Astronomers Match Starry Night Sky to July 1889
Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic masterpiece The Starry Night using an actual morning sky visible from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence around July 22, 1889, according to new research from South Korean scientists. For decades, art historians maintained that the celestial arrangement in the 1889 canvas was purely a product of the artist’s imagination. Researchers reconstructed the morning skies of June and July 1889 using astronomical software, identifying an alignment of the moon, Venus, and the Hyades star cluster that matches the painting’s composition.
Researchers Trace the Saint-Rémy Vantage Point
The research team identified a ridge southwest of the asylum where Van Gogh stayed during his time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. GVA reported that investigator Elijah Jeong-hyun Kim stood on the exact spot the painter occupied 130 years prior to compare the terrain with an earlier sketch by the artist. By examining this sketch, the researchers determined that Van Gogh captured only a narrow frame of the physical landscape. Using software to simulate the morning skies for every day across June and July 1889, the team filtered for mornings where the moon sat above Venus within that specific narrow field of view. Out of every day in the two-month period, only three dates met the criteria, with July 22 coming closest to the configuration on the canvas.
Museum Curators Defend the Traditional June Dating
Experts at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam dispute the July 22 hypothesis, maintaining that the painting’s chronology is already firmly established. Scientias.nl reported that museum expert Teio Meedendorp pointed to a letter Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo around June 18, 1889, in which the artist described a new study of a starry sky. The museum stated that Van Gogh received a roll of canvas in early June and mailed a drawing of the composition to his brother on July 2. Museum representatives noted that Van Gogh suffered a severe mental crisis around July 22 that rendered painting impossible for more than a month, meaning the canvas was already completed weeks prior. A museum spokesperson told GVA that the artist did not concern himself with exact likenesses, making the positions of celestial bodies an unreliable basis for dating the work.
Researchers Clarify Van Gogh Painting Date and Celestial Bodies?
Did the researchers claim July 22 is the exact day Van Gogh finished the painting?
No, the researchers do not claim a precise painting date. Scientias.nl noted that investigator Elijah Jeong-hyun Kim acknowledged Van Gogh may have combined skies from multiple days or finished a canvas left over from earlier work.
What specific celestial bodies appear in both the painting and the July 1889 simulation?
Scientias.nl reported that a narrow crescent moon, the planet Venus, and the Hyades star cluster in the constellation Taurus stood close together shortly before sunrise on those July mornings, matching the arrangement on the canvas.
How do the researchers respond to the museum’s timeline regarding Van Gogh’s illness?
Scientias.nl reported that the researchers re-examined original correspondence and weather reports, concluding that Van Gogh’s severe illness episode likely began only at the very end of July, which clears an obstacle regarding the July 22 alignment.