Van Gogh and the Painter's Soul
Lecture on Monday 1st June 2026 at 2:15PM
Lecturer: Juliet Heslewood
Venue: Larruperz Centre
Van Gogh said that paintings 'have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul'. His dark, early work of an impoverished society reflected a low key in his own life.
Exposure to the work of the Impressionists transformed his style but did not lead him away from a subjective interpretation of his subject-matter. Later 'Expressionists' such as Munch and the Blue Rider group admired his vision and created art that deliberately intended to reveal emotion.
Juliet Heslewood studied History of Art at London University. For thirty years she lived in France where she became a lecturer on art and architecture in the Midi-Pyrenees area and gained a Masters degree in English Literature at Toulouse University. She has devised and led art study tours in some seven areas of France.
As a writer, she has published many books - folktales, fiction and art - of which her History of Western Painting for Young People was translated into twelve languages. Returned to England she continues to write and hosts informal art history classes as well as lecturing widely for organisations including The Arts Society and the Ashmolean Museum. Her most recent book is 'Van Gogh: A Life in Places' which led her to take part in the television series Art on the BBC.