My Starry Night

Recently, I woke myself up talking in my sleep. I dreamt I was in the yard of a cottage we owned when I was a child, looking up the Milky Way in a night sky filled with stars. I was filled with a sense of wonder and calm. Out loud, I said to my dead father, who had bought the cottage before he died. “Thank You, Daddy, I have loved this so much.” When I woke up, I realized I had been dreaming, but it had felt as though I was really there, the memory was so vivid.

Starry skies have been filling artists with wonder for centuries. The most famous and commercial is by Van Gogh. This image can be found on everything from scarves to umbrellas, shower curtains and kindle cases. I have them all:)

Imagine Van Gogh In December of 2019 while Christmas Shopping in Montreal, I literally stumbled across an immersive exhibition of the works of Van Gogh at a former navy shipyard that had been converted into the Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal. I had not heard of it, but noticed signs for it in the city. On line, the timed entry tickets were sold out, but we went over anyway and we were able to pick up a ticket at the door.

It was an experience unlike any I had ever had before. Images of of 200 works by Van Gogh were projected onto 3D shapes, the walls, the ceiling, the floor. To walk among Van Gogh’s paintings accompanied by music was extraordinary.

Now, there are not one, but two immersive Van Gogh Exhibits. The original, which I saw in Montreal, is touring Canada and coming to the south end of Boston. The other, Van Gogh Expo is now coming to a city near you in to be announced locations, but tickets are on sale. Described as a digital show with light and sound that will feature projection of 8 pieces in 20,000 SF. Both feature Starry Night.

Like many others, I purchased tickets to Van Gogh Expo, thinking it was Imagine Van Gogh. I guess I will end up going to both in December of 2021.

Imagine Van Gogh – the original

Van Gogh Expo

Now, for something completely different, you can create your own starry night music video for any date and location of your choosing, with custom messaging, thanks to Matt Russo and Andrew Santaguida, an astrophysicist and a musician respectively.

I came across their web site while scrolling this week and it is pretty magical. I made one for an upcoming anniversary date, that the website will send to my appointed recipient on the date of my choosing, with my message. The end result is like a short meditative moment, that also left me with a sense of calm.

Click below to make your own Starry Night and see a sample video.

My Starry Night Web Site 

While I was writing this post, I listened to Don McLean’s song Vincent, I’ve put the Spotify link below.

Don Maclean – ( Vincent )

There is also a You Tube Video of this song with Lyrics out there.

You Tube Video

Last, but not least, is another starry night from Millet, a member of the Barbizon school, which is mostly astronomically accurate. Millet wrote of the night time sky’s calm and grandeur that left him feeling overwhelmed at times. Many of us share these sentiments. It is a painting that didn’t appear for sale until after his death. It is part of Yale University’s permanent collection.

Yale Art Gallery Link

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