Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Title: The Starry Night
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions of original work: 29 x 36 1/4 in. (73.7 x 92.1 cm)
Where to see it: The Museum of Modern Art, New York
About this Work:
Vincent executed this world-famous painting from memory while staying at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole (a mental institution near Saint-Rémy) in June of 1889. He had voluntarily admitted himself just a month earlier and, at this time, was not permitted to paint outside. He could, though, look through the window--the bars of which he declined to render--in his room, as he did for this canvas.
We love to associate this painting with Vincent's innermost spirit. The cypress tree, hills and church spire connect us to the heavens where stars and the planet Venus swirl across a moon-dominated night sky. They are eternal, just as the human soul is supposed to be. People have speculated that the "violence" of his brushstrokes reflects Vincent's tormented, hospitalized mind. I like to think that he simply saw the Big Picture, and quickly created something so permanent that we would all see it, too.
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