I learned that Van Gogh liked Japanese paintings because of their colours and that he wrote a lot of letters to his wife and especially his brother.
The technological art experience finally comes to Vancouver
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
Vincent Van Gogh: You know the artist and the mad man that cut one of his ears off. During the later years of his life, he had a workshop and painting space in his asylum. Van Gogh used that space to draw his famous works which expressed his vision of the places that he went to in his life and how depressed he was.
Like many famed painters, his artwork was not fully appreciated until many years after he passed away; now, it inspires with its swirls, warm and fuzzy colours, and detailed strokes. People that are new to Van Gogh’s artwork can experience them in an innovative immersive way. Imagine Van Gogh is an art exhibit by Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron, presented with Image Totale.
The projection technology in Image Totale allows the viewer to see a new perspective of the paintings. First shown in Paris, the exhibit finally came to Canada in 2019 beginning in Montreal. This first stop excited me. During its pandemic stop in Toronto last year, they had an innovative way to present Imagine Van Gogh while maintaining social distancing by cars driving through a warehouse making the experience feel like a ride.
The exhibit came to Vancouver last summer at the Vancouver Convention Centre. It is still running, and I was able to experience it before it closes on October 15. Because of the pandemic and to allow as many people as possible to see the art exhibit, you have to enter at a specific time, and it will take an hour to fully appreciate the way the art of Van Gogh is being delivered.
In the first 30 minutes, you learn about how the art exhibit was developed and the history of Van Gogh. I learned that Van Gogh liked Japanese paintings because of their colours and that he wrote a lot of letters to his wife and especially his brother. After that, you enter the exhibition hall as Van Gogh’s life is presented through his paintings accompanied by classical and opera music.
You have to go through the presentation twice which fills the last 30 minutes and you may even feel the need to go through it a third time if your mind was blown by what you just saw. The explanations of Van Gogh complement what I experienced in the exhibit which is best seen in person. Not only the walls were projected but also the floor as well.
There were sections where you would also look at the floor including the section about Van Gogh’s childhood or when letters that he wrote are projected. The texture of the screens mimicked art canvas, allowing the paintings to look almost exactly like the originals. When you explore the exhibit which is one room, you can look at one side for a few minutes and go to another side after that to see another angle.
Some of the images move to create a bit of realism. There was a breezy section where they show the French countryside and life at the farm. When they get to the section which has the famous painting ‘The Starry Night’, the stars in the city night sky are in view and more details in the sky are revealed when it zooms in.
Even if you are a fan of Vincent Van Gogh’s work, you will appreciate it even more in Imagine Van Gogh. If you miss the opportunity to see this art exhibit, you have another chance to go inside art via Image Totale with Imagine Picasso.
