Van Gogh’s The Starry Night closely resembles turbulence seen in nature – study

Van Gogh created the famous artwork in 1889 while he was staying at an asylum near Saint-Remy-de-Provence in southern France

Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Picture: Alamy/AP

The whirling shapes in Vincent van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night closely resemble real turbulence, as seen in swirling water or smoke from a chimney, according to scientists.

Researchers said the Dutch master’s work “reveals a deep and intuitive understanding of natural phenomena”, which he may have learned by “studying the movement of clouds and the atmosphere”.