Why Is The Starry Night So Famous? The Story Behind Van Gogh’s Iconic Masterpiece

Few paintings captivate the imagination quite like Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. Translating to “De sterrennacht” in Van Gogh’s native Dutch, the painting shows vibrant, rolling clouds punctuated with impossibly large stars dancing over a rich dark blue landscape.

He painted it in June 1889 at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, just six months after self-mutilating his ear in a quarrel that’s nearly as well-known as the painting. This masterpiece has inspired the masses for well over a century. But many are left wondering, “Why?”

This period of his life was simultaneously calm yet tumultuous. From his room at the asylum, he saw peaceful hills and a clear view of the sky, yet his letters reveal a mind in conflict—haunted by doubt, longing, and spiritual unrest.

During this period, he also solidified what would become his signature style: bold brushwork, exaggerated forms, and an expressive approach that gives viewers a glimpse of his emotional world. 

We may never know the true story behind The Starry Night, but by studying his letters, the iconic technique, and the powerful symbolism, we gain a window into the mind behind one of the most famous landscape paintings of all time. 

10 Facts About The Starry Night

• Van Gogh painted The Starry Night in 1889. He was staying in a mental health asylum in France.
• He didn't paint the night sky from direct observation. He created it from memory while looking out his window during the day.
• The swirling sky patterns might reflect his mental state. Modern physicists confirmed that they match the fluid dynamics of wind and clouds' natural movement. 
• The bright star right of the cypress tree is Venus, which would’ve been visible in the morning sky then.
• Van Gogh didn't love this painting. He thought it was too exaggerated but still failed to capture the night sky as he saw it.
• The church spire isn't from his actual view. He added it from memories of his Dutch homeland and possibly as a nod to a crisis of faith.
• The painting uses mainly blue and yellow color schemes. These colors sit nearly opposite on the color wheel, creating strong visual contrast.
• The cypress tree symbolizes death in Mediterranean culture and is often found in cemeteries.
• The Starry Night appears in another of Van Gogh’s works, Window in the Studio (1889)—the swirling form of the cypress is quite distinctive.
• The Starry Night is now worth over $100 million and is one of the top three most famous paintings ever, but Van Gogh never sold it during his lifetime.

The Artist Behind the Masterpiece 

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853 into a highly religious household. His early life story lacked a clear direction. While initially drawn to a life in the church, he eventually pivoted, moving to Paris around 1880 to become an artist. 

Impressionism took the art world by storm: artists focused on capturing movement and light in nature, rejecting the rigid structures of past artistic styles. Van Gogh quickly joined of ranks Claude Monet and other impressionists, adapting and experimenting with the group’s already innovative techniques. 

While Van Gogh’s time in Paris was incredibly productive, producing hundreds of paintings, the chaos and temptations of city life proved challenging for a temperamental artist with a long history of mental illness. As his health deteriorated, he looked for a change, and in February 1888, he found it in the golden light of Arles in Southern France. 

He was happy there for a time, but things quickly fell apart. In December 1888, Van Gogh infamously cut off part of his own ear during an argument with his friend, fellow artist Paul Gauguin. With townsfolk weary of his erratic behavior, in May 1889, he checked himself into a mental asylum, a former monastery in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. 

The Painting’s Creation and History

Van Gogh’s passion for painting became his internal motivation for committing himself. His worsening mental state had interfered with his work, and, in the relative calm and rigid structure of the institute, he improved enough to be able to work again. Other than a few episodes, most of the time there, he was reasonably healthy and productive.

At the monastery, Van Gogh frequently painted the view from his room, its lone barred window looking out over the walled garden. He also wandered the hospital grounds, making charcoal and ink sketches for later reference. 

Watching the sunrise through his little window, Van Gogh was captivated by how the clouds moved in the ever-changing sky, becoming a favorite subject. 

In one of his letters to his brother Theo, he 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.”

He actually painted 21 different versions of the same scene, with minor variations. All were set during the day, except one: his masterpiece The Starry Night.  

Techniques Used In The Starry Night

The Starry Night brings Van Gogh’s artistic journey full circle. The non-literal representation of the stars and trees showcases his progressive contribution to the Impressionist style. At the same time, the muted color palette of black, blue, and grey represents a return to his early style. 

Stylized Representation

Considering that Van Gogh painted it at least partly out of memory, it’s appropriate that The Starry Night as a composition is both part reality-based and part invention. The entire village, for example, didn’t exist at the time. The trees and stars are disproportionately large, and astronomers confirmed that the phase of the moon at the time of his painting would’ve been full rather than a crescent.

What’s important, though, is how Van Gogh depicts those components, be they fiction or fancy. Elements like the large cypress tree in the foreground exist in his sketches, so it’s plausible that it was a real part of the landscape. Its bold placement and exaggerated height could be intended to draw the eye up and around the swirling clouds and bright stars. 

The contrast is apparent in his stylized representation of the blowing winds, trying to show the movement of the sky. The bold swaths of cloud trails are almost cartoon-like in their exaggerated swirls. 

However, their staccato brush lines also show the impossible-to-capture nature of the wind, with distinct sections flowing in different directions, adding a sense of movement and energy. Amazingly, analysis by modern scientists indicates that Van Gogh’s depiction was very close to how water and air really move, like turbulence or a whirlpool. 

Impasto Technique

Impasto is a modern art technique in which paint is applied directly on the canvas in thick, visible layers, giving it a three-dimensional quality. 

Drawn from the Italian word for “mixture,” impasto art is created by artists applying and mixing paint colors directly on the canvas, usually spreading them with a palette knife instead of a brush. The varying thicknesses interact with light differently, adding shadows. The strokes are also often laid “directionally,” as if guiding the viewer through the composition. 

