Scientists discover real-world physics 'hidden' in Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night

[Judi Lynn]

Legendary artist captured physics of atmosphere with ‘surprising accuracy’, researchers say

Vishwam Sankaran
Sunday 29 September 2024 07:35

Vincent van Gogh’s iconic painting The Starry Night depicts the precise real-world physics behind cloud and air movement in the sky, according to a new study which says the legendary artist had an intuitive understanding of the natural world.

The painting, made in June 1889, has enamoured millions for over a century with its depiction of a swirling blue sky, yellow moon, and stars using an explosion of colours and shapes.

Each star in the legendary painting is encapsulated in ripples of yellow, gleaming with light-like reflections on water.

The troubled artist’s pioneering brushstrokes create an illusion of sky movement.

Now, scientists have analyzed van Gogh’s painting to uncover what they call the “hidden turbulence” in the painter’s depiction of the sky.



Scientists analyse spacing of brush strokes in van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ (Yinxiang Ma)

More:
https://www.the-independent.com/news/science/starry-night-vincent-van-gogh-physics-b2620813.html

[ailsagirl]

1. Fascinating!! Thanks for posting n/t

[EarnestPutz]

2. Thanks, Judi, as usual very interesting.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Art begins with seeing. I suspect he may have seen a hint of something

Craziness is more than a spectrum, it has many aspects and facets.

Some kinds of craziness include autistic aspects. For artists, that can sometimes manifest itself in lengthy intense sessions of observing.

[Figarosmom]

4. The turbulence wasnt hidden

It was right there. It was the rhythm of the painting.

[niyad]

5. KNR, as always, for these fascinating finds. Leonard Shlain's book, "Art and Physics:

Parallel Visions in Space, Time, and Light" (2007), talked about how art frequently heralded discoveries in science.

Another book of his that I found fascinating was "Alphabet vs The Goddess" which talked about how we went from a holistic, image-based way of thinking and seeing the world to the transition to a written, therefore linear, concrete view (even though the Goddess cultures did, in fact, invent writing and recordkeeping).

[NJCher]

6. Synching with nature would be my theory

They found that some of the laws that apply in the physics of real skies also apply in the artist’s depiction.


Since you can’t really “see” air, I’d go with a slightly different explanation. Being a gardener and being so connected to my plants, I think he connected with nature on a very deep but subconscious level.

How does this express itself, like what Van Gogh did? In my case I was telling students about a particular kind of pest and how to spot it when it lay its eggs. A student said he wished he could see what it looked like.

Without even thinking, I said sure and walked to one of hundreds of plants in this garden. I flipped the leaf over and there were the eggs. I showed the students.

Later a student asked how I knew where to find the pest and its eggs. I didn’t know how to answer.

Similarly, I think Van Gogh felt out the air currents.Just in tune with nature.