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.

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.

Other artists, including the Norwegian Emanuel Vigeland, explicitly depicted the Parable of the Sower. Vigeland’s series of stained-glass windows in an Oslo church explains each passage’s meaning.