Study suggests new date for Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'

Scientists believe they have pinpointed the specific celestial scene that inspired Vincent van Gogh's iconic 1889 painting, "The Starry Night," suggesting a new date for the masterpiece.

A South Korean research team reported their findings, indicating that the painting was inspired by the predawn sky over Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, around July 22, 1889. This date differs from the commonly accepted timeframe of June 1889, shortly after Van Gogh entered the asylum.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, proposes that Van Gogh's depiction of a crescent moon and Venus surrounded by swirling stars was not purely a product of imagination but rather a close observation of the night sky. Researchers analyzed the positioning of stars, the moon's phase, and even weather patterns to match the painting to a specific astronomical event.

Elijah Jeong-hyun Kim, CEO of a Seoul telescope maker and lead author of the study, traveled to France in 2019 to compare the current night sky with historical astronomical data. He noted significant differences between the skies in June and July, finding that the celestial arrangement in July more closely resembled the painting.

Physicist Jose Luis Aragon, who has studied "The Starry Night" but was not involved in the new research, described the July date as an intriguing hypothesis. He acknowledged that the painting might be a composite of multiple nights, but emphasized the broader implication: that Van Gogh was a keen observer of the actual sky.

Van Gogh's letters to his brother were also analyzed, with some references to cicadas suggesting the hotter July period. The researchers contend that Van Gogh may have experienced a seizure later in July, aligning with the proposed painting date.

The study's methods were tested on other paintings, leading Aragon to consider it a "careful and genuinely interdisciplinary study."