12. The Starry Night
Thanks to its thick, heavy paint and post-impressionist style, The Starry Night is instantly recognizable as the work of the Dutch post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh. The Starry Night is oil on canvas. Pigment analysis has found the painting is mostly comprised of ultramarine and cobalt blue, with the rare pigment Indian yellow being combined with zinc yellow to create the celestial bodies.
The Starry Night was painted in 1889 while van Gogh was in a mental asylum following the breakdown with culminated in the infamous mutilation of his left ear. Following the decline, he admitted himself willingly to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole lunatic asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. Since the shelter catered only to the wealthy, it was rarely full and Van Gogh had an entire studio space to himself during his convalescence.
Despite being born to a moderately wealthy family, van Gogh embodied the starving artist during his lifetime. He survived on money sent to him by his brother, Theo, and spent the vast majority of it on art supplies rather than food. The notorious artist ate so poorly that his teeth became loose and painful due to malnutrition. He also drank heavily which no doubt contributed to his eventual mental breakdown and hospitalization. Tragically, van Gogh died at only 37 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
