Message #258776

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Independent researcher Jared Baxter holds a few theories on van Gogh's use of religious symbolism. In fact, he has embarked upon an academic lecture circuit in defense of them, most recently at the 2015 Dutch Association of Aesthetics. The evidence Baxter draws from, though speculative, is compelling enough to warrant consultation and letters of recommendation from numerous scholars and authors with a background in the study of van Gogh, such as William Kloss, a Smithsonian Journeys expert.

Baxter essentially believes that van Gogh subtly inserted da Vinci's "Last Supper" -- or at least the "genre" of Last Supper paintings, which often had different compositions of diners and Judas departing -- into "Cafe Terrace at Night." What follows here is the crux of Baxter's argument, as explained to The Huffington Post, so be prepared to get sucked down a Dan Brown-esque rabbit hole.


Van Gogh included potentially religious elements after the original sketch of "Cafe Terrace at Night."