A fascinating book, deep and poetic. — France Inter

A pictorial and astronomic investigation that is not lacking in charm. — Le Monde

An enchanting blend of biography, art history, science and poetry. — Marianne

Not only a beautiful object-book, but an absolutely fascinating literary work. —La Provence

On February 20, 1888, at the age of 35, Vincent van Gogh, the man from the north, settled in Arles. It was winter, but he discovered the Provençal light, dazzling by day and night. Astonished by the clarity of the sky, this astronomy enthusiast was drawn into a new project: painting the sky. Even though he was intimidated by the subject, he especially wanted to paint a starry sky. Because “The night is even more richly colored than the day,” he wrote. Some of his greatest masterpieces would emerge from this project: Café Terrace at Night in Arles, Starry Night Over the Rhône, The Starry Night from Saint Rémy de Provence… Are the stars in these paintings arranged randomly, or do they correspond to an actual configuration of the night sky?

This question, which intrigues Jean-Pierre Luminet, writer and astrophysicist passionate about the arts, is not just a matter of biographical curiosity; it also touches on the fundamental vision of the painter. Van Gogh always emphasized his desire to demonstrate a certain realism in his pictorial transposition: “I immensely enjoy painting the night on the spot… to paint the thing immediately,” he wrote in another letter. This debate (should one paint from nature or imagination) was so serious that it caused a rift between Gauguin and Van Gogh (and the ensuing ear mutilation and madness crisis for the latter).

Between biography, art history, science, and poetry, moving to the exact places where Van Gogh painted, consulting the works of some predecessors (mostly to contradict them), and using astronomical reconstruction software, Jean-Pierre Luminet conducted the investigation. Through extensive cross-referencing, he established that the sky portions depicted in the paintings always correspond to reality. But sometimes, for purely artistic reasons, Van Gogh made things more complex. As Jean-Pierre Luminet establishes with fascinating insight, Van Gogh sometimes created composites or blended precise observation, imagination, and memory… In this way, he revolutionized the canons and foreshadowed the future developments of his art, towards cubism, surrealism, abstraction. This captivating book demonstrates just that.

• For lovers of painting and Van Gogh enthusiasts: often relying on his correspondence, Jean-Pierre Luminet brings us close to the man, his passion, his doubts, his poignant quest.
• For lovers of stars: this book skillfully blends an artistic and poetic subject with a scientific one.
• The book has the appeal of an investigation, where the author’s deep involvement is palpable.