The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2021 - Issue 30

Van Gogh Jada Brookes experienced the mind-blowing and awe-inspiring Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience that lets you see art in a different digital dimension. biteexhibition I t’s quite therapeutic looking at and admiring paint- ings in galleries, especially if you are an avid art lover, but to see a celebrated artist’s work in an immersive experience takes it all to another explosive level. Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent Willem van Gogh was unarguably one of the most influential figures in Western art history. It is said in a decade, he created around 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience aims to show visi- tors the depth of the artist’s work as well as his develop- ment of the various subjects he studied in a completely new perspective. Once you step into the exhibition, you are greeted by several self-portraits of the man himself high up on the wall looking down on you as if to welcome you into his world of colours and nature. Van Gogh was born in 1853 in Groot Zundert in the Netherlands to a church minister father and a highbrow and devout Chris- tian mother. At the age of 27, encouraged by his beloved brother, Théo, he decided to become an artist, much to the disappoint- ment of his parents who considered this type of work to be synonymous with social failure. In 1882, he lived with his mistress Clasina Maria Hoornik, after whom the series Sien (meaning to see) is named and also drew one of his famous works called Sorrow. The following year he left The Hague and his mistress to work alone on his drawings in Drethne, in the northeast of The Netherlands. In 1884, van Gogh began to develop his watercolour technique. He studied weavers and grew fascinated with French artist Eugène Delacroix’s colour work. He painted approximately 50 portraits of peasants as a study for his work, The Potato Eaters . During his trip to Antwerp, he acquired some Japanese prints and admired their tech- niques. Determined to learn more, he studied at the Ant- werp Academy and also continued his studies at the Cor- mon Studio in Paris. His fascination with artists Delacroix and Adolphe Mon- ticelli saw him incorporate more flowers into his work. He also found inspiration in the Impressionist Move- ment. In Arles, southern France, he moved into the Yel- low House where he painted the famous The Bedroom, one of the themes of the exhibition. It was here he worked with fellow artist Paul Gauguin but with whom he had a contentious friendship. Following one heated argument with Gauguin, van Gogh cut off his ear and the French artist promptly left. This led to the artist living alternatively between a psy- chiatric hospital and the Yellow House. But this tumul- tuous period did not stop him from producing several of his immortal works including Starry Night , an abstract of the view from his room at the asylum. Taking the advice of Neo-impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, van Gogh sought treatment from Dr Paul Gachet, the physician to the art world in 1890. However, on 27 July, the artist shot himself in the abdomen and died two days later at the age of 37. The exhibition focuses on van Gogh’s many inspirations including sunflowers that were among his most famous works and happened to be in vogue during the 1870s, found in the rustic gardens of that era. His first series was created in Paris in 1887 while living with his broth- er Théo, which comprises of four canvases portraying sunflowers upon a table. He created the second series of Images courtesy of Van Gogh Expo The Immersi ve Experience “I often think that the night is more alive and more richly coloured than the day” - Vincent van Gogh.