The Colours of the Night

The night can be romantic, mystical or even frightening - and it always exerts a great attraction on people. "Aside I turn to the holy, unspeakable, mysterious night", the writer and philosopher Novalis once described the fascination that emanates from the night. Poets, writers and, of course, painters have always been inspired by the night, the stars and the (full) moon for their works. They were inspired both by the strong symbolic power of the luminous celestial bodies and by the atmosphere created by the unique light conditions.

The night was a particularly important theme for the painters of the Romantic period. It also served as a motif in the art of the 19th and 20th centuries, for example, in the works of Paul Klee or Marc Chagall. Vincent van Gogh was particularly fascinated by the starry sky in Arles, France, in 1888, which he later depicted in various paintings. In a letter, he described the nocturnal scenery with the words: "It often seems to me that the night is even more colourful than the day."

You can find motifs on the theme of "Colours of the Night" at ars mundi here...