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  "path": "/starry-night-view-painted-dozens-of-times",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-11T16:57:23.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.upworthy.com",
  "tags": [
    "Van gogh",
    "The starry night",
    "Starry night",
    "Painting",
    "Painters",
    "Art",
    "Artists",
    "Master painters",
    "Famous paintings",
    "France",
    "History",
    "Art history",
    "Vincent van gogh",
    "paintings",
    "discussed at length",
    "_Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear_",
    "Van Gogh Gallery",
    "earlier version",
    "letter",
    "pilgrimages"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nVincent van Gogh's _The Starry Night_ is widely considered one of the most renowned paintings of all time, often uttered in the same breath as _The Mona Lisa_ and _The Last Supper_ by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as Edvard Munch's _The Scream_ , among many others.\n\nIt has been discussed at length in both art history and pop culture, yet there are still plenty of mysteries for the casual fan to uncover about this incredible work of art.\n\n_____The Starry Night_ was painted while van Gogh was voluntarily staying at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. He checked himself in shortly after cutting off part of his own ear in late 1888 and famously painting his iconic _Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear_. He continued to experience mental health challenges after the incident and sought help in May 1889.\n\n\"The Starry Night\"Public domain/Wikimedia Commons\n\n _____The Starry Night_ is van Gogh's interpretation of the view from his room at the asylum. The Van Gogh Gallery notes, \"Van Gogh lived well in the hospital; he was allowed more freedoms than any of the other patients. If attended, he could leave the hospital grounds; he was allowed to paint, read, and withdraw into his own room. He was even given a studio.\"\n\nHe lived there for about a year and created countless works. Fascinatingly, he painted variations of the same view many times over in works that would go on to achieve only a fraction of _The Starry Night'_ s fame.\n\nHere are five lesser-known van Gogh paintings from nearly the same perspective as _The Starry Night_ :\n\n## 1. _Wheat Field with Cypresses_ (September 1889)\n\n_____Wheat Field with Cypresses_ was painted several months after van Gogh completed _The Starry Night_. The two works closely resemble one another, from the unique shapes of the cypress trees to the contours of the mountain range and the swirling clouds. Notably, this piece is painted in a much lighter palette than the darker tones van Gogh used earlier that summer, which the Van Gogh Gallery links to his struggles with mental health at the time. An earlier version of _Wheat Field with Cypresses_ was darker than the September version.\n\n\"Wheat Field with Cypresses\"Public domain/Wikimedia Commons\n\n## 2. _Mountainous Landscape Behind Saint-Paul Hospital_ (early 1889)\n\n_____Mountainous Landscape Behind Saint-Paul Hospital_ is a precursor to _The Starry Night_ , predating it by an unknown amount of time. The view, however, is nearly identical. The central rolling hill, which gives way to the oddly shaped mountain ridge, is a dead ringer for how the landscape appears in van Gogh's most famous work.\n\n\"Mountainous Landscape Behind Saint-Paul Hospital\"Public domain/Wikimedia Commons\n\n## 3. _At the Foot of the Mountains_ (June 1889)\n\nThis painting was completed shortly before van Gogh began _The Starry Night_ and offers a slightly different perspective. The sky is relatively cloudless, but the mountains are as distinctive as ever. The same, or a very similar, small cottage at the center of the painting shows up repeatedly in van Gogh's works from Saint-Rémy.\n\n\"At the Foot of the Mountains\"Public domain/Wikimedia Commons\n\n## 4. _Wheat Field with Reaper and Sun_ (June 1889)\n\nHere's a similar scene done closer to sunrise, casting a golden hue over the familiar landscape. Van Gogh would go on to paint the same reaper several more times. During this period, he repeatedly created studies of the same scenes and revisited them from multiple angles.\n\n\"Wheat Field with Reaper and Sun\"Public domain/Wikimedia Commons\n\n## 5. _Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background_ (June 1889)\n\nWhat's fascinating about this one, besides showing an alternative perspective on the view from _The Starry Night_ , is that it represents one of van Gogh's greatest achievements. In a letter to his brother, the artist admitted that he found olive trees \"too beautiful for me to dare paint.\"\n\nAt the asylum, he had plenty of time on his hands and finally worked up the courage to give it a try.\n\n\"The olive trees are very characteristic, and I'm struggling to capture that,\" he wrote. \"It's silver, sometimes more blue, sometimes greenish, bronzed, whitening on ground that is yellow, pink, purplish or orangeish to dull red ochre. But very difficult, very difficult.\"\n\n\"Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background\"Public domain/Wikimedia Commons\n\nSeeing van Gogh's many attempts and perspectives during his stay at the asylum, and how his techniques and use of color evolved over time, is fascinating and adds texture and meaning to _The Starry Night_.\n\nIt's no wonder art lovers continue to make pilgrimages to Saint-Rémy to take in the views for themselves. Visitors can even tour van Gogh's room and look out the very same window on a guided visit. While some of the scenery has changed, the landscape is very much the same. It really gives you a whole new appreciation for how he captured the magic of the mountains and sky and created something that continues to move people more than 125 years later.",
  "title": "Van Gogh painted his 'Starry Night' view dozens of times. Here are 5 most people have never seen."
}