Võib-olla maalis van Gogh spiraalgalaktikat?

Vincent van Gogh on oma maalil "Tähisöö" (juuni 1889) väidetavalt kujutanud vaimuhaigla aknast nähtud taevast. Maal asub New Yorgi moodsa kunsti muuseumis.

Psühhiaatrite sõnul väljendas kunstnik hoogsates spiraalides endas olnud segadust. USA kunstnik ja fotograaf Michael Benson pakkus hiljuti oma raamatus aga välja tõlgenduse, mille kohaselt kujutas van Gogh Maast kaugel olevat spiraalgalaktikat Messier 51a, mille avastas 19. sajandi keskel Iiri astronoom William Parsons.

Bensonile on eelnenud samalaadseid arvamusi, millest kirjutab Daily Mail (2. veebr 2015):

"June last year, Dr Omar Nasim, a Newton International Fellow at Oxford University’s Faculty of History, provided his own context and insight into the connection in his book Observing by Hand.
'The Whirlpool Galaxy can clearly be seen at the centre of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, which seems to have been inspired by the artist’s knowledge of Camille Flammarion, a French writer who popularised Rosse’s vision,’ he said.
‘Flammarion described astronomical objects floating, as though “lost in the depths of the sky”, and was moved by the awe and terror they evoked “even in a cold engraving”.
'Van Gogh wrote of a similar sense of wonder shortly before he painted Starry Night.
'He paints the night sky as though newly discovered astronomical phenomena could be seen with the naked eye, expanding human imagination and perception by lending the viewer "telescopic eyes".'"

Allikas:
"Is van Gogh's Starry Night a painting of GALAXIES? Bright swirls are based on distant cosmic spirals, claims expert"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2936365/Is-van-Gogh-s-Starry-Night-painting-GALAXIES-Bright-swirls-based-distant-cosmic-spirals-claims-expert.html