Marcus Chen
The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, created in June 1889. It is one of Van Gogh's most famous works and is regarded as a touchstone of modern art. The painting depicts the view from the artist's asylum room at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village. Van Gogh's use of thick impasto brushstrokes and vibrant colours gives the painting a textured, three-dimensional quality that has captivated the imaginations of millions of art enthusiasts worldwide.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Painter | Vincent van Gogh |
| Year | 1889 |
| Month | June |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73.7 x 92.1 cm |
| Collection | Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) |
| City | New York City |
| Acquired | 1941 |
| Style | Post-Impressionist |
| Subject | View from the artist's asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence |
| Features | Swirling night sky, stars, imaginary village, cypress tree, mountains |
| Techniques | Thick impasto brushstrokes, three-dimensional quality, vibrant colours, contrasting colours |
| Inspiration | View from bedroom window, Japanese woodblock prints, medieval woodcuts |
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's mental health and stay at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum
The Saint-Paul asylum, also known as Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, was once a monastery. It was converted into an asylum in the 19th century and was located in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, twelve miles northeast of Arles.
Van Gogh committed himself to the asylum in May 1889, a few months after an incident in Arles in December 1888, in which he cut off part of his left ear. He was judged by his brother and friends to be unfit to live alone and was hospitalized twice in Arles before his arrival at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole.
During his year-long stay at the asylum, Van Gogh had periodic attacks, possibly due to a form of epilepsy. His only apparent form of treatment was two-hour baths twice a week. He was given a private room on the second floor and access to a studio where he painted. He enjoyed the views from his window, often painting the landscape he saw, including the wheat fields, olive groves, cypresses, roses, and irises in and around the monastery. He also painted interpretations of some of his favourite paintings by artists he admired.
Despite the care he received at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, Van Gogh's mental health continued to deteriorate. He was released on 16 May 1890, at his own request, despite evidence of mental collapse following his previous brief breaks from the asylum. He died by suicide within two months of his release.
Van Gogh's time at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole is often remembered as a terrifying period in his life, during which he produced some of his most beloved works. While the artist himself believed he had failed to find a cure for his mental health struggles during his time at the asylum, his doctor, Dr. Gachet, reported that his experimental art therapy was effective, and Van Gogh was believed to be improving.
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Artistic influences, including medieval woodcuts and Japanese art
The swirling night sky of Van Gogh's Starry Night may have been inspired by medieval woodcuts and Japanese art. The Dutch painter was a noted collector of Japanese prints and is known to have admired The Great Wave by Hokusai. In a letter to his brother Theo, he described the waves in the print as "claws" and said, "the boat is caught in them, you can feel it." Art historian Martin Bailey argues that there is a thread running between the directive force of the turbulent sea in Hokusai's print and the swirls Van Gogh painted into his night sky. Bailey also suggests that the night sky in Van Gogh's painting echoes the turbulence of Hokusai's print.
Van Gogh himself acknowledged the influence of medieval woodcuts on his work, stating that his paintings were "exaggerations from the point of view of arrangement, their lines are contorted like those of ancient woodcuts." Similar to his friends Bernard and Gauguin, Van Gogh was experimenting with a style inspired in part by medieval woodcuts, characterized by thick outlines and simplified forms.
The Starry Night, painted in June 1889, is an oil-on-canvas work created during the artist's stay at an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of his room, with the addition of an imaginary village. It is considered a "touchstone of modern art" and is one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western canon.
The painting's celestial elements include Venus, which was visible in the sky at the time, and exaggeratedly scaled cypress trees in the foreground. Van Gogh's letters suggest that he viewed these elements primarily in aesthetic rather than symbolic terms. The swirling lines of hills, mountains, and sky, along with the contrasting blues and yellows and thick brushstrokes, are often interpreted as expressions of the artist's turbulent state of mind.
While the influence of medieval woodcuts and Japanese art on Starry Night is evident, it is just one aspect of the complex influences and inspirations that contributed to this iconic work.
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Technical challenges, such as painting outdoors at night
"Starry Night" by Vincent van Gogh is a Post-Impressionist oil painting on canvas. It was painted in June 1889 and is now housed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The painting depicts the view from the east-facing window of van Gogh's asylum room at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, a monastery-turned-asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise.
Technical Challenges of Painting Outdoors at Night
Painting outdoors at night, or "en plein air", comes with a unique set of technical challenges. Firstly, there is the issue of light. Natural light is not available at night, and the artist must contend with multiple artificial light sources, such as indoor light from windows, streetlights, and headlights from vehicles, which can create confusing shadows. To overcome this, artists may choose to isolate a single light source and stick with it throughout the painting process.
Additionally, the absence of natural light means that colours are indiscernible to the human eye. Painters must therefore modify colours and values in their work. This includes making the values lighter, exaggerating value contrasts, and adding more colour, especially in the blue and blue-green families, to compensate for the lack of light.
Another challenge when painting outdoors at night is the temperature. Temperature fluctuations can occur rapidly after sunset, and it is recommended to dress in layers to stay comfortable. Painting outdoors also means being at the mercy of the elements. It is best to avoid rainy conditions as rain can cause the paint to dry improperly or form bubbles.
