Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Not only is this one of the most famous and well-loved paintings of modern culture, not to mention pop culture, for the art world in particular, Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh holds a one-of-a-kind place in the hearts of those who love it. But what could possibly be the reason behind this great admiration? No one knows for sure, that's part of the mystery. But one reason is certainly the fact that no one can claim to "understand" this enigmatic and beautiful work of art.

On the one hand, everyone who loves Starry Night seems magically drawn to it yet strangely, no one feels intimidated by it or compelled by some deep inner need to have to explain why. It speaks directly to the eyes of the beholder and the eyes like what they see, it's that simple. And perhaps that also explains why it is that Starry Night is also one of the most replicated and highly merchandized images ever known.

When looking into van Gogh's troubled, ecstatic life, Starry Night is perhaps his most famous representation of agony and ecstasy, his highly symbolic attempt to render what he saw as something much grander, something even religious behind the natural world which other artists of his era chose to depict with "mere" representational painting. That the mad Dutchman succeeded in a big way might be clear to us now, but you should not forget the fact that this was definitely not the case when he lived. When considering the trials and tribulations of Vincent van Gogh, you must remember that this is an artist who only sold one painting during his entire lifetime.

But van Gogh wasn't interested in money, of course. The symbolic (religious?) approach he followed in southern France in the 1880s was one that had repercussions throughout the art word he could have never foreseen. His style clearly influenced the later Fauve and Expressionist movements in the coming century and certain works among his legacy, Starry Night included of course, are of such an enduring and breathtaking beauty that they are rightly classed as being among the greatest achievements of modern art.

As an expert in the field has said, no one really knows whether van Gogh intended Starry Night to be seen his own chaotic and apocalyptic vision of the universe, a religious celebration of the natural world, or perhaps a manic expression of what he may have seen to be as nature's indifference to man. But, again, no one really cares in the end. The important thing is to see, to "experience" this painting at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Then you will understand all you need to understand about it, that Starry Night is like nothing else you will find in art.