The lunar eclipse and the dawn of astrophysics in van Gogh's masterpieces
Edvige Corbelli

TL;DR
This paper explores how van Gogh's paintings reflect his awareness of 19th-century astrophysics, highlighting astronomical events like lunar eclipses and planetary conjunctions depicted in his masterpieces.
Contribution
It presents new evidence linking van Gogh's artworks to specific celestial phenomena and discusses the influence of 19th-century astrophysical discoveries on his artistic vision.
Findings
Identification of lunar eclipse and planetary conjunctions in van Gogh's paintings
Analysis of celestial elements indicating astrophysical knowledge
Connection between van Gogh's artistic evolution and astronomical events
Abstract
When visiting the Museum of Modern Art's special exhibit ''van Gogh and the Colors of the Night (New York, USA, 2008)'' I was impressed by the artist's effort to paint and write about landscapes and life scenes at night. At the same time a clear contrast emerged between the colored Starry Night paint and the darkness or twilight in his earlier production. Since then, while revising van Gogh's artistic production and reading his letters I have come to the conclusion that his work was not only driven by the poetry of the night but also by his awareness of the dawn of astrophysics in the 19th century. A change in the way the artist conceived the sky after his stay in Paris is evident in his later work with the skies becoming more dynamic and rich in colors. In this paper I am presenting new elements in van Gogh's masterpieces that refer to astronomical events visible from France in 1889…
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Taxonomy
TopicsHistory of Science and Natural History · History and Developments in Astronomy · Science Education and Perceptions
