The artistic rendering of the famous Dutch painter’s work is both uplifting and confusing; so should one pay the price of admission?

Vincent Van Gogh in his short and tragic life never experienced the kind of wild success and reverence for his work that has survived well into the 21st century. Equally famous for both his bold, colorful post-impressionist work and the slicing off of his ear, Van Gogh’s work and life have caught the imagination of all ranges of art lovers.

His works can be spotted across many famous museums in the world. One can get a piece of Van Gogh’s Starry Nights in their own home as a coaster or coffee cup. Or hang it around your neck as a printed scarf, because what is the point of art if it can’t be mass manufactured?

But tchotchkes are only effective if people know the artist?’ So how do you bring in a new generation of digitally obsessed, short attention span public into Van Gogh’s colorful contemplative world?

Simple — you translate it into the language that everyone understands. You make it multimedia.

While the love-or-hate-it Emily in Paris may have introduced the idea of the Immersive Van Gogh Experience to the American audience, the exhibit has been around for some time. This hybrid digital format has been so successful that there are many versions of it all around the globe, forcing the show to call itself ‘The Original Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit’!

The Experience Itself

When I stood in the queue waiting for my ticket to be scanned, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had stayed away from YouTube videos as I didn’t want to be spoiled. Upon entering the premises, the queue heads straight to the lobby where the floor and the ceilings are brightly lit with patterns convincingly inspired by the Starry Nights. It is all very pretty. In this profusion of deep blues and twinkly lights, sits a bright yellow bar. It’s both Instagram-worthy and disconcerting at the same time.

The nicest thing about the lobby is a tree made from copies of Van Gogh’s letters to his brother and friends. I recommend spending some time reading those but more likely than not, the line will move and you will be very soon in the exhibition space.

The exhibit uses the word ‘immersive’, but in reality, it is 180-degrees of high-resolution projection of Van Gogh’s work. The whole show is around a thirty-minute movie projected on giant walls and floors. Where you stand or sit doesn’t matter as much, as the panels flow through the room and repeat themselves. Patrons can sit around the floors, in socially distanced circles or couches as the imagery changes around them.

You can sit through one round of the movie and leave, but if this sort of thing appeals to you can stay parked there for as long as you like.

[Note: My experiences are based on the Los Angeles show and the physical layout of the exhibit space may vary. Also, I attended the event the pandemic restrictions and The Immersive Van Gogh exhibit followed all city and state protocols expected for an indoor event]

An Artist’s Interpretation

The brain behind Immersive Van Gogh belongs to another artist Massimiliano Siccardi, who brings with him years of experience on creating video scenography for multiple stage productions. He understand space, motion and music.

Siccardi’s production is a collaboration of highly talented composers and animators, and it their love for theatrical spaces, storytelling & Van Gogh that creates an emotional, musical show.

The underlying challenge is it also creates a show about Van Gogh thru someone else’s lens so the audience is several steps removed from the artist. When you stand in front of a Van Gogh painting, there is just you and the piece of art. What you notice, what you take away from it is entirely up to you.

In the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit, you sit and watch the magnified views of The Cafe Terrace At Night or The Potato Eaters swim before your eyes, there are only moments to reflect before its replaced by another painting. If you didn’t catch the sentiment behind, there is music to help you along. And if you really don’t get the magic of it all, there is animation built into digital renderings of the paintings!

To be surrounded by the vibrant hues of Van Gogh’s sunflowers or almond blossoms can uplift anyone’s mood but one can’t shake off the feeling that this is basically a crash course to Van Gogh for the uninitiated.

So, why go for this when you can get the real deal in any museum?

This is the question I asked the most as I walked away from what I can only call the ‘Van Gogh Light & Sound Show’. I have been fortunate enough to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam that houses some of his landmark works. And here is a funny fact — the price of admission was $19 euros, cheaper than what I paid to see this exhibit

Let that sit with you.

The price of seeing actual paintings by Van Gogh is less than seeing a light and sound show of his works.

Being a bit of a museum aficionado, I have chanced on his paintings in other museums across the globe. And, right now my TV screen has a screensaver of famous impressionist paintings created by downloading extremely high-quality images from places like Wikimedia & Google Arts project. One doesn’t need to pay money to go and watch a digital production of famous paintings — it’s literally available on your desktop.

What Siccardi really offers is a pleasant date night experience or a way to introduce your kids to wonderful paintings. I don’t see any appeal here for genuine art lovers. The music and the animations seem a little extra, Van Gogh surely doesn’t need any improvements.

But for something fun to do on the weekend with your partner or your kids, it absolutely works.

Don’t be surprised if you catch a couple making out in the dark corners of the exhibit, as the Starry Night explodes around them! And don’t be surprised, when your child stands in front of the Almond Blossoms for the first time and is slightly disappointed cause the blossoms no longer gently float away.