The most famous painting by Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is no doubt The Starry Night, which he produced in June 1889. A vibrant picture rendered in expressive, short brushstrokes, it portrays both cypress trees and flames rising up into a nighttime sky full of stars. The artist set himself the seemingly paradoxical task of depicting night by means of light, even though, by all appearances, the lack of light is precisely what distinguishes night from day. In pursuing this endeavor, he adhered to the Impressionist technique of “translating” light into mixtures of colors. At the same time, he attempted to give “his” works a very personal, metaphorical meaning far beyond superficial visual appearances.

Both of Van Gogh’s artistic ideas are united in his enormously appealing nocturnal images—paintings and drawings alike. This volume offers a comprehensive survey of all of his nighttime landscapes and interiors from all phases of his oeuvre, in which the artist demonstrates his mastery in rendering the effects of natural and artificial light on the surrounding world.

Exhibition schedule:Museum of Modern Art , New York, September 21, 2008–January 5, 2009 · Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, February 13–June 7, 2009