Starry Night over the Rhone
Brightly lit houses, illuminating stars and light reflections on the water combine to create a mystical atmosphere. In a letter to his sister Wil, Van Gogh wrote: “At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly colored than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue forget-me-not brilliance…it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky.”
Arles, 1888, Oil on canvas, 72.5 x 92 cm
Starry Night
Saint-Rémy, 1889, Oil on canvas, 73.7 × 92.1 cm
Over his time at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh’s breakdowns increased in severity. The view from the asylum over the township of Saint-Rémy is depicted in Starry Night. The foreground cypress dominates the magical night sky with its swirling clouds and yellow crescent moon and stars, while the small steeple in the background gives the scene depth. The intensely emotional fluid brushstrokes and rolling sky reveal a deeply troubled mind, yet do not convey despair.
Shown In exhibit