Guido van der Werve built up an extraordinary oeuvre around timeless and universal themes such as the human condition. In Van der Werve's universe, romance, nature and the sublime are never far away; his dry humour often targets the beauty-cum-futility of human existence.'Palpable Futility' describes and depicts Van der Werve's entire oeuvre. Different authors approach his work from different perspectives and place it in an international art-historical context. The book includes an interview and a literary contribution as well as articles about chess and the role of music. Guido van der Werve is one of the Netherlands' most prominent artists. His film works are included in (inter)national collections such as those of the Museum of Modern Art , Sammlung Goetz, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.