3D Printing a Van Gogh

Starry Night (1889) by Vincent van Gogh is one of the most recognized and iconic paintings of the Impressionist movement, perhaps even Western history. Painted while van Gogh was in a French asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, it depicts the east-facing window of his room, just before sunrise. The eternally intriguing painting features an evocative sky with swirling clouds and blazing stars, above undulating blue-black mountains in the background, a cypress tree in the foreground, and an idealized village nestled sleepily in the mountainside. Custom Prototypes (Toronto, Canada) considered the painting's thick, expressive paint application and high relief were ideal elements to showcase the artistic capabilities of contemporary 3D printers.

Thus a 3D printed replica of Starry Night was created.

Analyzing a high resolution image of the painting, Custom Prototypes created a digital 3D model of the "primed" canvas. The group was able to recreate a textured digital model using a combination of picture editing and modeling software Photoshop, Solidworks, and Materialize Magics. They also decided to recreate a period frame for the "painting" by scanning an original 19th century Impressionist frame loaned by a local art dealer. A stereolithography 3D printer was instrumental in producing the artwork in six separate pieces.

Then the bare 3D printed "painting" needed to be painted! 

In partnership with a professional art restorer, Custom Prototypes painstakingly applied color and finishing processes to reproduce each point on the surface of the painting. Aging processes and a final varnish were applied to the painting and the frame was painted and trimmed with gold leaf to achieve a complete artistic effect.




The painting was unveiled at the 2016 Additive Manufacturing User Group conference where it won in the Advanced Finishing category of the Technical Competition.

3D printing is a fascinating innovation with limitless possibilities. On the other hand, although 3D printing a replica of a painting is a novel idea, it is not quite an option for everyone. Many will still prefer traditional canvas and paper ephemera for its classic feel and ease of accessibility.

At USAonCanvas, we offer a wide range of giclee and fine art printing options. Our classics gallery hosts hundreds of painting masterpieces, including Van Gogh's Starry Night. Select your favourite to reproduce with our quality giclee inks, have custom fitted to its own classically ornate frame, and finally showcased in your very own home - no stereolithography printers required!