Vincent van Gogh stands as one of the most celebrated artists in the world, and his painting, ‘Starry Night’, is one of his most acclaimed and beloved paintings which continues to enrapture the audience even centuries later. However, Vincent Van Gogh and his famous paintings were not so famous during his lifetime. In fact, he spent most of his life in obscurity and even considered ‘Starry Night’ a total failure upon its completion.
Even today, most people are not aware of his artistic process and inspirations instead, most of the world simply know outlines and vague details about his mental health and paintings however, the fact that Vincent Van Gogh is a household name and even people who are not interested in art are familiar with his name and works centuries later, is an achievement only a few are granted through their talent, and most of them garner this acclaim posthumously, spending their lives as scorned, lonely, and poor figures.
Vincent Van Gogh painted thousands of paintings despite his artistic career lasting only a decade before his death by suicide at the age of thirty-seven, unfortunately, he managed to sell very few of them during his lifetime and was financially supported by his younger brother. His younger brother’s widow managed to get him the credit and appreciation he deserved by managing, publishing, lending, and selling his paintings, records, and letters until Van Gogh became a household name.
‘Starry Night’ is the view Vincent Van Gogh saw from his asylum window in France during his stay there in 1889. The painter was not allowed to paint in his room during his stay at the asylum, so although he preferred working by observation, he painted the oil on canvas ethereal beauty without any reference. Many of the features are exaggerated and imagined, including the spike of the church. The only thing accurate would be the mountains and the village which he saw from the window. Considering it a total failure, Van Gogh never imagined ‘Starry Night’ would become the most famous painting in the world.