Vincent Van Gogh - Van Gogh Alive, the experience - London

Week 06/06/2021

My experience of the Van Gogh Alive, the experience.

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Last Sunday I went with my mother, and our family friend Paula, to 'Van Gogh Alive, the  Experience.' Originally, I had no idea what it was going to be like, I didn't even know that it was going to be mostly digital.

Initially, I thought it was at Kensington Palace, and that it would be a collection of his works collated from all around the world. I remember being surprised by the price of the tickets; a steep £29. For an art gallery, I thought this was odd. Looking back maybe it is a little expensive for what it is, however, if you're going on a day trip with the family, to have an experience, it's worth splashing out. I turned up at Kensington Palace Gardens just outside Victoria and Albert Statue, I was met by a large white tent.

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I walked up the steps and scanned my QR code to get in. We were met by a large duck egg blue wall with real blossom trees traipsing up it. This piece of scenic art for the exterior of the exhibition was significant due to Van Gogh's art-work inspired by Japan, more specifically his piece ‘Almond Blossoms.’ This piece is a group of paintings created from 1888-1890. They show the French blooming almond trees representing hope. The piece is oil on canvas. It’s a lovely bright image; the blue background really piercing through the painting. A great introduction to the ‘experience.’

A little more about the ‘experience.’ It wasn’t what I expected, I will get into more detail about what actually happened but the exhibition was a digital way of showing Vincents best work through animation, music and large scale displays. This style of the exhibition is called ‘SENSORY4 technology.’ The work is inspired by places such as The Netherlands, Paris, Aries, Saint-Remy and Auvers Sur Oise.

Once we walked in, to the left there was a café, to the right, about 20 display plaques full of information about Van Gogh and his most famous pieces.

I didn't know much about Van Gogh himself, I knew that he had very bad mental health throughout his life, and it progressively got worse, near his death. I knew that he’d famously cut off his ear, his art was an escape for him, and that's why he created so much in such a short amount of time.

I think what I enjoyed most about the exhibition was that you really got to understand his character and nature, but also what he liked and what his influences were? 

Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 in Zundert, The Netherlands. He had a middle class upbringing with his dad being the local pastor. Aged 16 Vincent worked in an art dealership and increasingly became curious about art and artists. In his mid 20s, Vincent became depressed and erratic over  heartbreak. It wasn’t till Vincent was 27 when he started painting himself, inspired by well-known names such as Monet, Picasso, Gauguin who have a similar impressionism style. In a 10 year span, he created more than 2000 works of art. He only sold a small handful when alive. Famously he cut his ear off after ‘an argument with Gauguin.’ That’s when he put himself into a nearby hospital. At the age of 37, Vincent Van Gogh ended his own life by shooting himself in the woods outside Auvers.

At the end of one of the main rooms, there was a 3D installation recreating one of Van Gogh's painting. The piece is called ‘Vincent's Bedroom in Arles.’ It is one of Van Goghs most well-known paintings, known to be one of his personal favourites. The original was painted Oil on canvas in 1888 and is currently situated in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. The recreated piece was cool. A built set. It had 2 chairs and a bed that visitors could sit on while their photos were being taken. Like in the original painting, there was a coat and hat hanging on the walls, these were painted to replicate the tones of the painting. From far away the piece looked like a 2D image due to the perspective the designers worked with but as you got closer you could see all the 3D elements. It was a very clever and interesting piece for the exhibition.

As you leave the main entrance. You walk down a dark low-lit corridor into a large room full of huge digital screens. As well as showing the artwork, quotes were used constantly throughout the exhibition.

‘The sunflower is mine, in a way.’

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‘In an artists life, death is perhaps not the most difficult thing.’

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‘I wish they would only take me as I am.’

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‘I feel there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.’

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And lastly the quote I found most poignant was;

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‘The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting.’

These quotes spoke to me the most, there is a sense of desperation and sadness which was a common theme throughout Van Gogh's life. His emotions are clearly expressed through his artwork however there is something about his quotes that demonstrate the sadness that followed him.

