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Vincent Van GoghStarry Night

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Vincent Van Gogh

Painters‑to take them alone-dead and buried speak to the next generation or to several succeeding generations through their work. Is that all, or is there more to come? Perhaps death is not the hardest thing in a painter's life."

Vincent van GoghLetter: 9 July 1888

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Starry Night was painted while Vincent was in the asylum at Saint-Rémy and his behavior was very erratic at the time, due to the severity of his attacks. Unlike most of Van Gogh's works, Starry Night was painted from memory and not outdoors as was Vincent's preference. This may, in part, explain why the emotional impact of the work is so much more powerful than many of Van Gogh's other works from the same period.

Starry Night: Saint-Remy 1889 is probably Vincent van Gogh's most famous painting. Instantly recognizable because of its unique style, this work has been the subject of poetry, fiction, CD‑ROMs as well as the well known song "Vincent" or "Starry, Starry Night" by Don McLean.

Starry Night stands out as one of the most important works of art produced in the nineteenth century.

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Earliest Paintings

Nuenen

Paris

Arles

Saint-Rémy de Provence

Auvers-sur-Oise

Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night, The Arles: September, 1888

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Earliest Paintings

Boy Cutting Grass with a SickleEtten: October, 1881 Beach at Scheveningen in Stormy Weather

The Hague: August, 1882

"Dear Theo, You must not take it amiss if I write you again‑‑it's only to tell you that painting is such a joy to me." Vincent van Gogh 15 August 1882

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Nuenen

Two Peasant Women DiggingNuenen: July, 1885

The Potato EatersNuenen: April, 1885

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Paris

In Paris, Van Gogh's palette comes alive.

Self-PortraitParis: Winter, 1887-88

Vase with Red PoppiesParis: Summer, 1886

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Arles

Still Life: Vase with Fourteen SunflowersArles: August, 1888

Harvest at La CrauArles: June, 1888

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Saint-Rémy de Provence

St.Remy Asylum

Wheat Field with Cypresses Saint-Rémy: Early September, 1889

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Auvers-sur-Oise

Portrait of Doctor GachetAuvers-sur-Oise: June, 1890

Thatched Cottages at CordevilleAuvers-sur-Oise: June, 1890

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Stages of Vincent’s Life:

• The Wanderer• The Man• The Painter• The End

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Stages of Vincent’s Life: The Wanderer

• First Sunday sermon in Isleworth

• Brussels

• Courrières, France

The years of Vincent's wandering suggest that he was looking for something. Did he ever find it?

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Stages of Vincent’s Life: The Man

• Relationships with other people

• Events

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Stages of Vincent’s Life: The Painter

The Painter on His Way to WorkArles: July, 1888

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Stages of Vincent’s Life: The End

All of these moments together, and so much more, help us to put together the puzzle of Vincent's life‑‑a life so profoundly troubled and yet which produced such incredible beauty. A life that will never be forgotten.

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