The Starry Night

"The Starry Night" is an oil painting made by Vincent Van Gogh, a Dutch artist from the Netherlands. It is 73.7 cm × 92.1 cm in size and is presently exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

This magnificent piece of art came into being on June 1889 while Van Gogh was confined in an asylum in Saint Remy in the south of France. Upon his death, it was inherited by Van Gogh’s brother Theo, who had longed to give public recognition to the artist’s work by exhibiting it. Unfortunately, Theo died six months after his brother's passing, so it came into the possession of Theo’s widow, Jo van Gogh-Bonger. In the end, she was the one who built up the fame of Van Gogh’s masterpieces. The Starry Night, which Van Gogh painted as a penniless artist, was later sold to one of the most renowned museums in the world for 100 million dollars.

Van Gogh was seeking respite from his plaguing depression at the Saint-Paul asylum in Saint-Rémy in southern France when he painted The Starry Night. This painting was a reflection of Van Gogh’s view of the village outside of his cell in the asylum. It was slightly inspired by The Great Wave Of Kanagawa, a painting made by the Japanese artist Hokusai. The main details are the quiet town, the bustling sky that is filled with large orbs of light, and a stylized cypress tree. My impression is that the painting contrasts life and death, wherein the illuminating stars symbolize how vibrant and hopeful life can be while the gloomy village represents how somber and haunting death is, especially to a person like Van Gogh who was dealing with mental illnesses and was suicidal.

The Starry Night is based on Van Gogh's memories, imagination, and his emotions. Its beauty and symbolism continues to touch people's hearts.