The artwork “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, completed in 1888 in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, is an ink-on-paper sketch belonging to the Post-Impressionism art movement. Classified under the genre of a sketch and study, this piece exemplifies the preliminary exploration and conceptual groundwork that Van Gogh often undertook before crafting his more renowned oil paintings.
The artwork features a nightscape dominated by a swirling, vibrant sky full of bright stars over a town. The stars, rendered with expressive lines and hatching, create a sense of motion and luminosity. The serene townscape beneath is bathed in subtle lights, reflecting Van Gogh’s characteristic stylization. In the foreground, along a dotted terrain, two figures can be seen, evoking a sense of companionship under the night sky. The ink lines vary in density and direction, emphasizing the contrast between the dynamic celestial display and the more structured, quiet town below.
