# Starry Night **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571 "2002-06-29T13:55:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/1 "2002-06-29T13:55:16Z")
Today I will be spending a portion of my afternoon at MOMA gazing at my favorite painting, Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night.’ It’s been a number of years since I’ve seen it and I can’t think of a better way to spend a steamy Saturday. 🙂 Just thought I’d share. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2002, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/2 "2002-06-29T17:03:14Z")
Van Gogh is my absolute favorite artist. I have 3 books about his life and work. “Starry Night” is brilliant, and it always impresses me to think that he painted that out of his own imagination while in an asylum. Did you know Van Gogh has two paintings titled “Starry Night”? The first was painted in 1888 and shows a villiage on a river with the stars and villiage lights reflected in the water. The second “Starry Night” is the more famous one, with the swirling clouds and stars and the spire-like tree very prominent in the foreground. It’s this latter one I assume you’re talking about, since this is the one at the MOMA. The other painting is in Paris, IIRC. I also love his use of color in “Coal Barges”. Enjoy your trip. If I ever get to NY again, the MOMA is definitely on my list of places to visit, just to see that painting. ---
**Author:** ![Stupendous\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Stupendous\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stupendous_man)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/3 "2002-06-29T18:17:24Z")
I rather enjoy Peter Bruegel (The Elder) whose paintings rather remind me of “Where’s Waldo” for the 1500’s But please… DO not take my word for it. Why not watch this commercial? [http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/bruegel/](http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/bruegel/) What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/4 "2002-06-29T20:16:41Z")
The art museum in Philly has one of his Sunflowers, the rain as seen through his asylum window and some others. I keep hoping some company will make prints that include the depth and texture. I’ve always wanted to run my hands over the brush strokes, pallete knife marks, and heaps of paint. I don’t think the security guards would appreciate my doing that to the original. IMHO Van Gogh is one of the few artitsts who deserves his reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2002, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/5 "2002-06-29T23:25:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > **I keep hoping some company will make prints that include the depth and texture.** Actually, there are many companies that sell reproductions done in oil. A couple of them are named [here](http://www.artsstudio.com/reproductions/wall-street-journal-1.htm), and a Google search on “oil painting reproduction” turned up heaps of links. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/6 "2002-06-30T00:17:58Z")
I’m back! 🙂 I spent a good deal of time with Starry Night and The Olive Trees. What a powerful energy. Starry Night just commands your undivided attention, even in a room full of other wonderful masterpieces. It is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![kase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@kase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kase)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/7 "2002-06-30T10:52:53Z")
as an aside: There’s an exhibition here [van Gogh museum, Amsterdam] of van Gogh’s letters. [not only to his brother Theo] The handwriting is fascinating. You can see all his moods, his drunken writing, even some of his sketches. Highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/8 "2002-06-30T13:46:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crunchy Frog \* > **…“Starry Night” is brilliant, and it always impresses me to think that he painted that out of his own imagination while in an asylum…** I thought it was inspired by a Don McClean song? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/9 "2002-06-30T15:38:03Z")
The painting itself: [http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/p\_0612.htm](http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/p_0612.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/10 "2026-10-25T14:14:35Z")
Bumped. CNN: Astronomers say van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ may have been inspired by real celestial arrangement > **[Astronomers say van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ may have been inspired by real...](https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/24/science/van-goghs-starry-night-astronomy-intl-scli)** > > Van Gogh’s 1889 “The Starry Night” was probably rooted in observation, according to scientists who say they have identified the actual night sky he may have depicted. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starry-night/116571/11 "2026-10-25T16:57:59Z")
Not sure I buy it. They got that match by completely ignoring some of the stars. Also, since the painting shows both star patterns (with set angular separations) and a man-made village (with set absolute sizes), it should be possible to determine how far away from the village the vantage point is. Is there anything there (like, say, the asylum he was in at the time)? That’s kind of an important point to settle, and the article didn’t address it.