(The Conversation) — Van Gogh’s painting was inspired by French artist Jean-Francois Millet’s 1860 painting. But he transformed Millet’s composition into an image of hope.

Lorna Simpson, “Night Fall,” 2023, ink and screen print on gessoed fiberglass. It depicts a subaqueous realm in which a young woman — an Ebony visitant — stares out at us languidly.