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Why did Vincent van Gogh consider The Starry Night unsuccessful?
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Vincent van Gogh
Self-Portrait, oil on artist's board on cradled panel by Vincent van Gogh, 1887; in the Art Institute of Chicago.
Vincent van Gogh considered The Starry Night to be a failure primarily because he was an artist who strongly preferred working from direct observation of his subjects.12
During his stay at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, he was prohibited from painting in his bedroom, where he observed the night sky. Consequently, he was forced to render the scene from memory and imagination, a practice he felt ambivalent about. Furthermore, his brother, Theo van Gogh, provided critical feedback, suggesting that the painting prioritized style over substance.12