The last one ‘The one time I feel alive is when I’m painting.’ If you were to look at Van Gogh's colourful and joyful painting you'd never know the sorrow he must have felt throughout his life. There is a brightness and a liveliness about his work which is why people love it and why he is one, if not the most, famous artists ever.

What I find most interesting is how Van Gogh painted nature, landscapes; things which are associated with calmness, relaxation and happiness. I find his work beautiful, his story - deeply tragic.

As you pass through the short corridor the sound of classical music gradually gets louder. Suddenly you're met with a huge dark and low-lit room. The only light which is illuminating parts of the room is coming from the digital paintings on display. These screens cover from floor to ceiling. Each time a new mixture of colours are shown. The exhibition space has been cleverly designed so that the perspective and angle of the boards all match up showing full paintings from the screen interlocking, creating a full image.

The soundtracking which was on repeat would change dependent on the piece of work shown and what country the piece was creating in/inspired by. They were well-known classic pieces that I recognized from ballets.

The art had animation going through it. The animation had taken the still paintings and manipulated them. For example, the dutch pieces showed windmills in the background turning, or a train would be moving across the screen with a train whistle being fainting played throughout the classical music. The animation was also added into the artwork, for example, the ‘almond blossom’ had petals falling from the sky to the ground.

On the website, it said the whole experience would take about an hour. We found ourselves just in the music room for about an hour, sitting, talking, and standing around. The display was on a loop and would repeat every 20 to 30 mins.

I had always struggled with the whole concept of Van Gogh's work and the craze that surrounded it. But seeing his art plastered up on a large scale I saw another side to the talent and skill. The atmosphere he creates with a paintbrush is incredible. My new conclusion which I didn’t have before the experience is that Van Gogh was ahead of his time, he is an incredible visionary and painter. The portraits he created are incredible. I knew about the main famous one but had no clue about many of the others. He really expresses and shows the people's moods, through the glistening in the subject's eyes. The depth of colour and his large brush stroke style. Along with his acquaintance, Picasso created the first real move forward of using abstract expressionism, along with a low level of realism. The portraits including his own self-portraits are stunning. They show him throughout different stages of his life, you can see the growth, how he ages in a very short amount of time. It's crazy to think Van Gogh only painted for 10 years of his life. Calling him a phenomenon is an understatement.

Van Gogh never trained, he was refused from art school, sent away. To have that level of knowledge, detail, and true undoubted talent is incredible. With some arts you kind of think ‘oh is it too abstract’ With his work you can tell what it is, it's just the style, the constant subtle reputation of circles, and the emotion that makes it incredible.

‘Irises’

While Van Gogh was put into an asylum he was given the ground floor room. I read that his one fear was not being allowed to paint, while here he painted ‘Irises’ - 1989 – it is reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints from the late Edo period. It was sold after Van Gogh's death. The piece has a lovely tone and depth of greens and purples. The piece truly expresses the joy and colours of spring leading into summer. This piece was shown with authentic Japanese music in the background, it also contrasted with traditional Japanese woodblock prints to shows the similarities between the designs.

A piece I loved being blown up onto the big screen was the still life of the apples. The colors of the apples ranging from deep red to orange to mustard yellow look good enough to eat. The brushstrokes are long and visible, going down in a circular motion, but this is what makes the piece so realistic, the motion expressed through circles and curves.

The infamous ‘Starry Night.’ Painted from his memory or his imagination? Brightly shining stars, the sky is full of movement while the quiet town sleeps. He painted this when at the asylum where he was becoming more violent to himself and others. This was the view from the asylum over the town of Saint-Remy.

There was a slight disappointment that none of his pieces were there in the flesh. Maybe a trip to Amsterdam to go to the gallery is overdue. The whole experience made up for it, a new way of seeing art, unlike anything that I have seen before. It was just great and I really it, and the company of course. I would really recommend it if you have time or if any of you are up in London. If you're on a tight budget of course there are large galleries in London which are free which are better but for a treat and a new look at the way art and displays are moving, I would recommend as you not only learn more about Van Gogh's paintings and style but also about him/his life.

That was a very brief glimpse into the Van Gogh Alive, experience.

Thank you for reading.