Elena Rossi
The Starry Night, painted in 1889 by Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, is one of the most famous and recognisable paintings in the world. Van Gogh described the painting in a letter to his brother, Theo, as an exaggeration from the point of view of arrangement. The painting depicts the view from the window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, with the addition of an imaginary village. The swirling brushstrokes, vibrant blues, and the inclusion of symbols such as the large cypress tree, stars, and a glowing yellow crescent moon have led to various interpretations of the painting, including references to Van Gogh's mental health, religious beliefs, and personal experiences.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh |
| Year | 1889 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Colours | Blue, yellow, white, black, brown, grey |
| Brushstrokes | Short, circular, swirling |
| Symbols | Cypress tree, stars, village, church |
| Symbolism | Nature, dreaming, heaven, death, mental health, religion |
| Style | Post-Impressionist |
| Location | Museum of Modern Art, New York City |
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What You'll Learn
Van Gogh's mental health
Vincent van Gogh, often referred to as "the Red-headed Madman," had a tumultuous mental health journey. His behavior caused fear in others, and he experienced financial instability and deteriorating mental health. Despite these challenges, he was an incredibly prolific and artistic genius during his ten-year career, creating around 900 paintings.
"The Starry Night," completed on June 18, 1889, is believed by some to reflect Van Gogh's mental state at the time. The swirling composition of the sky and the use of melancholic blue hues have been interpreted as indications of hallucinations consistent with schizophrenia. The cypress trees, often associated with death in European culture, have been seen as a sign of an obsession with death, possibly indicating mood swings or bipolar disorder. However, others argue that Van Gogh's love of cypress trees and the peace he found in the night sky contradict a downward spiral into depression.
The painting's dreamy interpretation of the night sky as viewed from his asylum room window has been analyzed for its symbolic and personal meaning. Some scholars find religious symbolism in the work, interpreting it as a "traditional religious subject in disguise" and a reflection of Van Gogh's "deepest religious feelings." The use of certain colors and the crescent moon, for instance, have been theorized to symbolically represent Christ.
Van Gogh's own words, through his letters to his brother Theo, provide valuable insight into his thoughts and feelings during this time. He described the night as more colorful than the day and stars as appearing in various colors rather than simple white dots. He also wrote about his fascination with the countryside view from his asylum window, including the morning star, which deeply inspired him.
"The Starry Night" has become a touchstone of modern art, widely recognized and beloved by art enthusiasts worldwide. While Van Gogh himself was not satisfied with the painting, believing it to be a failure, it has since become one of his most iconic and celebrated works, with its swirling composition and expressive night sky capturing the imagination of audiences and critics alike.
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Religious symbolism
The Starry Night, painted in June 1889, is regarded as one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western canon. It is said to be a reflection of Vincent van Gogh's state of mind and artistic vision. While some critics interpret the painting as abundant in religious symbolism, others dismiss such interpretations.
Art historian Lauren Soth finds a "symbolist subtext" in the painting, calling it a "traditional religious subject in disguise" and a "sublimated image" of Van Gogh's deepest religious feelings. Soth theorizes that Van Gogh used Prussian blue and citron yellow to represent Christ, citing the artist's admiration for Eugène Delacroix, who used these colours in paintings of Christ. The citron-yellow stars may refer to a spiritual association with the Agony in the Garden, where Jesus faced the reality of his impending crucifixion, paralleling Van Gogh's own struggles.
Some interpret the eleven stars in the painting as a reference to Joseph's dream in the Old Testament Book of Genesis, where the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him, foretelling how his family would one day bow to him as an authority. This interpretation is supported by art historian Sven Loevgren, who compares Van Gogh's "religiously inclined longing for the beyond" to the poetry of Walt Whitman.
The dark church in the painting, with its Dutch steeple, is seen as a symbol of Van Gogh's religious upbringing. The absence of light in the church windows may symbolize the artist's disillusionment with organized religion and his adoption of a scientific method in his pursuit of truth.
The cypress tree, a symbol of graveyards, mourning, and death, could reflect Van Gogh's contemplation of mortality and his search for spiritual solace under the starry sky. The deep blues in the painting echo the solemnity of religious contemplation, while the lighter blues represent moments of spiritual clarity. The interplay of colours suggests a connection between the earthly and the divine, a theme often explored by Whitman.
