Van Gogh’s fascination with the night sky and stars was never more evident than in the three paintings he made in September 1888: Starry Night over the Rhône, Café Terrace at Night, and Portrait of Eugene Boch. Brightly lit houses, illuminating stars and light reflections on the water combine to create a mystical atmosphere.
In a letter to his sister Wil, Van Gogh wrote, “At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue forget-me-not brilliance. And without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky.”