Scientists reveal the atmospheric physics behind Van Gogh’s Starry Night

The legendary masterpiece is much more than just a beautiful painting.

TL;DR

Researchers from China and France analyzed Van Gogh’s Starry Night and found remarkable scientific accuracy in the depiction of atmospheric turbulence. By comparing key shapes in the painting to Kolmogorov’s theory and analyzing luminance as kinetic energy, they revealed Van Gogh’s intuitive grasp of natural phenomena. The brightness in the painting even aligns with Batchelor’s scaling, a rare occurrence in real atmospheric conditions. Whether through observation or an innate understanding, Van Gogh’s 1889 masterpiece perfectly captures the dynamic movement of the sky.


Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night is universally recognized not only for its beauty but also for how it captures the essence of a clear night sky. While Van Gogh is often considered a post-impressionist, a style that builds on many impressionist techniques, this particular painting stands out for how it conveys emotion. The swirling patterns in the sky seem to resonate with the viewer, evoking the feeling of the night itself.

In fact, this emotional depth in Starry Night has led scientists to investigate how closely Van Gogh’s swirling brushstrokes reflect actual atmospheric physics. A recent study by researchers from China and France, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, delves into this very topic.

The team’s focus was to explore how Van Gogh’s use of brush strokes might mirror atmospheric turbulence—chaotic movements in the air often caused by temperature differences that affect everything from water vapor to light particles. Remarkably, the findings suggest that Van Gogh had an “intuitive understanding of natural phenomena,” as stated by Yongxiang Huang, one of the study’s authors.

To arrive at this conclusion, the researchers compared 14 key shapes in the painting with Kolmogorov’s theory, which explains how energy flows from larger patterns to smaller ones. At its core, this theory asserts that the influence of the initial large swirl diminishes as the energy cascades down to the smaller swirls.

However, the study didn’t stop at simply comparing shapes. According to the press release, the team also analyzed the “relative brightness, or luminance, of the varying paint colors as a stand-in for the kinetic energy of physical movement,” offering a deeper layer of insight into the painting.

On this level, the team uncovered another fascinating correlation: the brightness levels in Starry Night aligned with Batchelor’s scaling, a framework that describes energy transfer on very small scales. Finding both Batchelor’s scaling and Kolmogorov’s theory in a single work of art thrilled the researchers, as it’s rare to observe both in the atmosphere.

It may not be unexpected for scientists focused on atmospheric physics to see parallels in a masterpiece like Starry Night. But how did Van Gogh come to represent turbulence so accurately? According to Huang, it may have stemmed from studying cloud movement and the atmosphere or from an inherent ability to depict the dynamic nature of the sky.

Either way, capturing such complex motion, especially in a painting from 1889, is truly extraordinary. It’s yet another reason to marvel at the mesmerizing swirls of Starry Night.

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kane
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kane
1 month ago

As an illustrator, myself, I know I have an innate ability to see proportions. It is training the eye to see balance. When I look at two items on a Table, and need to set them equal distances from the edge of the table or in balance with other items, I can do it within minute measurements without using a measure of any kind.

kane
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kane
1 month ago

Don McLean wrote the song Vincent about Van Gogh. What a beautiful song it is

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