In the Beginning
The Beyond Van Gogh exhibit is an immersive art experience currently displayed at the Liverpool exhibition centre.
I was impressed by this exhibition, which successfully achieves what it sets out to do - providing a modern immersive experience of Van Gogh's work without actually displaying his original pieces.
The first room of the exhibit tells the story of Van Gogh's life and his history struggling to find his vocation; his attempts to study for the priesthood before finally finding his calling as an artist.
Through a series of letters and quotes we are led through the psyche of the artist, discovering the hopes, sorrows and insecurities that fed the genius of this man. This section of the exhibit documents his struggles with mental health, and subsequent acts of self-annihilation.
I was touched to learn of Van Gogh's relationship with his brother Theo, who encouraged and supported him in realizing his potential.
This made me reflect upon my own struggles with mental health and feelings of self-worth; the curse of many creative people is to be strangled by doubt about the validity of their work. It is humbling, and encouraging, to find out that an artist of Van Gogh's talent was also haunted by feelings of self-doubt, yet through perseverance, and joy of art, he still created!
Into a World of Dreams
The main exhibition room takes you into a dream-scape of swirling clouds, starry skies and seascapes patterned with flowers.
Images shift and merge, one into another, flowing together in a river of abstract motion.
Over 300 of Van Gogh's most famous paintings are projected onto 30 thousand square feet of wall space.
As you walk around the constantly shifting environment, patterns of flowing colours are projected onto the floor complimented by a fantastic soundtrack of classical music as smells of corn cockles, sunflowers or briny seaweed are pumped into the room dependent on the work being displayed.
The display takes around 50 minutes, but I found time stood still as one scene merged into another like the flow from one dream to the next.
It left me in a sensory place of no thought; testament to the genius of Van Gogh in expressing the unseen world.
I find that Van Gogh's landscapes capture something of the unspoken world that dwells behind thought; the almost inexpressible beauty that a baby's eyes behold...
...The wonder of the unconditioned world.
For me, this is the greatest achievement of art in all its myriad forms,
and Van Gogh was a master.
Thanks for reading.
All images in this post are my own property, the Liverpool exhibition centre today. Designs for page breaks and title image are my own, created using gimp photo editor.
Camera used - Samsung S7 Smartphone
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