Vincent van Gogh, "Starry Night Over the Rhône," 1888

This painting was created during a joyful and creatively rich period in Van Gogh’s life. He was living in the historic French town of Arles, having retreated from hardship and anxiety into a cherished yellow house near the riverbank. There, he continued to paint prolifically, often working in the impressionistic *alla prima* technique—completing works in a single session.

"Starry Night Over the Rhône" was painted exactly this way—en plein air, in one sitting, in 1888.

Bright Bits