A unique experience has made its way to Dallas, bringing art to a whole new level. The exhibit began in Paris, catching the attention of more than two million visitors. It became a popular must-see and made its way to Toronto, then opened shows in different cities within the United States. Until November 28th, the breathtaking art of Vincent Van Gogh can be witnessed at 507 South Harwood Street in Dallas.
The Dallas Van Gogh exhibit website states, “From creators of the blockbuster exhibit seen by over 2 million visitors in Paris and after a sold-out run in Toronto, the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit makes its mark at a historic Venue in the heart of Dallas!” Van Gogh’s artwork surrounds the area inside of the building. The art moves along the walls, leaving the visitors feeling as if they stepped into Van Gogh’s artwork.
According to their website, the exhibit has “500,000 cubic feet of projections, 60,600 frames of video, and 90,000,000 pixels.” They also mention that “it’s safe to Gogh,” speaking of COVID-19. The staff will be wearing masks, sanitizing stations are spread throughout the site, a boosted cleaning protocol is in place, and there are “social distancing circles.” The circles are placed upon the floor for visitors to use as a spot to take in what they are experiencing at a safe distance from others. More than 170,000 people experienced this exhibit in Toronto, and there has not been a single reported case of COVID-19.
Van Gogh’s most famous pieces of art can be seen at a truly mesmerizing scale. Among the many paintings present in the building, visitors can glance at Starry Night, The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, and The Bedroom. “Wander through entrancing, moving images that highlight brush strokes, detail, and color – truly illuminating the mind of the genius,” the website for the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit explains.
There are mixed reviews on the Immersive Van Gogh Dallas Facebook page even with the page having over 6,000 likes. One of the reviews states, “The 30 minute show was very cool, but it was super overpriced considering that’s all it is.” Other people on the page saw the exhibit differently by expressing, “Absolutely loved this, felt like I was in the Fantasia movie,” and “Excellent exhibit! We enjoyed the immersive experience and would suggest to anyone.”
The exhibit’s creator is Massimiliano Siccardi, who, according to Visioni Eccentrich, is a “world-renewed Digital Artist” and “is the precursor and inventor of the usage of technology, video, animations and projectors, for the development of immersive experiences.”
In an interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal, Siccardi talked about his project by stating, “It has been a success, which makes me very happy, especially because it’s a very particular look at Van Gogh’s work, plus also a look at Vincent as a man. He transformed the world with this art and gave us so many different perceptions of life.”
Siccardi continued the interview by explaining the “immersive” part of the exhibit. “It’s what makes this feel special. By immersive, I am saying that people will have an experience that is quite their own,” he stated. When he talked about his favorite painting that Van Gogh created, he spoke highly of the artist, saying, “He was always looking forward. That’s also why van Gogh was not famous during his life. He was so advanced that people couldn’t understand him. He was a visionary.”
The Las Vegas Review-Journal states that one of Siccardi’s productions landed a featured part in “Emily in Paris,” a movie on Netflix.
Not only is the exhibit filled with a massive art show, but music fills the room as well. Luca Longobardi created the soundtrack that is heard throughout the show. A profile on Sound Better talks about who he is by saying, “Italian composer and pianist Luca Longobardi represents the generation of classically trained musicians who incorporate the language of contemporary electronic music into their pieces, which are furthermore strongly connected to the multimedia arts.”
Who is Vincent Van Gogh? A biography states that “Van Gogh’s inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature.”
He is known by the world as a post-impressionist artist but became famous after he passed away. He was born in the Netherlands in 1853 and died in 1890. Van Gogh held high emotions and seemed to struggle with self-confidence. Failures in his life came too often in his relationships, jobs, and when he tried to become a preacher like his father.
In Belgium, he began to study art and started with dark tones throughout some of his first paintings. When he went to Paris and met other artists, he decided to change his work by adding brighter colors while using short brush strokes, as the other painters have done. It quickly became another failure, and he moved on by creating his own style.
Van Gogh struggled mentally and physically while trying to find out what he was meant to do in life. A painter he met in Paris, Gauguin, became his friend but realized how hard it was to be around Van Gogh and the mental struggles that came along with him. Vincent was sent away to an asylum after trying to charge Gauguin with an open razor. Ultimately, he cut off a piece of his own ear lobe when Gauguin stopped the attack.
After being treated for a couple of years, it is believed that he took his own life at the age of 37. He was not a painter for a long time and only sold one painting before he passed away. Living in poverty, mental struggles, constant failure, and a lack of nutrition was the life he left behind without ever knowing how famous he became. “Van Gogh is now viewed as one of the most influential artists having helped lay the foundations of modern art,” the biography states.
For more information on the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Dallas, including ticket prices and special events, www.dallasvangogh.com.