The Starry Night

The Starry Night is a beautiful painting by Vincent van Gogh. It shows a night sky with swirls, bright stars, and a big yellow moon. Below the sky is a quiet little village. It is one of the most loved paintings in the world.

Van Gogh's Life

Vincent van Gogh was a painter from the Netherlands. He painted The Starry Night in 1889. At the time, he was living in a hospital in the south of France. He painted the view from his window using his imagination too.

The old French building where Van Gogh painted The Starry Night.
The old French building where Van Gogh painted The Starry Night. (EmDee / Wikimedia Commons)

What Makes It Special

Van Gogh used thick paint and bright colors. The sky seems to move in swirls and curls. The stars glow in yellow and white. The painting shows how Van Gogh felt about the world.

Fun Facts

  • The Starry Night hangs in a museum in New York City called the Museum of Modern Art.
  • Van Gogh only sold a few paintings while he was alive.
  • The tall dark shape in the painting is a cypress tree.

Did You Know?

Van Gogh painted over 2,000 artworks in just ten years of painting.