In May 2025, Pope Leo XIV, during his first general audience in Rome, referenced Vincent van Gogh’s painting The Sower at Sunset, calling it a symbol of hope. The artwork is inspired by the biblical parable of the sower from the Gospel of Matthew, which teaches that the message of the Gospel is like a seed planted in people’s lives—some may not take root, but others will flourish. The Pope highlighted that in the painting, the sun, not the sower, symbolizes God’s active role in shaping history, even when His presence feels distant or unseen. Van Gogh painted The Sower at Sunset in 1888 while living in Arles, France, a time of personal optimism for the artist. The piece was inspired by Jean-François Millet’s earlier work The Sower, but Van Gogh gave it a new twist by placing the sower at the center of a vibrant, sunlit landscape. In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh described the painting’s vivid colors and composition, reflecting his emotional and artistic energy during that period. The theme of the sower also ties into the dignity of work, a key idea in Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed social justice during the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIV chose the name “Leo” to honor Leo XIII, signaling his commitment to continuing the focus on work, justice, and the common good in his own papacy. This connection underscores the ongoing relevance of social teachings in the Church. Other artists, like Norwegian sculptor and painter Emanuel Vigeland, have also depicted the parable of the sower. Vigeland used stained glass windows to illustrate the different stages of the story, showing how the seeds of the Gospel fall on various types of soil—symbolizing different ways people receive and respond to divine messages. In the parable, only the seeds that fall on good soil grow into a bountiful harvest, representing the flourishing of faith and spiritual growth.