Van Gogh: Symbols and Reality

A Lecture by Wouter van der Veen

Nothing in Vincent van Gogh’s paintings is accidental. Behind every landscape, every figure and every detail lies a rich world of ideas, references and emotions. Sowers, ploughmen, sunsets and stars are never merely subjects: they become vehicles for reflections on life, time, hope and the human condition.

In Asnières, during the spring of 1887, this symbolic dimension takes on a distinctly modern character. Bridges, trains, parks, riverside cafés and strolling couples transcend the simple depiction of everyday life to evoke movement, transformation, encounter and the fleeting nature of existence. Far from being merely a disciple of Gauguin, Signac or the Impressionists, Van Gogh drew above all from the world around him the symbols through which he expressed a profoundly personal vision. Within both sight and spirit, he found the material for an art in which reality became the language of the universal.

In this lecture, Wouter van der Veen—art historian, internationally recognised Van Gogh specialist, and author of several landmark publications on the artist—invites audiences to rediscover Van Gogh’s work from a fresh perspective. Drawing on the painter’s correspondence and the latest research, he reveals how the most ordinary scenes were transformed, through Van Gogh’s brush, into remarkably profound meditations on humanity, nature and the modern world.

Details and practical information to follow.