candidate: Legendary 20th century art historian Albert Boime is generally credited with the best " literal " theory by proving , in conjunction with three Astronomer colleagues at UCLA the position of the stars from van Gogh 's window in the asylum at Saint - Rémy - de - Provence at 4 a.m. on June 19 , 1889 , the day van Gogh wrote his brother that he had completed the painting .