditions, changing light, night landscapes |
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What You'll Learn
The painting's use of oil on canvas
The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it is considered one of his most famous works and is certainly one of his most recognisable. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village.
The oil paint allowed Van Gogh to create a highly expressive night sky, swirling with chromatic blue and radiant orbs of stars. The moon is a glowing yellow crescent, and the foreground is dominated by one or two flame-like cypress trees, their branches curling and swaying in the animated sky. The oil paint enabled Van Gogh to create thick impasto and intense hues, with the paint being applied directly from the tube.
Van Gogh was interested in capturing the night sky accurately, and in a letter to his sister, he wrote that stars were not just white dots on a black background, but could appear yellow, pink, or green. This preoccupation with the challenges of painting a night landscape is evident in The Starry Night, where the sky is a swirling, expressive mass of colour and movement.
The painting was created during Van Gogh's year-long stay at the asylum, a period marked by bursts of productivity that alternated with moods of despair. He was limited in terms of subject matter, often painting his own likeness, views from his studio window, and the surrounding countryside. The Starry Night is the only nocturne in the series of views from his bedroom window.
The use of oil paint on canvas allowed Van Gogh to work quickly and expressively, capturing the beauty and mystery of the night sky as he saw it. The result is a painting that continues to captivate and inspire viewers, demonstrating the unique power of oil as a medium.
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Van Gogh's time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
The medium of Van Gogh's painting, The Starry Night, is oil on canvas. The painting was created in mid-June 1889, during the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter's time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
Van Gogh arrived in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence on 8 May 1889, after suffering a major mental health crisis, during which he cut off part of his ear. He voluntarily checked himself into the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole psychiatric hospital, a former monastery, where he stayed for a year. During this period, Van Gogh experienced bursts of productivity that alternated with moods of despair. He produced almost 150 paintings and numerous drawings, including The Starry Night, The Almond Tree Branch in Bloom, and The Iris.
The hospital catered to wealthy patients and was less than half full when Van Gogh was admitted. This allowed him access to a second-story bedroom and a ground-floor studio. Van Gogh was not allowed to paint in his bedroom, so he made sketches in ink or charcoal on paper and later used these to create new variations. He was only permitted to paint in the asylum's gardens and the surrounding countryside, where he could visit with a chaperone.
The Starry Night was painted during the day in Van Gogh's ground-floor studio, based on the view from his east-facing bedroom window. He wrote to his brother, Theo, on 23 May 1889, describing the view: "Through the iron-barred window, I can see an enclosed square of wheat...". He also wrote about the challenges of painting a night landscape, stating that stars were more than simple white dots on black, instead appearing yellow, pink, or green. Van Gogh's letters suggest that he viewed the cypress trees in the painting primarily in aesthetic rather than symbolic terms.
The village in the painting is an imaginary addition, as there was no village in the actual landscape seen from the asylum. Van Gogh used his imagination to create the small village, possibly based on sketches he made from his bedroom window. The Starry Night is regarded as one of Van Gogh's late works, as he committed suicide the following year, bringing his brief but productive 10-year artistic career to an end.
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The view from his asylum window
The Starry Night, painted in June 1889, is an oil-on-canvas work by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to the asylum on 8 May 1889, following a mental breakdown and an infamous act of self-mutilation in which he severed part of his ear with a razor.
Van Gogh was not allowed to paint in his bedroom at the asylum, so he created The Starry Night from memory or sketches he made of the view. He wrote to Theo, describing the view through the iron-barred window of an enclosed square of wheat fields. The pictorial element uniting all of his paintings of this view is the diagonal line depicting the low-rolling hills.
During his year-long stay at the asylum, Van Gogh remained highly productive, creating several other notable works, including Irises and a self-portrait. He experimented with depicting various weather conditions and changing light, often painting the nearby wheat fields under bright summer sun or dark storm clouds. He was particularly fascinated by the challenge of painting night landscapes, writing about it in letters to his brother, a fellow painter, and his sister.
The Starry Night is considered one of Van Gogh's most celebrated works and is regarded as one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western canon. It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941.
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The inclusion of an imaginary village
The Starry Night, painted using oil on canvas, is one of the most celebrated works of the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise. The painting includes an imaginary village, which is based on sketches rather than the actual landscape seen from the asylum.
Van Gogh was admitted to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in May 1889, following a mental breakdown. During his year-long stay, he remained highly productive, creating several paintings, including The Starry Night. The painting was created in mid-June 1889, inspired by the view from his bedroom window.
The village in the painting is an imaginary addition, not visible from the window of the asylum bedroom. Van Gogh made several sketches for the painting, and the village is believed to be based on one of these sketches done from a hillside above the village of Saint-Rémy. It has also been suggested that the village is a recollection of Van Gogh's Dutch homeland, with the steeple of the church appearing more Dutch than Provençal.
The inclusion of the imaginary village adds a sense of calm to the painting. The structured village, with its straight controlled lines, sits in the distance on the lower right of the canvas. The glowing yellow squares of the houses suggest the welcoming lights of peaceful homes, creating a sense of tranquility amidst the turbulent sky.
The Starry Night has been subject to various interpretations, including religious symbolism and representations of Van Gogh's emotional turmoil. The imaginary village may have been a way for Van Gogh to express his personal state of mind or to include a sense of peace within the chaotic sky.
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The expressive style of the night sky
The Starry Night, painted in June 1889, is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. It is considered one of his most celebrated works and is regarded as one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western canon.
The expressive night sky in The Starry Night also reflects Van Gogh's passion for painting at night and his interest in the challenges of depicting a night landscape. In a letter to his brother, Theo, Van Gogh wrote about his fascination with the night sky, referring to "the terrible things in life" and the hope that can be found in the stars. He further expressed his preference for painting from observation rather than imagination, which is evident in his choice to paint the view from his asylum bedroom window.
The Starry Night is the only nocturne in the series of views from his bedroom window at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It is a testament to Van Gogh's artistic vision and his ability to convey emotion and express his unique perspective of the world through his art.
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Frequently asked questions
The medium used by Vincent van Gogh for 'The Starry Night' was oil on canvas.
The painting measures 29 x 36 1/4 inches (73.7 x 92.1 cm).
The original painting has been located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941.
Vincent van Gogh painted 'The Starry Night' in June 1889.
