The Last Painting of Sara De Vos

Mirrors frequently appear in the novel. At its most basic, a mirror is simply a device reflecting a real figure and thereby creating a double allowing that figure to see themselves; in other words, people require duality to understand themselves. Every mirror distorts what it reflects, so what a person sees when he or she looks in a mirror is an imperfect double, although people frequently forget this key fact. Mirrors are important symbols of self-deception and self-involvement. Marty constantly interacts with mirrors—windows, literal mirrors, and paintings and people who allow Marty to reflect upon himself rather than the person or thing serving as the mirror.

In literature, mirror figures that have key differences are called “foils.” The presence of foils allows the author to engage in characterization by contrast. For example, Sara and Barent are imperfect reflections of each other. While both are artists, Sara values human experience and art for its own sake, while Barent is increasingly obsessed with art as a means of making money.

Marty and Ellie are foils, as well. Marty is affluent and has lived a comfortable life, but is nevertheless unhappy because he is dishonest with himself and he is unable to leave a legacy as a father. Ellie is his mirror opposite: She starts out as a working-class person lacking the wealth and requisite sex to be welcomed into the world of art. In each other’s company, each pretends to be the person they would like to be for the other person and so momentarily has some happiness. Their lies to each other and themselves eventually undercut the possibility of happiness.

Ellie and Sara are one of the most important sets of doubles in the novel. Separated by hundreds of years, the two women are born into worlds that prevent women from fulfilling their potential as artists. The endurance of such roadblocks shows the persistence of sexism, while Ellie’s ability to have some success once she embarks on her research about Sara shows some things have changed for women as long as women are willing to center their own stories. Sara dies painting her truth—naming herself as an artist—while Ellie’s imposter syndrome and institutional sexism prevent her from ever fulfilling her potential as an artist.

The whale, also called the leviathan, washes up on the shores of the Netherlands at the start of the 17th-century portion of the novel. In most Western traditions, a whale or leviathan symbolizes envy or even the devil himself. In the novel, this symbol is more closely associated with death and obsession: The trip to paint the whale ultimately leads to the death of Kathrijn by plague, while Barent’s obsessive work on the dark, mournful painting of the whale prevents him from saving his family from financial ruin. The whale may also be symbolic of any overwhelming force—market forces, death, or the plague—that lays waste to the town of Heemstede. 

Ellie lives in a mold-infested and filthy apartment that overwhelmingly smells of the supplies she uses for restoration work and her forgery. The apartment’s poor state symbolizes Ellie’s retreat from her ambitions to be an artist in her own right. Her decision to leave the apartment after Marty seduces her and she realizes he knows about her forgery of the painting shows her desire to commit to life as an art historian rather than life as a failed artist and restorationist.

As she goes through his luggage in an attempt to discover why he abandoned her in Albany, Ellie discovers Marty’s cashmere sweater. Like the luggage and the other items, the cashmere sweater is expensive—an indication of Marty’s affluence. The sweater includes a label with Marty’s initials and phone number; Ellie uses this information to discover who Marty is, so the sweater is symbolic of Marty’s true identity—a rich man accustomed to being comfortable, even if that means lying.

When an artist chooses to paint over some aspect of a painting, the trace of the original work hidden under the finished product is called a pentimento, Italian for “regret or repentance.” The pentimento in the authentic At the Edge of a Wood is the major tell that allows the Museum of New South Wales to distinguish between the fake and original work. The pentimento is thus a symbol of authenticity. Sara's choice to paint over herself shows how she sublimates her life and personality as an artist in the service of creating powerful art. 

Tulipomania was a 17th-century bubble in which Dutch buyers spent and lost fortunes by speculating on tulips. Their obsession with tulips extended to artistic representations of tulips, which Barent attempts to create in order to salvage his family’s finances. When the bubble bursts, both the tulips and paintings of them rapidly lose value, a reminder that the value of material objects—including paintings—is in the eye of the beholder.

For years, Marty carries in his pocket a list of potential names for his children. The list symbolizes Marty’s desire to extend his legacy by having a family. This desire to leave a human legacy is not fulfilled because Rachel has multiple miscarriages. Marty stops carrying the list around—an indication of his acceptance of his childless state.