After a lot of targeted ads, I finally relented and got a ticket to go check out the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Cleveland this weekend.
Truthfully, for someone who likes art, museums aren’t always high up on my to-do list. Also, if I’m being extra honest, I’ve never really loved Van Gogh’s work as much as some of the other lauded painters out there. Like I said, the targeted ads finally persuaded me to go, and I’m ultimately glad I went because it was a very unique experience. Would I have preferred to see these works in their original form instead? Yes. But, I suppose for something so close to home, I’ll take what I can get.
The exhibit space itself almost had a warehouse-type feel to it. It was very open, and the only other really separate room was the space with the exhibit itself. Once you step into the space, you’re greeted with a bunch of benches and clusters of people sitting all over the floor. It really is the best way to ensure you see everything. After my friend and I picked our space, we sat and watched the projection of Van Gogh’s well-known and not-so-well-known artwork flood the walls in both vivid and demure colors.
Of course, almost all of Van Gogh’s most popular work made it’s way into the exhibit, with The Starry Night bleeding into Starry Night Over the Rhone. There was also Van Gogh’s Chair, Night Café, and Sunflowers making appearances. Two paintings that really caught my eye were Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette and Almond Blossom. I have never recalled seeing either of these two pieces in the past when studying art in school. I also really enjoyed seeing all of his self portraits in one scene together. In order to keep the exhibit interesting, there was a lot of animation of Van Gogh’s work, which added a neat element to some of the pieces. My personal favorite animation was the chalk-looking outlines done, which then morphed into the finished works.
Overall, this experience got me even more familiar with Van Gogh’s work, and I was able to enjoy it in a unique way. Personally, I’d like to see this treatment done to other artists like Dali or Picasso, but all in all I’m glad for making the time for this exhibit. For those of you who’ve checked this out and want to learn more about him, I recommend checking out the film At Eternity’s Gate. It features a wonderful performance by Willem Dafoe as Van Gogh. Keep scrolling for some shots of the show!
This feels like a great entry level exhibit that could get some people to dig into art and art history.
Mary and I were literally just talking yesterday about how we were curious how an artist like yourself felt about this exhibit. We loved it for a lot of the same reasons – seeing pieces come together, unknown pieces. But also the story of his life we learned in the intro audio file they sent, and then along the walls at the exhibit. Then furthermore how they captured that in the experience. All very well done! Maybe a little too short for the cost, but solid review. I want Basquiat next!