Vincent van Gogh - Starry Night over the Rhone 1888
Oil on Canvas, 72.5 x 92cm - 28 x 36 Inches (approx)

One of several night scenes painted by the famous Dutch master. Van Gogh's star filled sky in Arles was done after his ealier success of the Cafe Terrace at Night and before the more famous "Starry Night" painting that now hangs in the New York Museum of Modern Art.

In a letter to his sister Wilhelmina, Van Gogh said "At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. And without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky."

The view is from the quay (a waterside street) on the east side of the Rhone, into the knee of the river towards the western shore: coming down from the north, the Rhone turns to the right at this point to surround the rocks on which Arles is built. From the towers of Saint-Julien and Saint-Trophime at the left, the spectator follows the east bank up to the iron bridge connecting Arles to the suburb of Trinquetaille on the right, western bank. This implies a view from Place Lamartine towards the south-west.

Source: wikipedia