January 9th wasn’t just about crossing an item off my bucket list - it was about becoming immersed in some of my favorite paintings in a way I had never experienced before. It isn’t always easy to access Vincent van Gogh’s paintings, much less interact with them, but this particular exhibit made that happen in unique ways. The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Hollywood combined classical music with modern digital art to bring his work to life.
I first walked down a dark hallway with oddly-angled ceilings, then glimpsed into Van Gogh’s journey through a sculptural installation, a collage of letters written by him. Once I entered what I would call “the canvas,” or the main gallery space, I was immediately surrounded by projections of Van Gogh’s paintings. Every couple minutes a new painting with unique animated features would appear on the walls and other surfaces around me. In the larger gallery room next door I was able to get wider view of the space from the balcony. I could see everyone in the room - some artists and some not - also becoming immersed in the paintings, and it was one of the coolest sights. We were all trapped in Van Gogh’s work.
There was little that was “comfortable” about the experience - I had to either stand or sit on the floor or on hard benches of limited availability, awkwardly spaced to follow COVID protocols. The music was loud, which didn’t allow for much conversation. I was almost forced to focus on his paintings, but I didn’t mind. Each painting projection had a musical piece to go with it - as the painting danced, so did the music, and so did I. I found myself swaying with the painted tree branches on the wall as the classical music moved them. I was most excited to experience two of my favorite paintings, “Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers” and “Café Terrace at Night,” which I had recreated in chalk on a sidewalk panel for my high school arts festival back in 2015 and 2017 - a full-circle art moment!
Some paintings shown were iconic Van Gogh’s (you know, like “Starry Night” and “Irises”) and others I had never seen or heard of before. I thought I knew all of Van Gogh’s paintings, or at least the famous ones, but I quickly realized there was much to learn about his process and style. I rediscovered his much-too-literal painting titles, and realized that even the best artists didn’t seem too stressed over finding unique titles for their work. I was inspired to use color and movement in new ways and to add a bit of Impressionist flair to my future paintings. Stay tuned to see what I’ll paint next… I’m not sure what it’ll be yet, but I’m excited!
