Everything You Need About Beyond Van Gogh’s Unforgettable Immersive Exhibition

While on my recent trip to Calgary, I was thrilled to see that Beyond Van Gogh was currently on show. I had heard so much about these immersive exhibitions, which were popping up all over the country. Especially during the pandemic, these shows have been a hot ticket! Beyond Van Gogh: An Immersive Experience is a new exhibition that aims to show the artist’s work in a new light, using digital technology to transform the artwork.

Many people know of Van Gogh‘s work, but they often think of him as nothing more than a madman who cut off his ear. But Beyond Van Gogh aims to change that perspective. They take lengthy efforts to make the viewer focus on his creative process and the true meaning behind his paintings. The show also highlights Van Gogh’s personal letters to his beloved brother Theo. These help to reframe his life. Through intimate conversations with his dear brother, you learn more about the man behind the madness and magnificence.

Immersive Exhibitions

These immersive exhibits are unique as they use cutting-edge projection technology and access digital versions of Van Gogh’s artworks. Van Gogh’s paintings were digitally scanned in high-res and then projected onto the walls and floor to create this new way of presenting art. Beyond Van Gogh aims to create an engaging journey into the world of Van Gogh, not simply show you the paintings on screen.

The first time I saw an exhibition like this was in Les-Baux-de-Provence at the Carrières de Lumières. This was my first time viewing such an all-encompassing immersive digital experience, and I was immediately hooked. Bringing together 300 paintings from Van Gogh together in one room would be something virtually impossible for a brick-and-mortar art gallery. And if not impossible, incredibly expensive!

Turning Art into Animation

I know many high-art critics view this kind of exhibit with a bit of disdain. They think of them as nothing more than empty instagrammable backdrops. One of the things that made Van Gogh’s artwork so unique is the textural nature of the paint. And by using projections, all of the three-dimensional aspects of his works disappear. And while this is true, I think there is something to say about this modern technology. It brings a level of excitement and interest to these artworks that a younger generation might be more drawn to. This kind of exhibit might feel as exciting to the modern audience as impressionist paintings once did to a 20th-century audience.

But the paintings are not just projected onto the walls; they are also brought to life by subtle animations in the vein of Van Gogh’s art style. The paintbrushes swirl, dance and move around the room. The flowers, cafes and landscapes suddenly draw us in like never before. We are inside the ‘Yellow House‘ or sitting down the ‘Cafe Terrace at Night.’ The exhibition uses Van Gogh’s dreams, thoughts, and words to drive the experience as a narrative. While the show might be missing that high-brow contextualization that many art galleries spend years curating, I think it is a beautiful way to get people more engaged with art. And perhaps even take the time to learn a little more about it after the fact.

The Score

The whole show is made even more immersive with the incredible score. Sitting there listening to the music as we watched the walls transform felt like a waterfall over my senses. As Vivaldi‘s Four Seasons played in the background we watched the almond blossoms fall from the trees and swirl around us. I am not ashamed to say I felt a tear fall from my eye during this scene. The soundtrack is available on Spotify so you can relive the experience when you get home.

What is the Difference Between All These Van Gogh Shows?

It’s almost shocking to see how many different companies are running various immersive multimedia shows featuring Van Gogh. In some cities, they were even running at the same time. This lead to confusion when people would show up at the incorrect location with the wrong ticket. Each one of these shows has its own take on the works of art. I can only speak to the one show I saw but if you’re interested in others it’s always a good idea to read a bit about it from reviewers you trust.

So, is it worth the Price?

This is the BIG question! An adult ticket to see Beyond Van Gogh will run you about $40! This means a date night out for two (if you factor in paid parking) is creeping up to $100. That certainly isn’t cheap. The entire run of the show lasts 1-hour and $40 per person for one hour of entertainment is definitely on the high end of the price scale! Although they say you can only stay for an hour, we were easily there for longer.

We used the first hour to just watch the show in its entirety. Taking in the story the art and animation were trying to tell. Then during the second loop, we walked around the room. Exploring the magical environment from all angles. This is definitely recommended as different parts of the room display different artworks.

Especially during the pandemic, shows like these feel extra special. So maybe $40 might seem steep but with not much else to do we really felt like it was worth it. It wouldn’t be something we’d do all the time but for a once-in-a-blue moon exhibit, it was really fun to get out there and see something fun! I think if you’re a fan of the artist and commit yourself to explore the space you’ll appreciate the experience even more.

