Van Gogh Immersive Experience Captivates New Yorkers
By Saswat Pattanayak
August 12, 2021 // New York
"I put my heart and my soul into the work and have lost my mind in the process." - Vincent Van Gogh
Despite the genius that he was, Vincent Van Gogh used to refer to his paintings as “scribbles” in his letters to Theo, his beloved brother. And he meant it, for early in his career, Van Gogh did not think much of his own paintings. And during the entirety of his lifetime, rest of the world did not think much of them either. After all, Van Gogh had managed to sell just one painting throughout his “career” as an artist. Even the academy he went to hone his skills at demoted him for one year, he lost his job as an art dealer after quarreling with customers and he had to oftentimes choose between spending money on food or for paint tubes (he chose to stay without a meal on those occasions). His quarrel with painter friend Paul Gauguin is now legendary - he was so distraught by the violent arguments that he ended up chopping a piece of his own ear.
Emotionally as livid he remained at some surroundings, as he was devoted in love with his brother Theo, who meant a lot to him, and with whom he corresponded enormously. From a total of 844 letters he wrote in his lifetime, 652 were addressed to his dear brother. Those letters are treasure chest of wisdom for not just artists, but for each one of us. Simple words that Van Gogh wrote as advices that he himself applied in case of his works, remain testament to the great philosopher the artist was. For a starter, he wrote to Theo, “You learn by working, you become a painter by painting.”
And so Vincent painted. He painted everywhere he went. He painted darkness as the ultimate biographer of his tragic saga called life, and yet he painted light as though to masterfully offer plethora of hopes to anyone that cared to look at them. In fact, most of his prolific works were created when no one was really watching. After the incident with Gauguin, Van Gogh was advised to see a famous doctor who then recommended that he be admitted to the Saint-Paul de Mausole asylum. It was here in the asylum that Vincent turned one room into a dedicated studio space, and created 150 paintings and nearly 100 drawings in just one ear. While cognizant of his own personal darkness, he offered the most brightest of canvases, one of which is known as “The Vestibule”. Van Gogh would say about it: “I don't know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.”
It is this Vestibule which has inspired an Immersive Experience to land in New York. This exhibition showcases not just his more famous works, but also his works in Japonisme - as a voracious student of art, Van Gogh had not just intensely studied Japanese art, but also became a profound artist in the genre.
While Japan was a phase, France was the mainstay for this Dutch late-Impressionist painter. In the South of France, Van Gogh painted upto four paintings a week: portraits of friends and neighbors, landscapes with boats, stormy starry nights, and sunflowers in smoldering orange. With thick brush strokes, he drew lights as he wrote about them to Theo: “You have to make sure that the big lines are in place at lightening speed.”
Looking at his impressive body of extensive works, it’s hard to guess that he died at the age 37. And yet one who studies Van Gogh empathetically would immediately relate to why he had to take his life. His later works were mired with darkness and despair, but they were also complex and honest. His eternal aura was unshakable and yet his untimely demise was inevitable.
(Saswat Pattanayak)
From the Exhibition:
Plagued by hallucinations, Van Gogh asked to be committed. On May 8, 1889, Van Gogh was admitted to the Saint-Paul de Mausole asylum. Turning one room into a dedicated studio space, Van Gogh created 150 paintings and nearly 100 drawings in just one ear. Much of the painter's most enduring work was created during this immensely prolific period. Even in a time of great personal darkness, Van Gogh filled his canvas with light. He painted a myriad of works depicting the asylum, including "The Vestibule" - which inspired this abstracted experience.
The immortal painting "The Starry Night" first emerged from his brush on the 25th of May, 1889. Van Gogh's confinement began positively, as he felt safe and reassured within his new confines, but month-long periods of violent psychosis soon followed. Emerging from these deeply disturbed periods, Van Gogh regained complete lucidity. He resumed painting at a frenzied stride. The feverish pace is felt in the surging torrents of color.
Glimpsed through his bedroom window, Van Gogh's surroundings proved inspiring. Van Gogh painted the garden of vibrant flowerbeds and the enclosed field he studied each day. On supervised outings, Van Gogh was permitted to paint the countryside. Cypress, olive, and almond trees emblazoned his canvases - "Wheat Field with Cypresses" (1889), "Almond Blossoms" (1890) and many more.
"I dream of painting and then / paint my dream." -Vincent Van Gogh
Though he had no models to paint, Van Gogh's imagination was undaunted. He began to reinterpret the works of artists he admired such as Dutch master artist Rembrandt. French painters such as Eugène Delacroix, Honoré Daumier, and Gustave Doré.
VAN GOGH BY THE NUMBERS
"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." - Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh's artistic journey spanned cities and rural townships in France and Belgium. His greatest creative strides were made principally in three locations: Paris, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, and Arles. His 10 best-known paintings are - "Starry Night", "Sunflowers" "Wheat field with crows" "The potato-eaters" "Café terrace at night", "Starry Night over the Rhône". "Bedroom in Arles" "Almond Blossom", "Self-portrait with bandaged ear", and "Irises".
