"The Starry Night" Vincent van Gogh. 1889

Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889 during his stay at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh lived well in the hospital; he was allowed more freedoms than any of the other patients. If attended, he could leave the hospital grounds; he was allowed to paint, read, and withdraw into his own room. He was even given a studio. While he suffered from the occasional relapse into paranoia and fits - officially he had been diagnosed with epileptic fits - it seemed his mental health was recovering.

Van Gogh painted Starry Night while in an Asylum at Saint-Remy in 1889. Someone said that Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh has risen to the peak of artistic achievements. But what features within the painting are responsible for its ever growing popularity? There are actually several main aspects. Firstly, the night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their own luminescence, and a bright crescent moon. This sky keeps the viewer's eyes moving about the painting, following the curves and creating a visual dot to dot with the stars. This movement keeps the onlooker involved in the painting while the other factors take hold. Secondly, below the rolling hills of the horizon lies a small town. The cool dark colors and the fiery windows spark memories of our childhood years filled with imagination of what exists in the night and dark starry skies. The center point of the town is the tall steeple of the church, reigning largely over the smaller buildings. The whole painting is like a fairy tale, gives us a sense of mystery and makes people feel warm as well as comfortable.