The Starry Night is Vincent van Gogh’s oil painting on canvas that has been one of the most popular pieces out there. The post-impressionist artist created this masterpiece in June of 1889 and it shows the view from a window facing east from his room in the asylum of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. This was made right before the rise of the sun and a village in the background. New York City’s Museum of Modern Art has been the home for this work of art since 1941. This piece in considered one of Van Gogh’s greatest works and therefore, making it a great option for a tattoo.

The Starry Night tattoo is popular because of the history of the piece and that it was created by one of the most creative and artistic minds ever. In addition, it happens to be a beautiful image and if captured correctly by the tattoo artist, it can be a piece that any tattoo enthusiast would be excited about for many years to come.

In this post, we will talk about Van Gogh and his The Starry Night painting. We will address potential symbolism behind the piece and some different variations of the tattoo we have seen. We hope that by the end of this article you feel more comfortable with what The Starry Night tattoo means to the people that wear it and how can be placed on the body.

The Asylum

Vincent van Gogh famously had a break down and chopped off his left ear on December 23, 1888. After this event, Van Gogh voluntarily put himself in the asylum. This was almost like a retreat for the famous painter as the Saint Paul de Mausole lunatic asylum was a former monastery and only half full as it catered to the wealthy. Therefore, Van Gogh had two rooms. One to sleep in and one do work on his craft.

During his time in the asylum, Van Gogh put out some of his best work in his collection. Continually pumping out work, Van Gogh finished the blue self portrait in September of 1889. He finished the Irises from May of that year as well. Then he finished The Starry Night in mid-June. He wrote his brother to let him know that he had a new study of the starry sky he had been looking at.