The Last Painting of Sara De Vos

The title of the novel reflects that the central symbols are all paintings. There are four major paintings believed to be the last painting of Sara de Vos at different points in the novel. At the Edge of a Wood is the first. Its representation of a girl hesitating to join skaters on a frozen river is the embodiment of Sara de Vos’s grief over the death of her daughter; it also symbolizes the ability of art to serve as a force for healing. Marty de Groot’s ancestor Pieter buys the painting, which eventually ends up in Marty’s hands. The painting is an important symbol of Marty’s connection to his family and Dutch heritage.

The second painting is the forgery of At the Edge of a Wood. Ellie’s creation of the painting is a transgression of the art world’s ethics of which she is a part; thus, this painting symbolizes Ellie’s anger at her exclusion. Ellie suffers from imposter syndrome—she feels like she does not truly belong in the elite world of fine art and constantly fears others will discover her truth. For Ellie, the forgery is symbolic of her life as an imposter.

The third painting is Winter with a Child’s Funeral Procession, a painting Sara intends to be a memorial to the grief of

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