9 Things You Didn't Know About One of the World's Most Recognized Pieces of Art
You've probably seen this painting more times than you can remember, but there's a lot more to it than what meets the eye.Â
The other was The Red Vineyard of Arles and it was the only one sold during his lifetime.Â
The cypress trees in the painting are symbols of death.Â
MoMA acquired it after the death of Lillie P. Bliss, the daughter of an art collector and textile merchant.Â
He considered it a failure and once wrote a letter saying that "All in all the only things I consider a little good in it are the Wheatfield, the Mountain, the Orchard, the Olive trees with the blue hills and the Portrait and the Entrance to the quarry, and the rest says nothing to me."
Johanna Gezina van Gogh-Bonger, the wife of Vincent's brother, owned Starry Night but later sold it to the poet Julien Leclerq.Â
Some say it was inspired by a French village and others say that his home, The Netherlands, was the basis for the village.Â
Starry Night Over The Rhone was painted the year before Starry Night. Van Gogh was fascinated with capturing the lights over the river.
Van Gogh referred to it as "morning star," but he actually painted Venus.Â
Vincent Van Gogh checked himself into an asylum called Saint Paul de Mausole in the summer of 1888 after experiencing a breakdown. The view from his window inspired much of his work.Â