The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh Triptych

Van Gogh's night sky is a canvas of swirling energy. Beneath the exploding stars, the village remains a place of serene order. Linking the earth and sky is the cypress, resembling flames, a tree traditionally connected with graveyards and mourning. Yet, for Van Gogh, death was not something to fear. "Looking at the stars always makes me dream," he reflected, "Why, I ask myself, shouldn't the shining dots of the sky be as accessible as the black dots on the map of France? Just as we take the train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to reach a star." In a letter to his brother Theo, the artist described his experience: "This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big." This morning star, or Venus, could be the large white star just left of center in The Starry Night. The village, however, is a creation of the artist's imagination, and the church spire is reminiscent of Van Gogh's homeland, the Netherlands. The painting, like its daytime counterpart The Olive Trees, is deeply rooted in imagination and memory. Moving away from the Impressionist emphasis on truth to nature, Van Gogh embraced restless emotion and vibrant color, making this charged work a benchmark for all future Expressionist art.