The Starry Night
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Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh, 1889
oil on canvas, 73 × 92 cm
Museum of Modern Art
The Starry Night is one of the best known paintings by Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. It is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This oil-on-canvas painting measures 73 x 92 cm. Created by van Gogh while he was in the asylum at Saint Rémy de Provence in June 1889, the painting portrays a swirling skyscape filled with yellow glowing stars above a small town and rolling hills. It was painted by Van Gogh just 13 months before his suicide. The large dark formation in the foreground left of center has been described as the tip of a tree, although art historians have presented various other interpretations. Its purpose seems to be to direct the eye towards the sky. In addition, it adds depth to the painting. A church steeple in the town also points towards the sky, emphasising the sense of looking up. This artwork is considered one of the great masterpieces of its time, as it achieves both beautiful and agitated effects simultaneously.
Often associated with this painting are Van Gogh's words, "Just as we take the train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to reach a star."
The painting was the inspiration for Don McLean's song, Vincent, which is also known by its opening words, Starry, Starry Night and for French composer Henri Dutilleux's orchestral work "Timbres, Espace, Mouvement".
Noted Similarities
- V838 Monocerotis, nominated for the most mysterious star in the Milky Way, is said by Hubble Space Telescope astronomers to bear similarities to The Starry Night.
- As pointed out by Simon Singh in his book Big Bang, the painting has striking similarites to the Whirlpool Galaxy. The shown sketch was made 44 years before van Gogh's painting.
- The sky of Starry Night also resemble Katsushika Hokusai's woodcut "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa." Some believe that Van Gogh, as well as other Post-Impressionism artists got ideas for their works from the Asian woodcuts.
Links
- [Lyrics] to Don McLean's "Vincent" aka "Starry, Starry Night".
- [Multimedia study of van Gogh, McLean and Sexton]
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