NIGHT LIGHTS
Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night (1889; oil on canvas,
28¾ x36¹⁄₅ ) is one of the most recognized paintings in the world.
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK
James Abbott McNeill Whistler borrowed the musical term “nocturne” to title his
evocative night scenes, such as Nocturne: Blue and Gold—Southampton
Water (1872; oil on canvas, 19⅞ x29^1 ⁵⁄₁ 6 ).
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGOIt’s unclear what light
source illuminates the
foreground fi gures in
The Company of
Frans Banning Cocq
and Willem van
Ruytenburgh, better
known as The Night
Watch (1642; oil on
canvas, 149²⁄₅x178½ )
by Rembrant van Rijn.
RIJKSMUSEUM, AMSTERDAMThe challenge of limited illumination in a nighttime scene hasn't prevented artists
from taking up the subject, as seen in these notable examples from art history.
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