Which tree stands prominently in the left foreground of 'The Starry Night'?

Which tree stands prominently in the left foreground of “The Starry Night”? The answer is a cypress tree.

The tall, dark cypress rises from the left foreground and forms a strong vertical counterpoint to the horizontal village and rolling hills. Its flame-like outline contrasts with the circular motions of the sky, helping guide the viewer’s eye upward through the composition.

Van Gogh painted numerous cypress trees during his stay at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole near Saint-Rémy in 1889. He was fascinated by their shape and wrote to his brother Theo that he wanted to make something with cypresses comparable to his celebrated sunflower paintings.

Cypresses were sometimes associated with mourning or death in European and Mediterranean traditions, leading commentators to interpret the tree symbolically. However, Van Gogh’s letters also show a strong interest in its color, form, and visual power. The tree is therefore identifiable with confidence, even though its precise symbolic meaning remains debated.