If you can’t afford the hefty price tag, consider watching ‘Loving Vincent‘ on Netflix. This fantastical film is a fictionalized look at the life of Vincent Van Gogh. But what makes it so incredible to watch was that it was made to look like his painting. Over 65,000 frames were painted by 125 professional artists to create the first painted animated film. The film also makes for a great primer to watch before coming to the exhibition as well.

About Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh is an artist whose paintings have been exhibited all over the world. But during his lifetime, he never could have imagined that kind of production would have even been a possibility. During his life, Van Gogh created over 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings. And yet he only ever sold one. He died feeling like a failure but he would go onto be one of the most beloved artists of all time. If you’ve never seen the clip from Doctor Who featuring Vincent Van Gogh viewing his artwork in the future you have to check it out! It’s a real tearjerker.

What I read time and time again in reviews of this exhibition was that it lacked any real information about Van Gogh himself. So I created this little primer for viewers to read if you’re interested in having some contextual references to the paintings and his life as a tormented artist.

Early Life

Van Gogh lived a short but intense life. He was born in Holland in 1853 to an upper-middle-class family. Even in his early life, his parents noticed that he was a serious, withdrawn child. But despite his indifference to other children, Vincent clung to his brother Theo. In 1869 Vincent became an art dealer for his uncle. Although he wasn’t successful in his sales, he became enamoured with the art world. After unsuccessfully going from job to job, Vincent fell into even deeper depression and ill health. Modern analysis of his sickness leads professionals to believe that he suffered from bipolar disorder. In so many stories about Van Gogh he seems to vacillate from being highly productive and driven to being in a manic state. During these manic states, his depression was all he could see around him.

In 1881 Vincent took up painting more seriously for the first time with financial help from his brother Theo. Vincent moved in with his parents to save money. From their home in Etten Vincent would write hundreds of letters back and forth to his brother about his artistic journey. When he began painting, he started with depictions of village life in Etten. These early paintings were drabber, without the vivid colours that are so iconic of his later artworks.

Van Gogh in Paris

As his love for painting continued, Vincent took the opportunity to move in with Theo in Paris. It was in Paris where his paintings really came alive! Despite the brother’s love for each other, Theo found living with Vincent “almost unbearable.” And yet other times, things were peaceful between the two. One can only imagine this was due to Vincent’s bipolar.

Impressionism

It was also in Paris where he met other painters like Émile Bernard and Paul Gauguin. They inspired his work to go further and become more experimental. This would eventually develop into the art form we know of as Impressionism. The subject of his paintings began to focus on portraits, flowers and wheat fields.

In 1887, Vincent was inspired by working with artist Signac and adopted elements of pointillism into his artworks. Pointillism is a technique where the artist uses a multitude of small coloured dots on the canvas. This creates an optical blend of hues when looked at from a distance. These dramatic gestural dots and lines really feel like they convey the emotion and frantic nature of Van Gogh’s inner monologue. When combined with the vibrant contrasts of the complementary colours, you are left with a picture that seems to almost reverberate. But life in Paris was rough for Van Gogh. He was suffering more and more from his mental illness, made worse by the busy city life. So Van Gogh sought refuge in the provencial town of Arles.

Vincent in Arles

Vincent moved to Arles in 1888. It was there that he seemed, at least for a time, to get a breath of fresh air. In Arles, he aimed to set up a de-facto artist colony, inviting different artists to visit him in his now famous ‘Yellow House.‘ The country life and relaxing atmosphere of Arles set Van Gogh’s work on fire. In just one year, he produced more than 200 paintings and 100 watercolours!

Van Gogh and Gaugin

But even in Arles, Van Gogh couldn’t escape his poor mental health. One of the most dramatic events in Van Gogh’s life occurred in Arles in 1888. Vincent had begged Paul Gaugin to come to Arles so the two men could paint together. Vincent had met Gaugin in Paris and had immediately fallen in love with his work. He wanted to be as successful as Gaugin and thought by sharing a studio with the artist he could improve on his own work. Although the two started off on the right foot, Gauguin was arrogant and domineering. This frustrated the sensitive Van Gogh. Vincent was also very clingy, and despite not being treated very well by Gauguin, he feared he would leave him. A classic emotionally abusive relationship.

