Sower (after Millet) 1881

Vincent van Gogh’s "Sower (after Millet)," now at the Kröller-Müller Museum, presents a powerful figure engaged in the primal act of sowing seeds, a symbol deeply rooted in cultural memory. This image evokes ancient agrarian rites, where the sower represents not only labor but also hope and the cycle of life. The act of sowing, repeated across millennia, echoes in the collective unconscious, linking us to our agricultural origins. Consider the sower’s gesture—an open hand casting seeds, a motif that appears in diverse contexts, from religious art depicting the dissemination of faith to secular works celebrating human endeavor. This seemingly simple action carries the weight of ancestral knowledge and the promise of future harvests. It resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings, yet retains its fundamental connection to the land, labor, and life itself.