Van Gogh's use of colours and swirling brushstrokes in The Starry Night provides a glimpse into his inner world, conveying his state of mind, artistic vision, and search for meaning.
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Artistic style
"The Starry Night" is a Post-Impressionist painting by Vincent van Gogh, completed in June 1889. It is one of his most famous works and is considered a masterpiece. The painting depicts the view from the artist's asylum room window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, just before sunrise.
The painting is characterised by Van Gogh's expressive use of colour and light, with vibrant blues, yellows, and whites dominating the night sky. The swirling brushstrokes in the sky contrast with the rigid, straight lines of the village in the foreground, creating a dreamlike effect. The large cypress tree in the foreground, described as flame-like, connects earth and sky, further contributing to the ethereal atmosphere of the painting.
Van Gogh's use of colour and brushstrokes in "The Starry Night" is indicative of his emotional state at the time. The artist had a fascination with stars, death, and transcendence, which is evident in the painting's starry sky. The vibrant blues that dominate the canvas were a common colour in his work during bouts of mental illness. The painting is also said to reflect Van Gogh's religiously inclined longing for the beyond, with art historian Sven Loevgren interpreting it as "an infinitely expressive picture which symbolizes the final absorption of the artist by the cosmos".
The painting is also notable for its use of contrasting colours and the challenge of painting en plein air at night. Van Gogh referenced this theme in letters to his family and friends, acknowledging the technical difficulties but also the potential for a beautiful and expressive scene. The artist's use of bold colours and simplified forms is said to have contributed to the enduring appeal of the painting.
"The Starry Night" is also an example of Van Gogh's experimentation with a style inspired by medieval woodcuts, with their thick outlines and simplified forms. The artist himself described the painting as an "exaggeration from the point of view of arrangement", with "contorted lines like those of ancient woodcuts". This deliberate stylisation is evident in the composition of the painting, particularly in the village in the foreground.
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The view from his asylum window
The Starry Night, painted by Vincent van Gogh in June 1889, is a view of the landscape outside his asylum window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The oil-on-canvas painting depicts an imaginary village, with a night sky swirling with blue, a glowing crescent moon, and radiant stars. The village is composed of straight-lined cottages and a church with a slender steeple, which rises against the rolling blue hills.
Van Gogh described the painting as an "exaggeration from the point of view of arrangement", and it is indeed an amalgam of images, a composite of multiple scenes and memories. The village, for instance, is imaginary and does not correspond to the actual view from his window. The cypress trees, often described as flame-like, have been interpreted as symbols of mourning and death, while the stars represent dreaming, heaven, and death. The dark church, modelled after the Dutch churches of his youth, is devoid of light in the windows, perhaps reflecting his religious upbringing and the inner turmoil he was experiencing.
The painting is a reflection of Van Gogh's mental state and his connection to nature. The vibrant blues, a colour he often used during his bouts of mental illness, dominate the painting, blending the hills into the sky. The swirling brushstrokes in the sky may also indicate his state of mind. The painting is a dreamy interpretation of the sweeping view outside his window, and the only nocturnal study of the scene that he created during his time at the asylum.
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The cypress tree
The inclusion of the cypress tree, a common symbol of mourning and death, may also be a reflection of Van Gogh's own thoughts of suicide and his mental health struggles. The tree's branches, reaching towards the sky, could symbolise a desire for transcendence and a connection to the stars, which Van Gogh himself associated with dreaming, heaven, and death.
The tree also stands out as a natural element against the unnatural, rigid lines of the village, creating a contrast between dreams and reality. This contrast further highlights the cypress tree as a symbol of nature and the divine, especially when viewed in the context of the Biblical quote from Genesis 37:9, where Joseph dreams of the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him, predicting his future glory.
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Frequently asked questions
The Starry Night is believed to symbolize Van Gogh's deteriorating mental health. The vibrant blues in the painting are a return to the colors he used during his struggles with mental illness. The swirling brushstrokes and the dark church with no light coming from the windows may also indicate his mental state.
The large cypress tree in the painting is a symbol of graveyards, mourning, and death. The stars symbolize dreaming, heaven, and death. The church, with its Dutch spire, is a symbol of his religious upbringing.
Van Gogh was inspired by the view from his room in the sanitarium at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He wrote to his brother, Theo, about the magnificent view of the morning star from his barred bedroom window.