Furthermore, painting outdoors at night can present logistical challenges. Artists should pack light and bring only the essentials to avoid losing items in the dark. They may opt to bring fewer brushes and a limited palette, sticking to colours they are familiar with. A collapsible water container, a headlamp or other light source, and appropriate clothing for the temperature are also recommended.
Despite these technical challenges, painting outdoors at night can offer unique opportunities for artistic expression, as van Gogh demonstrated with "Starry Night".
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Religious symbolism and emotional turmoil
Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night is a profound expression of the artist's inner turmoil and emotional intensity. Painted in June 1889 during his stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the masterpiece captures a blend of beauty, chaos, and introspection that continues to resonate with viewers.
Religious Symbolism
Van Gogh's Starry Night is thought to be rich in religious symbolism, despite the artist's growing disillusionment with organised religion and his adoption of the scientific method in his pursuit of truth. Art historian Lauren Soth interprets the painting as a "traditional religious subject in disguise", representing Van Gogh's "deepest religious feelings". Soth and others theorise that Van Gogh's use of Prussian blue and citron yellow—colours previously used to depict Christ—symbolise Christ's presence in the painting. This interpretation draws on Van Gogh's admiration for the paintings of Eugène Delacroix, who used these colours to represent Christ.
Art historian Meyer Schapiro highlights the expressionistic aspects of the painting, suggesting that it was created under the "pressure of feeling" and is a "visionary [painting] inspired by a religious mood". Schapiro interprets the painting as an apocalyptic vision, referring to the New Testament Book of Revelation and its imagery 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 expands on Schapiro's interpretation, calling the painting a "visionary picture" that symbolises "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, suggesting that the painting reflects a "never-to-be-forgotten sensation of standing on the threshold of eternity".
Other interpretations of the religious symbolism in Starry Night include references to the Biblical Agony in the Garden and the story of Joseph, the favourite son of Jacob who endures fraternal betrayal. The moon and the stars have been interpreted as symbols of Jesus and his apostles, while the eleven stars in the painting have been compared to Joseph's dream in the Old Testament Book of Genesis.
Emotional Turmoil
Starry Night is widely recognised as a reflection of Van Gogh's emotional struggles and mental health challenges during the time it was painted. The swirling sky, with its dynamic, swirling patterns, has been interpreted as a manifestation of the artist's inner chaos and restless energy. The peaceful village below, in contrast, represents a yearning for tranquility and peace. The juxtaposition of chaos and calm, life and death (as symbolised by the cypress tree), mirrors the artist's quest for meaning and his struggle with mental illness, possibly bipolar disorder or temporal lobe epilepsy.
The painting's expressive brushstrokes and bold, contrasting colours create a sense of movement and emotion, drawing viewers into Van Gogh's turbulent world. The cypress tree, a symbol of death and eternal life, stands tall, connecting the heavens and the earth. This tree has been interpreted as a reflection of Van Gogh's self-identification with mortality, while the darkness of the night sky represents the depths of depression. The overall composition of the painting conveys a sense of Van Gogh's inner turmoil and his search for solace and meaning.
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Use of colour and brushwork
The Starry Night, painted in June 1889, is an oil-on-canvas work by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. The painting is a view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, a monastery-turned-asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. It is considered a "touchstone of modern art" and is regarded as one of the most recognisable paintings in Western art.
Van Gogh's use of colour and brushwork in The Starry Night is a remarkable aspect of the painting. The artist employed thick, impasto brushstrokes that give the painting a textured, almost three-dimensional quality. This technique enhances the dynamic energy of the sky and stars, creating a swirling night sky that captures the viewer's imagination. The use of contrasting colours adds to the sense of movement and energy in the painting.
The painting's celestial elements include Venus, which was visible in the sky at the time, and the depiction of the moon, which is not astronomically accurate. The cypress tree in the foreground, often seen in Japanese art, stretches towards the sky and functions as a symbolic bridge between the ground and the sky. The exaggerated scale of the cypress tree and the use of thick outlines and simplified forms contribute to the overall stylistic effect.
Van Gogh's use of colour in The Starry Night is also noteworthy. The night sky is a combination of blue, black, and yellow, with the stars appearing in bursts of yellow against the dark sky. This colour scheme creates a sense of drama and mystery, enhancing the emotional impact of the painting. The colours used in the sky also contrast with the glowing gas lamps and their reflections in the Rhône River, as depicted in Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888), a previous work by Van Gogh.
The artist's brother, Theo van Gogh, a gifted connoisseur of contemporary art, criticised the painting, saying, "I feel that the search for style takes away the real sentiment of things." Despite this initial criticism, The Starry Night has become iconic of individualized expression in modern landscape painting. It is now recognised as one of Van Gogh's most famous works, with its vibrant colours and textured brushwork continuing to captivate audiences.
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Frequently asked questions
'The Starry Night' is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. It was painted in June 1889 and has been housed in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City since 1941.
Van Gogh was inspired by the view from his bedroom window at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. He also drew on his imagination and memory, as well as previous works, to create the final painting.
Van Gogh employed thick, impasto brushstrokes to create a textured, three-dimensional quality to the painting. He was also experimenting with a style inspired by medieval woodcuts, with thick outlines and simplified forms.
The painting depicts a mountainous landscape just before sunrise, with a towering cypress tree and swirling stars. It also includes an imaginary village, based on sketches rather than the actual landscape seen from the asylum.