Van Gogh helped pioneer these techniques that evolved out of the visible brushstrokes of Impressionism. When painting the stars, Van Gogh gave them extra thick layers of bold color, wanting them to appear luminous and bright, and the heavy texture gave them a feeling of depth. 

Vibrant Color Relationships

One of the striking features of The Starry Night is its use of bold colors in contrasting hues. The dark blues of the sky clash with the bright yellow of the stars, juxtaposing two hues from opposite sides of the color wheel and adding a burst of visual energy. 

Similarly, using complementary shades painted adjacent creates a different impact. In this case, the variety of grey and blue hues, particularly in the town, adds a feeling of consistency and calm, the harmonizing colors giving off a subtle vibration.

Symbolism and Themes

Van Gogh and Night

Van Gogh had an artist’s obsession with nighttime. As he wrote to his younger brother Theo, “It often seems to me that the night is much more alive and richly colored than the day.” 

We can see a similar fascination in Starry Night over the Rhône (1888). A near-identical dark blue palette to The Starry Night with bright yellow stars twinkling overhead, it’s nevertheless calmer and less energetic in its brush strokes. 

This contrast suggests that by the time he painted The Starry Night, Van Gogh was no longer simply depicting the night as he saw it, but as he felt it—charged with spiritual yearning, emotional unrest, and a deeper search for meaning.

Inner Turmoil and Mental State

The turbulence Van Gogh painted in The Starry Night reflects the chaos and instability of his own life. The circular patterns and wild energy in the sky can be inferred to reflect the unpredictability of dealing with his unsound mind, with the quiet town below suggesting the stillness and safety he found at the asylum.

Van Gogh’s time at the hospital was also a solitary one. Concerned with triggering his mental illness, he resisted having visitors, even Theo. 

When he did have episodes, he was removed to true solitary confinement and not allowed to paint. And while he did have contact with some others at the hospital, their illnesses prevented meaningful contact. His feelings of isolation are subtly evident in The Starry Night, where the warm yellow window lights—implying people are safe at home—contrast his isolation.

Spirituality and Transcendence

In a letter to Theo, dated September 1888, Van Gogh wrote:

“That doesn’t stop me having a tremendous need for, shall I say the word—for religion—so I go outside at night to paint the stars, and I always dream a painting like that, with a group of lively figures of the pals.”

Religion was a large part of Van Gogh’s life, as his father was a Dutch Reformed pastor. Van Gogh, however, was not well suited for the ministry, and eventually, he rejected organized religion altogether, though he always considered himself spiritual. The push and pull of religion throughout his life undoubtedly shaped him and was part of his inspiration for painting The Starry Night.

A duality is evident in The Starry Night. In some ways, the scene suggests a spiritual conflict between Heaven and Earth, with the stars and sky versus the mountain and village below.

Similarly, the church steeple represents the center of religious life, with the homes signifying the secular. Arguably, there is also a contrast between life and death; cypress trees themselves can represent mourning, and in ancient civilizations, they were often associated with the afterlife. 

The Enduring Appeal of Starry Night

It’s hard to believe that Van Gogh considered The Starry Night a failure. In a letter to Theo, he was critical of the piece, calling it “exaggerated.” 

He wasn’t exactly alone, though. When Van Gogh died of suicide in 1890, he had only sold one painting during his lifetime. Theo’s widow, who inherited Van Gogh’s estate, promoted and exhibited his works with limited success. Even when the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired The Starry Night in 1941, it wasn’t particularly newsworthy. 

We can say for sure that Van Gogh didn’t paint The Starry Night to be a mainstream success. And that may be the key to its success. It’s plausible that the circumstances of Van Gogh’s life at the time drove him to create without the need to adhere to trends and norms. In doing so, he broke the mold and paved a path to becoming one of the most influential artists ever.

More Works by Van Gogh

Frequently Asked Questions About Van Gogh's Starry Night

What is the backstory of Starry Night?

Van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889 while staying at a mental hospital in France. He was recovering from a breakdown and painted this from memory in his room. The view came from his window, but he added the swirling sky from his imagination. He finished it in just one sitting, working through the night when he couldn't sleep.

What is the meaning behind Van Gogh's Starry Night?

The painting shows Van Gogh's inner feelings more than what he actually saw. The swirling sky reflects his troubled mind and strong emotions. The bright stars give hope in dark times. The quiet village below shows peaceful life continuing even during personal struggles. It's like a visual diary of how he felt.

What is the hidden message of The Starry Night?

The cypress tree reaches up like a prayer or plea for help. The church steeple points to heaven, showing Van Gogh's search for spiritual peace. The swirling patterns might represent the constant motion of thoughts in his mind. Some people think it shows his hope that death would bring calm after a lifetime of mental pain.

What do the 11 stars represent in Starry Night?

Nobody knows for sure what the 11 stars mean. Some think they're the disciples minus Judas. Others say they represent hope shining through darkness. Van Gogh loved astronomy, so they might just be stars he remembered seeing. The big bright star on the right could be Venus, which he often painted.

Why did Van Gogh not like The Starry Night?

Van Gogh thought it was too unrealistic and abstract. He preferred painting what he could see directly, not from memory or imagination. He felt the swirling sky looked too wild and not true to nature. He also worried it was too emotional and not skilled enough compared to other artists' work. He was always his own worst critic.

What's the big black thing in Starry Night?

That's a cypress tree reaching up into the sky. Cypress trees were common in southern France where Van Gogh lived. He painted them often because their tall, flame-like shape fascinated him. In this painting, the tree connects the earth to the sky, like a bridge between the real world and his dreams. The dark color makes it stand out against the bright, swirling background.