Van Gogh created over 2,000 works of art in his short lifetime, out of which 900 were paintings, and 1,100 were drawings and sketches.
The majority of his art was created in the last 10 years of his life, with an average of a new piece every 36 hours. Van Gogh remains a hugely impactful and beloved figure in art. A Google search yields more than 90.7 million internet mentions of the artist.
ABOUT THE ARTIST'S LIFE
TIMELINE
1853
Vincent Van Gogh born on March 30th in Groot-Zundert in The Netherlands. His mother was the highbrow and devout Anna Cornelia Carbentus. And his father Theodorus Van Gogh, was a Minister of the Dutch Reformed Church.
1857
His beloved brother Theodorus (Theo) was born on May 1st.
1869-1876
It's good to have an art dealer, or three in the family. With the help of his uncle, also named Vincent Van Gogh, the young artist worked as a clerk for Goupil et Cie in The Hague, a major French Art Dealer. After transferring to London and eventually to Paris, he was dismissed.
1876-1881
Vincent travelled restlessly, trying out a number of odd jobs and areas of study. He went to University with the intention of becoming a minister in Amsterdam. He moved on to an evangelism school in Brussels. Eventually moving to Borinage, Belgium to teach Bible studies to the poor.
1883
In September, he left The Hague and Clasina to work alone on his drawings in Drethne, in the far northeast of the Netherlands. He returned to his family's home in Nuenen. Netherlands, in December.
1885
Vincent painted approximately 50 portraits of peasants as a study for his work 'The Potato Eater.' During a trip to Antwerp, he acquired Japanese prints and began an intense study of their technique. His father, Theodorus, died this year.
1888
In February, Vincent traveled to Arles, France, where he moved into the Yellow House. While there, he painted the now famous "The Bedroom." Vincent was joined by Paul Gauguin. Their often-contentious friendship deteriorated as Van Gogh's psychotic events grew more frequent. Following an argument with Gauguin, Vincent mutilated hie own ear on December 23. As a result, Gauguin promptly left Arles.
1890
On the advice of Neo-Impressionist painter Camille Pissaro, Vincent sought treatment from Dr. Paul Gachet, the physician to the art world. On July 27th, Van Gogh aimed for his heart and shot himself in the abdomen. He died two days later at age 37.
1882
Vincent lived with his mistress Clasina Maria Hoornik. He drew the series known as 'Sien' (meaning to see). This includes the drawing now known as "Sorrow."
1884
At age 31, Vincent began to develop his watercolor technique. He studied weavers and grew fascinated with Delacroix's color work. During this time, Théo joined the French art dealer Goupil in their Paris headquarters.
1886
From January to March, Vincent studied art at the Antwerp Academy. He also continued his studies in Paris at the Cormon Studio. Influenced by Delacroix and Monticelli, Vincent incorporated more flowers in his work, which became a common theme. He found kindred spirits and inspiration in the Impressionist Movement.
1889
After his mutilation. the artist lived alternately between a psychiatric hospital and the Yellow House. This tumultuous period produced several of his immortal works including "The Starry Night." The legendary painting is an abstraction of the view from his room at the asylum.
1891
After the death of his brother, heartbroken Théo passed away in Utrecht on January 25th.
ABOUT THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
This is the world of Vincent Van Gogh and his art with a completely new perspective and immersive experience. The Immersive Experience is meant to both show the depth of artist's art as well as his development of the various subjects he studied. The experience incorporates more than 200 of his works. Throughout the Experience the artist's propensity to study and paint a subject over and over again remains an underlying theme.
Whereas Part 1 of the exhibition focuses on Van Gogh’s works, Part 2 is about complete audience immersion with color and light, and Part 3 consists of “The Convent: Fighting Against the Darkness” whereby visitors are presented with unique ambient styles that characterized Van Gogh’s personal life journeys and struggles with mental health and alcohol.
A study of his work and the development of his style.
Here we introduce tho artist's discovery of painting, his studies, the search for his style, as well as correspondence with his brother. These subjects are introduced with visuals of his works (in sketches, paintbrushes, character writing) and texts in an old parchment graphic style.
Van Gogh always carried something to write with and sketch upon. Immersive experience includes many novelties including how a painting of a river has water that begins to flow, hitting the floor and turns into a virtual lake. Or, a "mise en abyme” - the process to represent a work into the work, whereby upon zooming out one can observe how one painting was in fact encrypted within a larger, previous, one. This attests to the artist’s propensity to create multitude of works taking advantage of various scenarios one location presented to Van Gogh (in this case, a village). The IA also shows how two paintings interact - “one located in the lower part includes crabs while the one located in the upper part represents the beach/sea - when the crabs start moving, standing up straight, moving towards and entering the painting illustrating the sea.”
One can also witness how multiple portraits interact, touching, melding and morphing. The experience pays tribute to Van Gogh’s love for Japanese art also known as “Japonisme”. During a trip to Antwerp in 1885, he had acquired Japanese prints and begun an intense study of their technique. One particular masterpiece “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai had held his interest and eventually influenced him to create Almond Blossoms, among many others.
