Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Immersing Myself in Van Gogh

When I first heard of the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit that would be taking place in Scottsdale, I thought to myself, "Oh, that's nice," and moved on to other things even though Van Gogh's Starry Night is my all-time favorite painting because of the strong emotions it always evokes in me. Then my leg really began to make improvements, and I began thinking about getting out to see and do things. That's when I really began looking into the exhibit.

Being enveloped in Van Gogh's works appealed to me, but I didn't know if it would be Denis's cup of tea. I was a bit surprised that he immediately said yes when I asked him if he wanted to go. The poor man obviously had cabin fever as badly as I did.

I bought the tickets, knowing that we would be going on what would have been my grandmother's 104th birthday but not realizing that it would also be opening day. Fortunately, our tickets were for "off-peak"-- 11 AM-- so although there were plenty of people there, there weren't what I would call crowds. (And I don't like crowds.) The only real problem was trying to find someplace to park where Denis wouldn't have to walk miles in the blazing sun and heat. (My electric scooter does give me an advantage from time to time.) The Parking Gods were smiling upon us, and when I saw the street sign, I had to laugh. Naturally, Denis wanted to know what the laughter was all about. "The name of the street we're parked on," I replied. He looked at the sign. "Brown. So?" "Today is my grandmother's birthday, and her maiden name was Brown." Come to think of it, maybe that wasn't a Parking God smiling down upon us...

Photography is allowed in the exhibit, but no tripods and no flash photography. The photos I'm about to share with you only scratch the surface of what the exhibit is all about. Music surrounds you. Windmill blades rotate in an imaginary breeze. Flowers blossom before your eyes. Water ripples in the moonlight. Candles flicker. Paintings seem to grow, brushstroke by brushstroke.

I found parts of the exhibit powerfully moving and was glad of the dark so strangers wouldn't see me crying. Would I go again? Yes, I would. Do I think you should go if you get a chance? If you like Van Gogh's work, I think it's a must-see, but now it's time for me to shut up and share my photos. Enjoy.
 
 
Being immersed in the villages and landscapes Van Gogh knew so well.

Immersed in the villagers' daily lives.

Van Gogh's irises bloom before your eyes.

Streets and buildings appear.

You become one with the sunflowers.

The art isn't just on the walls.

I almost felt as though I could take a seat at one of those tables.

Van Gogh's visions of the night sky...

I sometimes believe that Van Gogh and I feel the same about the night.

 Hopefully, this little video will display properly!


The genius behind it all.


15 comments:

  1. Oh, how astounding that must have been to experience, Cathy! I've always very much liked Van Gogh's work, and to be able to immerse oneself in it this way must be amazing. Thanks for sharing those 'photos - I can imagine they only scratched the surface, but they still lifted me up.

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    1. I don't even feel that they scratched the surface. I found it to be a very profound experience.

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  2. What an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing with us!

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  3. That is amazing. I've been toying with the idea of buying tickets for the exhibition here, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. This looks even better than I imagined. Thanks for the pictures and the short video; they are really something.

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    1. They are. I hope you'll decide to pull the trigger.

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  4. I'm so envious! Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists. I got to go to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam years (and years!) ago and really gained an appreciation for his vision and talent. And when I saw his paintings at the Musee D'Orsay in Paris I almost started to cry. I'm so glad you got to go to this exhibit!

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    1. I did cry at this exhibit, and I would imagine that if I ever had the chance to see his paintings at the Musée d'Orsay, I'd be an emotional wreck and they'd have to wheel me out on a gurney.

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  5. I'm so glad you enjoyed it - the irises 'blooming' in front of my eyes was one of my favorite parts.

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  6. Wow! What an amazing experience. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  7. Wonderful experience. Thank you for the post.

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  8. That's an amazing exhibit. I've never seen any like that. I saw a display of Monet's water lilies in a gallery nearby, but it didn't have the impact of this exhibit.

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    1. I saw one of Monet's water lily paintings once. I wanted to walk into it.

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