The new Vincent van Gogh has a ponytail instead of a beard. She is called Cayleigh van der Horst (14 years old) and comes from Nuenen. She emerged as the winner in the search for the world-famous painter’s successor. “I am very proud,” she says.
The Van Gogh Village talent programme lasted nine weeks. In it, 15 children from Nuenen had the opportunity to follow in the former Nuenen artist’s footsteps. Sometimes literally. For instance, the participants stood in the same spot where Vincent Van Gogh made sketches of a church hundreds of years ago.
After the necessary master classes and drawing lessons, the quest came to an end this weekend. The artworks of the ‘Vincent van Gogh’s-to-be’ were displayed at the Van Gogh Village Museum. The winner was also announced. The judges did not only look at the drawing skills of the contenders but also whether they took risks like their illustrious predecessors. “Vincent may not have been the best, but he was daring. And we very much looked at that,” explains supervisor Silvie van Kemenade.
Sketch of father
The jury’s choice eventually fell on Cayleigh van der Horst. One of her works is a drawing of her father. “We are definitely going to display that somewhere. If there’s no room, I’ll just build an extension to our house,” says her proud father, laughing. His daughter also looks back on the past period with a good feeling. “I am very proud of what I have achieved. I learned a lot about composition and how to work with colours.”
Does Caylegh’s father hope that like Vincent van Gogh, his daughter will later create works of art that might go for millions over the counter? “I hope that she will just do what she likes and if it’s this, this is definitely what she should do,” he says.
Source: Studio040.nl
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
