The Starry Night, Van Gogh, 1889, oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art, New York
A way to express himself, his feelings and emotions. This is how Vincent Van Gogh saw painting. Knowing his turbulent and often tragic life and death we can easily understand why he believed so.
Created just one year before his death, The Starry Night is one of the artist's most famous works. The painting has been linked to one of the letters Van Gogh sent to his brother Theo:
"This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big."
It is believed that this sentence inspired The Starry Night, which in the mind of the artist was also connected with death:
"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."At the same time, the painting displays Van Gogh's characteristic technique: thick, evident brush strokes, dominant colours.
The quotations and picture are taken from the website of the Museum of Modern Art,
http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79802
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