With its incomparable orange color, the crescent moon seems to take on the appearance of the sun. The contrast of light and dark emphasizes the motion in the clouds and lures attention to the cosmos. The fiery yellow stars that look like huge fireballs illuminate this whole piece and contrast with the cool blue, flowing night sky that takes on an amazing variety of shades of blue and gray. .
Cypress Tree.
The massive and dark cypress stump, which lies in the foreground, aids in the stabilization of focalizing the eyes to the displayed canvas as a whole. It dulls the dazzling effect of the night sky with its intertwining, dark leaves weaving up the left sector of the depicted countryside. Dividing itself from the rest of the painting, it manages to create an affiliation between the earth and sky. It has a distinct form that seems completely uncharacteristic with the rest of the painting. The brushstrokes here are vertical and the choice of colors few. The tree appears to be a splotch of green and black oblivious to the established rhythm of the French landscape. Traditionally, a cypress symbolizes death and mourning, which makes the appearance of the tree in itself, a tad bit disturbing. It upsets the balance to what had could have been a magical rendering of a starry night and turns it into fantasy with a hint of reality.
Mountains.
Right below the sky lay the rolling mountains that overlook the village and literally appear to roll. Their presence brings added peace and quiet to the still French village. Yet their blue coloring and shading add a sense of coldness and protection from the outside world. Above the mountains, near the depicted horizon, is a colored band that looks somewhat like the light of dawn. Confusing the viewer, it makes the sun available and hidden at the same time. Its colors, almost as luminescent as a star but toned down enough to blend in with those of the village, work as a liaison in tying the ethereal to the material.