The Van Gogh Starry Night is a late work, but if little remains of an Impressionist character in its technique, there is still some in its nocturnal illumination, its truth, and its moving comprehension of nature as transcended by an exceptional temperament. This night Impressionism extends that of Whistler and of Degas. But the picture goes still further. In its blues and greens, its brilliance of golden stars, it contains the mystery of all creation.
Its awesome grandeur and turbulent starlight seem to reflect Van Gogh’s feelings that he was only an instrument in the creative process of the universe. In a letter to Théo he wrote: “That is the eternal question, is life all that there is of life or do we only know one hemisphere before our death? Speaking for myself I have no idea what the answer is but the sight of the stars always starts me thinking”.
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