The Starry Night is one of the paintings that Vincent Van Gogh is remembered by, and it went down in history as one of the most famous artworks of all time. If you’re in the mood to learn more about this iconic painting, here are five fun facts that will change the way you look at it.
Asylum View
Van Gogh was hospitalized at the Saint-Paul de Mausole asylum in the south of France when he painted The Starry Night in 1889, drawing inspiration from the view from his window.
Creative Liberty
The famous painter took a few creative liberties with his most famous work because he mostly had to paint it from memory since he couldn’t fully appreciate the city of Saint-Remy from such a long distance.
Not First Version
Van Gogh has been fascinated with nocturnal landscapes long before painting The Starry Night. He also captured the lights of the night sky with Starry Night Over the Rhone in Arles, France in 1888.
Depiction of Venus
When describing the painting to his brother Theo, Van Gogh wrote, “This morning I saw the countryside from my window a long time before sunrise with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big.” Researchers believe that the brightest star in the painting actually represents Venus since it was visible at dawn in Provence at the time.
Cypress Trees Symbolism
Cypress trees are one of the most prominent motifs in The Starry Night, and this sparked speculations that the painting itself symbolizes death since they’ve often been associated with cemeteries.