Starry Night is one of the most recognized pieces of art in the world.

Honestly, it sometimes feels as if the painting’s fame has exceeded that

of its creator. It is a magnificent piece of art. That Starry Night
resonates with so many people is a testament to how its beauty is
timeless and universal.
Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889 during his stay at the
asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. While
he suffered from the occasional relapse into paranoia and fits -
officially he had been diagnosed with epileptic fits+
Unfortunately, he relapsed. He began to suffer hallucination and have
thoughts of suicide as he plunged into depression. Accordingly, there
was a tonal shift in his work. He returned to incorporating the darker
colors from the beginning of his career and Starry Night is a wonderful
example of that shift. Blue dominates the painting, blending hills into
the sky. The little village lays at the base in the painting in browns,
greys, and blues. Even though each building is clearly outlined in black,
the yellow and white of the stars and the moon stand out against the sky,
drawing the eyes to the sky. They are the big attention grabber of the
painting.
Notice the brush strokes. For the sky they swirl, each dab of color rolling
with the clouds around the stars and moon. On the cypress tree they
bend with the curve of the branches. The whole effect is ethereal and
dreamlike. The hills easily roll down into the little village below. In
contrast, the town is straight up and down, done with rigid lines that
interrupt the flow of the brush strokes. Tiny little trees soften the
inflexibility of the town. Bringing nature into the unnaturalness of
buildings.
One of the biggest points of interest about this painting is that it came
entirely from Van Gogh’s imagination. None of the scenery matches the
area surrounding Saint-Paul or the view from his window. As a man who
religiously paints what he sees, it’s a remarkable break from Van Gogh’s
normal work.
He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is
easy to portray but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy
and joy and magnificence of our world no one had ever done it before