Gogh This Way

A ten-year art career turned into centuries of fame by Carmen Macri

The Beyond Van Gogh immersive art experience has made its way to Jacksonville and empowers you to take a stroll through Van Gogh’s mind.

Alluring paintings are brought to life with floor-to-ceiling projections. Engrossing me into Starry Night as the painting dances around the room. A sense of serenity washes over as I wander into the painting itself. Its almost if my feet had a mind of their own; I couldnt help but whirl around alongside it.

I had the opportunity of chatting with Fanny Curtat, the art historian with the Van Gogh experience, and she shared her profound affection for all things Van Gogh.

“There’s a reason Starry Night is one of the most famous pieces in the world,” Curtat explained. “When you look at Starry Night, people remember this rumbling tumbling sky more than anything else. They remember these colors, these rich blues fighting with these orangey yellows. There’s something really really powerful about the way Vincent used colors and movement to really express something that is beyond reality. It is a perfect example as to why Van Gogh is such a good fit for these experiences.”

Beyond Van Gogh delivers a brand-new way to experience art with rolling skies and blinking eyes. It allows a firsthand glimps into the movement and emotion he portrays in his paintings. The once still trees now sway in the wind. The stagnant seas have crashing waves. And the flower buds bloom high and low.

This is undoubtedly the way Van Gogh’s work deserves to be seen.