But the swirling skies in his masterpiece might be more than a projection of his inner turmoil. According to a new study, van Gogh’s depiction of the night sky is an uncannily accurate representation of a complex physical phenomenon: turbulence.

When Vincent van Gogh painted “ The Starry Night ” 135 years ago, he captured a subjective feeling about the heavens. But, as it turns out, real science is also reflected in the iconic piece, a new study reveals about his brushstrokes.

The swirling colors and flowing brushstrokes of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night have secured the painting (and its artist) a place among the all-time greats. As a piece of art, Starry Night is undeniably beautiful, but beauty alone is often not enough to keep a painting so cemented in the minds and hearts of the public.

Van Gogh’s brushstrokes in “The Starry Night” create an illusion of sky movement so convincing it led researchers to wonder how closely it aligns with the physics of real skies. Marine sciences and fluid dynamics specialists analyzed the painting to uncover what they call the hidden turbulence in the artwork.

Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting The Starry Night is renowned for its swirling blue skies and luminous yellow stars.

A new analysis of the brushstrokes and colors in Vincent van Gogh's famous painting Starry Night reveals a striking similarity to "hidden turbulence" in Earth's atmosphere, suggesting the iconic artist had a surprisingly detailed understanding of natural processes.

A new study suggests Vincent van Gogh showed a deep, intuitive understanding of the mathematical structure of turbulence in his painting “The Starry Night.”