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Pictures: Paquin Entertainment Group Beyond Van Gogh National Exhibition Centre August 1-September 1, 2024 The world of Vincent Van Gogh was a troubled one, a
world shifting between despair and hope, a world of colour, beauty and
wonder – a world you can enter and experience as it envelops you in this
high tech homage to one of art’s greatest ever painters.
We live in a digital age and Beyond Van Gogh is an
art gallery for the 21st century, Van Gogh’s most famous
paintings are all there, Sunflowers, The Starry Night, Bedroom at Arles
and so on, but so are many more from his vast output, but not only are
they displayed they are created, they grow, they transform, they
surround as you become part of the display, with even the floor part of
the all-encompassing world of Van Gogh. Van Gogh was 37 when he died on 29 July, 1890 in
the auberge where he was staying in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris. He had
shot himself two days earlier, supposedly attempting suicide, ending a life
beset by mental problems. This immersive exhibition opens with a walk through a beautifully presented series of panels mixing his brief life story with quotes from his many letters, many to his younger brother, Theo. Letters, like his paintings, which gave an insight into his soul. And, a personal note here, the futuristic,
immersive audio
visual experience hasn’t lost sight of old fashioned basics and rules of
typography, with every panel in clear, easy to read type that isn’t left
fighting the background, something which is carried through to the hall filling
video projections, the work of Creative and art director Mathieu
St-Arnaud and video designer and media director Georges Coté.
There are 99 paintings listed in the proramme –
there seemed more - with some four trillion pixel resolution giving
stunning definition as paintings appear, grow, move and surround you on
walls, pillars and the floor. To stand or sit in the midst of Van Gogh’s world is
both relaxing and absorbing, and at times can stir emotions - Van Gogh
has become more than a mere artist, with his paintings representing far
more than their subject, which is what makes his world so fascinating.
He saw things the rest missed.
His career as an artist was short, a mere ten years
or so, in which he created some 2,000 or so works including almost 900
oil paintings. Legend has it he only sold one work in his lifetime, The
Red Vinyard, which sold for 400 francs. His 1888 painting, Orchard with
Cypresses, sold in 2022 for $117.2 million. Sunflowers was the first real, proper painting I
can remember. It hung in the corridor of my infant school – I suspect it
probably wasn’t the original – and its childlike, almost cartoon-style
character fascinated me. It was so different to the other prints lining
the walls. The head, Miss Cockshott, told me who it was by and all I
remember was thinking Van was a funny first name. It was the start of a
lifelong love of his work. Beyond Van Gogh brings his work to life, there
might be no plot, no actors, no stage but it is still magical theatre and runs
to 01-09-24, Roger Clarke 31-07-24
This immersive experience was beyond my wildest dreams. It
showed the genius behind Van Gogh’s work even if it wasn’t appreciated
when he was alive but also the sadness and despair that plagued him
throughout his life. Due to the high tech lighting and carefully
curated music it makes you feel like you are in the paintings and by
extension part of his feelings and life. Helping transform him from a
man you had heard of who was good at art to a person you know and love. In conclusion I would highly recommend going to
this experience of a lifetime which is sure to make lasting memories If you would like to go it is running at the NEC
hall 11 from 1 August to the 1 September.
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