Vincent van Gogh
On this day in 1853, Vincent van Gogh was born. What else can we say today? :)
In April 1888, van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo: "I need a starry night with cypresses or maybe above a field of ripe wheat." In June, he confided to the painter Émile Bernard: "But when shall I ever paint the Starry Sky, this painting that keeps haunting me." In September, in a letter to his sister, he evoked the same subject, "Often it seems to me night is even more richly colored than day." He was clearly obsessed with the image.
As we can read on the Musée d'Orsay's website: "van Gogh first painted a corner of nocturnal sky in Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles (Otterlo, Rijksmuseum Kröller-Muller). Next came this view of the Rhône in which he marvellously transcribed the colors he perceived in the dark. Blues prevail: Prussian blue, ultramarine and cobalt. The city gas lights glimmer an intense orange and are reflected in the water. The stars sparkle like gemstones."
A few months later, just after being confined to a mental institution, Van Gogh painted another version of Starry Night that now can be seen at the MoMA in New York. If you want to know more about this unquestionable masterpiece, read this article.