The enduring fascination with Vincent van Gogh's masterpiece, "The Starry Night," draws crowds to galleries worldwide, prompting questions about the artist's life, his struggles with mental health, and the ultimate reasons behind his fame. These questions are illuminated by the recently publicized diaries and letters of Jo van Gogh-Bonger, the sister-in-law of the artist and wife of his brother, Theo.
Van Gogh painted "The Starry Night" in June 1889 while a patient at a mental asylum in the south of France. The painting is not a direct depiction of a specific location but rather a composite of elements Van Gogh had observed, including a village, the moon, hills, and a cypress tree. He had written that the sight of stars always made him dream.
The artist's tumultuous life and career have long been a subject of public interest. Van Gogh created over 800 paintings and 700 drawings in a decade, seeking financial independence and commercial success, yet he sold only one painting, "Red Vineyard at Arles," during his lifetime. He died by suicide in July 1890 at the age of 37, following a period of despair over his perceived failure as an artist and a man. Six months later, his brother Theo died, leaving Jo as a young widow with an infant son and an inheritance of more than 400 of Vincent's paintings.
These works, now considered masterpieces, were viewed at the time as the unpolished creations of a troubled individual and were commercially worthless. However, Jo van Gogh-Bonger, despite lacking formal art training, recognized Vincent's genius. She inherited not only the paintings but also hundreds of letters exchanged between Vincent and Theo. These letters, which she diligently published in a three-volume book in 1914, revealed Vincent's compassion, intelligence, and the close bond he shared with his brother. This publication is now considered a crucial work in art history.
Family dynamics also appear to have played a role in Van Gogh's most infamous act of self-harm: cutting off his ear. This incident is believed by some experts to have occurred on the same day Vincent learned of Theo and Jo's engagement, potentially triggering fears that Theo might abandon him. The artist also experienced distress following a visit with Theo and Jo in Paris, during which Theo contemplated leaving his job to start his own business, causing financial uncertainty for the family. Vincent, feeling like a burden, left abruptly.
Jo van Gogh-Bonger dedicated 30 years of her life to promoting Vincent's work and story, tirelessly organizing exhibitions and lobbying critics. She championed his art in Holland, Germany, France, England, and America. Interestingly, neither Vincent, Theo, nor Jo considered "The Starry Night" among Vincent's best works. He did not sign it, and Theo critically noted that "the search for style takes away the real sentiment of things" in reference to it. Van Gogh himself considered it a mistake, writing that he had "had enough of that" with stars that were "too big."
Jo sold "The Starry Night" early on but briefly reacquired it for a major exhibition in Amsterdam in 1905. The painting changed hands two more times before the Museum of Modern Art acquired it in 1941, by which time it had acquired the title "The Starry Night," a name that has endured. As the author Joan Martelli concludes, "There is a world of personal stories behind the paintings of Vincent van Gogh, and they reaffirm an old adage: we can’t separate the art from the artist."