The Starry Night: The Painting

It is believed that the painter’s mental state influenced the painting. A melancholic and depressed mind is expressed through the dark colors and the night, the usage of circling and swirling an indicator of his epileptic fits [Lin 2019, p 199]. As the sky looks surreal and there is not a single person in sight, we get a sense of alienation and loneliness. The hills and town give a natural and realistic feeling, whereas the rolling, divine sky and wavy tree convey a dreamlike, unnatural sense by touching the human settlement [Cf].

We are looking at the well-known post-impressionist oil painting The Starry Night (‘De Sterrennacht’ in Dutch). It portrays a night sky with bright stars, the moon, some hills, a serene town and a tree. Vincent van Gogh made this during his stay in a French asylum in 1889, where he was treated for epilepsy, hallucinations and depression (1). The painting now is located in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.