A person doesn't have to be an art historian to recognize Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night painting. Van Gogh's The Starry Night contains several memorable images that have made it a popular favorite with many art enthusiasts. In fact, the Van Gogh Starry Night print attracts attention whether it's hanging in a museum or on the living room wall of a family's home. One of its engaging images is the gathering of rolling waves in the dark blue sky. Other memorable images in the Starry Night painting are the glowing yellow spheres as well as the cypress tree waving toward the sky. A peaceful town lies beneath all of these vibrant images. These elements combine to create a unique and engaging painting. The following shares some interesting background concerning the Van Gogh Starry Night.

The Starry Night painting was created in 1889. Van Gogh's work belongs to the post-impressionist period. His work also led to the Expressionist period. Post-impressionist painters used brilliant color like impressionists, but their work contained more order and different types of brushstrokes. In the Starry Night painting, the cypress tree is a symbol of both death as well as eternal life. Van Gogh was interested in these ideas as well as the belief that when people die they travel to a star. This may account for the remarkable stars in the Van Gogh Starry Night print. Certainly, Van Gogh injected his emotions into his painting.

There are many factors to consider when looking at the meaning behind the Van Gogh Starry Night. Van Gogh painted The Starry Night while sitting at a window in a mental asylum in St. Remy. Some art historians think that the unsettled tone of this painting is a reflection of Van Gogh's emotional state at the time. The collection of remarkable stars in The Starry Night has led other historians to think that he was exploring an interest in astronomy. Fortunately, observers don't have to know the precise meanings behind Van Gogh's work to admire this painting.