Beneath a starry night: Celebrating Van Gogh's 162nd birthday

[Photo/Xinhua]

The Starry Night

Even if you are not familiar with Vincent Van Gogh, you will be familiar with at least one of his paintings—The Starry Night. Van Gogh painted it in the Saint-Remy asylum in 1889 and it is now considered the peak of his artistic achievement.

At first glance, a night sky is filled with swirling clouds, an array of stars ablaze with their own luminescence, and a bright crescent moon leaps to the eyes. Next our attention may shift to the small town at the bottom of the painting. The steeple of a church stands out from other small buildings but also creates a sense of seclusion. To the left of the painting there is a massive dark structure that develops an even greater sense of isolation. In general, the cool dark colors and the fiery windows inspire our childhood imagination of what exists in the dark starry skies.