Review: Beyond Van Gogh
July 2022 :
Note: This article may contain outdated information
This article was published in the July 2022 issue of The Skyscraper and likely contains some information that was pertinent only for that month. It is being provided here for historical reference only.
Most people may be familiar with Vincent Van Gogh by recognizing what is perhaps his most well-known work, the Starry Night. But most may not be familiar with many more of his 2100 works of art, many of which were produced during the last three years of his short and turbulent life. An immersive gallery currently on display in Providence provides an enlightening view of the life and art of Vincent Van Gogh.
Unlike a traditional art gallery where static works are presented around a room, Beyond Van Gogh immerses the viewer within the artworks in larger-than-life, living, breathing, (and winking) displays created by cleverly hidden projectors. There are no LCD screens, no color-changing theater lighting, and the display panels are rear-projected and seamless, all creating an immersive experience where the engineering and technology are cleverly hidden, and the only light you experience is from the artworks that are the subjects of the exhibition.
The self-paced walk-through exhibit is separated into three sections: the first room showcases a number of large, illuminated panels, with excerpts of letters by Vincent, many to his brother Theo, which give a chronological autobiography of Vincent’s brief and sometimes troubled life. The second room presents a continuously moving art display of streams, waves, and stars that flow from the top of the wall opposite the viewer, down, and across the floor towards the viewer, giving the impression of wading through a slowly-flowing river of Van Gogh-inspired visuals that are just so subtle as to not induce vertigo(gh). Occasionally, a self-portrait of Van Gogh briefly emerges, before dissolving back into the stream of light flowing past.
The third, and final, room is a large, open space where the four walls and two large, faceted central columns are a 20-foot high canvas onto which hundreds of paintings are presented in a sequence of scenes that cleverly animate into each other every two or three minutes. The artworks even extend to the floor all around, giving the viewer that they, and other spectators, are actually part of the scenes.
Even though the space is so large that you cannot look at everything all at once, the scenes are repeated on opposing walls, but stitched together so cleverly that no matter which direction you face, you will not see the same scenes repeated. The entire presentation is 37 minutes long, and you’ll experience a full range of Van Gogh’s works, from landscapes, still-life, self portraits, and more. Each scene is subtly animated: stars appear to rise, reflect on the water, flower petals flutter in the wind, and portraits’ eyes blink.
Once you have seen the entire 37-minute sequence, you are encouraged to stay and view a few more scenes a second time, as throughout the presentation you yearn to look for more details that you may not have noticed soon after you walked into the room.
You can spend as much time as you’d like in the exhibit, and when you exit you’ll have a deeper knowledge and appreciation of Van Gogh and his art.
Beyond Van Gogh is showing at the Rhode Island Convention Center through July 7.
