The South Koreans are studying Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, what does it depict?

South Korean astronomers have concluded that Vincent van Gogh likely painted The Starry Night based on the actual night sky over southern France around July 22, 1889. This finding challenges the long-held belief among art historians that the masterpiece was created in June of that year. The research, published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, utilizes astronomical simulations and historical records to suggest the painting depicts real celestial arrangements rather than purely imaginative elements. The study was led by Elijah Jeong-hyun Kim, a director at a Seoul-based telescope manufacturing firm and a doctoral student at Kyung Hee University. His team included researchers from the space technology company SLLAB. Kim initiated the investigation because he doubted previous interpretations identifying the Aries constellation in the artwork. He argued that the stars comprising Aries are relatively faint and unlikely to inspire such a vivid depiction for an observer. Suspecting the painting might instead feature the Pleiades star cluster within the constellation Taurus, the team began verifying astronomical conditions corresponding to the painting’s creation. Art historians have traditionally dated The Starry Night to mid-June 1889. This dating relies primarily on letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo around June 18, in which he mentioned a new study of the starry sky. However, the new research points to inconsistencies between this timeline and the visual evidence in the canvas. In mid-June 1889, the moon was nearly full, whereas Van Gogh depicted it as a thin crescent. Furthermore, the specific arrangement of bright stars visible before dawn in June does not align with the patterns shown in the painting. To test these hypotheses, the researchers reconstructed the sky over Saint-Rémy-de-Provence using astronomical software. They focused on the area southwest of the asylum where Van Gogh resided during his recovery from mental health crises. The team determined that the predawn sky on July 22, 1889, offers the closest match to the artwork. On that date, a thin lunar crescent, the planet Venus, and the Hyades star cluster were visible in positions consistent with the painting. Weather analysis indicated clear skies, allowing for observation. Kim visited Saint-Rémy in 2019, traveling there in mid-June and again around July 22. He noted distinct differences in the visibility of bright stars between the two periods, observing prominent stars in July that were absent during his June visit. The team employed a mathematical method to compare the distribution of five prominent stars in the center of the painting against known stellar clusters. This technique accounts for variations in size, position, and rotation, enabling a comparison of point distributions regardless of artistic stylization. The alignment with the Hyades cluster, which forms a distinctive V-shape, proved compelling. The researchers applied a similar methodology to Van Gogh’s 1888 painting Café Terrace at Night, where they identified the pattern of the Summer Triangle. Despite the strong correlations, scientists caution that the findings remain a hypothesis rather than definitive proof. Van Gogh was not a photographic recorder of nature but an artist who adapted motifs to fit his style and emotional experience. José Luis Aragón, a physicist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico who studies the painting but was not part of this team, noted that while the study offers a careful interdisciplinary approach, the moon’s appearance in mid-June indeed failed to match the thin crescent in the work. Aragón emphasized that Van Gogh worked in a studio within the asylum, relying on sketches and memory. Consequently, the sky in the painting may combine observations from multiple nights. Kim acknowledged that Van Gogh might have conceived the idea in June but completed the work after observing the sky in July. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam stated that the artist did not aim for accurate depictions of celestial bodies, meaning the positions of objects in the painting should not be taken as literal records. The research team also re-examined Van Gogh’s correspondence and historical weather logs. They found references to cicadas in the letters that support a July timeframe. Additionally, their analysis suggests that a seizure often associated with that period may have occurred later than previously thought, potentially extending the window during which Van Gogh could have painted. The painting itself shows a swirling night sky above a village and dark cypress silhouettes. It was created while Van Gogh was confined to the Saint-Paul psychiatric institution in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He had entered the facility in May 1889, following an incident where he severed part of his left ear during an argument with painter Paul Gauguin. During his stay, he was prohibited from leaving the grounds. To recreate the star-filled sky, he relied on memories of evenings in Provence. The Starry Night stands as one of his final major works, produced just before his death by suicide in 1890 at the age of 37. The MoMA in New York holds the painting and currently dates its creation to mid-June 1889. The new study implies that the artist followed the real night sky more precisely than previously assumed, despite the highly stylized representation. Kim expressed confidence in the July 22 date, stating he would bet on it, though he admitted that scenes from days immediately preceding or following that date could also have served as inspiration.