More about "Starry Night Over the Rhone"
This morning I took an excerpt from a book that discussed Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, and also mentioned another “Starry Night” that Vincent painted a little later. According to Vincent Van Gogh — The Complete Works on CDRom, “The Starry Night over the Rhone” was actually painted BEFORE “Starry Night”. in September of 1888. I’m not sure which painting the book was referring to, but if I find out, I will be posting it later on.
“The Starry Night Over the Rhone”is currently at Musée d’Orsay, in Paris, France.
There are several different letters found in The Complete Letters of Vincent van Gogh that refer to “The Starry Night Over the Rhone”:
In Letter 552, Vincent writes to Theo of a “The Starry Night” canvas he has started that week. According to “The Complete Works on CDRom”, it is referring to “The Starry Night Over the Rhone”.
Also, in letter 547, Vincent discusses a “Starry Night”, that is supposed to be “The Starry Night Over the Rhone”.
Vincent calls it “Starry Sky”, in letter 546 to his brother Theo, calling it one of his “big studies”.
Letter 545 also talks of “The Starry Sky”.
The most descript Vincent was about this painting in a letter, was probably letter 543 to his brother Theo, saying:
“Enclosed a little sketch of a square size 30 canvas, the starry sky actually painted at night under a gas jet. The sky is greenish-blue, the water royal blue, the ground mauve. The town is blue and violet, the gas is yellow and the reflections are russet-gold down to greenish-bronze. On the blue-green expanse of the sky the Great Bear sparkles green and pink, its discreet pallor contrasts with the harsh gold of the gas.
Two colorful little figures of lovers in the foreground” (van Gogh, 1888).
I wasn’t sure what “The Great Bear” was that Vincent was talking about, but according to http://www.souledout.org/nightsky/ursamajorandminor.html, it is also known more commonly as The Big Dipper. Sure enough, Vincent painted the big dipper in “The Starry Night Over the Rhone”.
November 02 2006 | Art and Letters of van Gogh and Painting and Starry Night over the Rhone and The Big Dipper and The Great Bear | No Comments »