The Ear Incident

One evening, after Gauguin had made it clear to Vincent that he had made plans to leave, Van Gogh returned home alone. Suffering from hearing voices, especially when left alone, Van Gogh was tormented. In a fit of madness, he cut off his ear. Perhaps as a means to cut out the noise of the voices. Van Gogh bandaged the wound, wrapped the ear in the paper. He delivered it to a cleaning woman who worked at a local brothel that Gaugin and Van Gogh frequented together.

Van Gogh was found unconscious the following day by a policeman and taken directly to the hospital. Inside his hospital, Félix Rey, a young doctor still in training, treated him. During his time in hospital, Van Gogh was diagnosed with “acute mania with generalized delirium.” During his stay, Vincent would go from being semi-lucid to suffering from hallucinations and delusions. Theo came to visit him in hospital despite getting engaged the day previous. Nothing would keep Theo from being by Vincent’s side.

The Asylum

Two months later, in May 1889, Van Gogh left Arles and voluntarily entered an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It was from this room in the asylums that the view of “Starry Night” was inspired. In a letter to Theo, Van Gogh famously wrote,

Sometimes moods of indescribable anguish, sometimes moments when the veil of time and fatality of circumstances seemed to be torn apart for an instant.

Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh had two rooms inside the Asylum, one of which he used as his studio. Even when he was too ill to write or eat, Van Gogh would paint. As a means of expressing his pain. After the birth of his nephew, Van Gogh wrote to Theo, saying,

I started right away to take a picture for him, to hang in their bedroom, branches of white almond blossom against a blue sky.

Vincent Van Gogh

This image is heartbreaking to look at now. As Theo’s young son would never come to know his uncle, nor much of his father.

Van Gogh’s Death

Van Gogh discharged himself in May 1890. He headed for Auvers-Sur-Oise, a town close to his brother and his homeopathic doctor, Paul Gachet. But despite treatment and being back in the countryside, which Vincent loved so dearly, Vincent met his end on July 27th, 1890. One morning, Van Gogh walked out into one of the many wheat fields he was painting. There, he claims he shot himself in the chest with a Lefaucheux revolver. Since no one was there to witness the event, we can only go off Vincent’s claims.

The injury itself is pretty suspicious. The wound was in the stomach, an unlikely place for someone to shoot themselves. Also, the bullet didn’t pass through his body, which is more commonly found if the shooter was further away and not at close range. This mystery surrounding his death is one of the many reasons that the mythology of Van Gogh’s life lives on.

Despite the injury, Vincent walked back home, where he was found by two doctors. The doctors were not surgeons and were unsuccessful in attempting to remove the bullet. Van Gogh clung to life for 30 hours, enough time to wait for Theo to arrive so he could die by his side. His last words to Theo were, “The sadness will last forever.“

Van Gogh’s Legacy

And for Theo, the sadness did last forever. Theo died only a year later, due mainly to what can only be described as a broken heart. Unlike other popular love stories that persist over the ages, this one of brotherly love is unique. I loved how the show presented this eternal love between the two brothers as a throughline that can be traced through Van Gogh’s work. Although Van Gogh only saw the sadness as what would last forever, I truly know that it was not sadness but love that endures eternally in his art.

Where to See Beyond Van Gogh

Ottawa | August 24 – Sep 16, 2021
Calgary | August 24 – September 2021
Miami | April 15–September 12, 2021
Austin |June 18–September 5, 2021
Honolulu | July 2–September 26, 2021
Orange County, California | July 20–September 6, 2021
Buffalo | August 20–October 3, 2021
San Jose | September 26–November 14, 2021
Salt Lake City | October 1–November 28, 2021
St. Louis | October 8–November 7, 2021
San Diego | January 14–March 6, 2022

All in all, I’m excited for more of these new immersive exhibitions that will be released. Beyond Monet is the latest offering from the “Beyond” group and looks even more enjoyable with the addition of some interior decorations for visitors to explore. We hope they reassess the steep price tag, making the productions more accessible to a broader range of people. But only time will tell.

What artist would you be interested in seeing next? For me, it’s gotta be Frida Kahlo! I would be amazed to see what they could do with her surreal paintings. Let me know in the comments what you’d be interested in seeing.

Happy Travels, Adventurers!