Vincent van Gogh: On Shoes, Ordinary Lives and Pilgrimage

In the space of a few years, from 1886 to 1888, Vincent van Gogh painted half a dozen pictures of shoes. Not just any shoes. But old shoes. Worn shoes. Peasant’s shoes. I think it’s reasonable to ask what motivated him to do this. What was it about shoes that sparked his curiosity? The answer may lie in his abiding interest in depicting the lives of ordinary people and recognising the meaning that resides in everyday objects and scenes.