As we look at the balance between natural and artificial light in Starry Night (Provence 1889) we realize that artificial light exists only as indistinguishable spots on the horizon. Van Gogh is now farther away from the café than he has ever been, and his focus, as is manifested in his painting, is on the calming influence of the outdoors. If we examine this painting in terms of artificial light versus natural light, we may assume that Van Gogh’s struggle to resist the artificial temptations of the café is complete because the focus of the painting is the stars as it includes only miniscule dots of artificial light in the background. This assumption, however, is misguided. The preponderance of natural light, and Van Gogh’s focus on the stars, in Starry Night, do not indicate that Van Gogh had conquered his battle to resist the artificial pleasures of the café. We know this, not only because artificial light still exists in the painting but also because Van Gogh explains his inability to fully conquer his attraction to the café as he says, “though I have changed, I am the same” (qtd. Blumer). This passage reveals to us that Van Gogh was unable to escape the cafés’ artifice that tormented him there. Van Gogh was the same person with the same struggle to find peace, but he was a changed in that he was determined to pursue a sense of calm through the purity of the outdoors. Van Gogh confirms his words in Starry Night, as he literally manifests the hope that exists for his pursuit of a perpetual calming influence in the stars in the sky.