Reading Group: Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart

April 21, 2026
4:00 - 5:30pm

How can visual art help us become more deeply human?


Join us for a reflective reading group to explore this question more deeply. Cameron Anderson, a practicing artist and Distinguished Fellow of Art at the Lumen Center, will lead our discussions.


To guide us on this journey, we will read Russ Ramsey’s Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart (Zondervan, 2024). In this book, Pastor Ramsey traces the stories behind important works of art and the artists who created them, including Leonardo da Vinci, Norman Rockwell, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent Van Gogh. With a gentle and perceptive voice, Ramsey reveals the deep wounds these artists carried and how suffering shaped their creative vision. Part biography, part meditation, and part invitation to examine the human heart more honestly, the book illuminates how creativity and pain often intertwine.


In this group, you can expect a reading experience that is both thoughtful and accessible, reflective yet critical.


This group will meet at Upper House from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the following dates:

Tuesday, April 21

Tuesday, April 28

Tuesday, May 5 (Pending Alternate Location)

Tuesday, May 12


This event is offered free of charge by Upper House Commons. Please purchase your own copy of the book.


Cameron J. Anderson is a Distinguished Fellow at The Lumen Center. He is the author of "The Faithful Artist: A Vision for Evangelicalism and the Arts" and co-editor of "God in the Modern Wing: Viewing Art with Eyes of Faith. He completed his M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art, maintains a regular studio practice, and is a sought-after conference speaker.