Where did the day Gogh???

 

See what I did there? I’m certain that my brilliant followers realize that I probably went to the immersive Van Gogh exhibit and if so, they would be right!

A trip to the convention center in downtown Louisville was planned back in July, but thanks to my Covid, it had to be postponed. The exhibit ends this weekend and we were able to exchange our tickets for a day that worked for everyone and today was the day.

When I first saw this advertised, I knew I wanted to go. I love art but I must admit I didn’t know a lot about Van Gogh. The commercials were fantastic and it looked like an experience not to be missed. The fact is I recognize some famous pieces of art, but I am not the person you want to ask about any art history or technique.

I asked the troops around here if they wanted to go and everyone was on board. We loaded up the car to head out today…a big day since we can’t always get together to do somewhere as a group and sometimes, it’s just not easy. But today, it was a good day.

This exhibit is an incredible use of music and technology. It puts you “in” the painting in a way. The three-dimensional creations had artwork on the floor that looked like carpet. We were in the main room for 37 minutes. This was after passing through several large wall hangings with the history of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh and how Vincent came to be the artist he was. He had a lot of failure in his life and it really kind of sad that he didn’t realize the amazing art he had brought to the lives of others. His history was really interesting. 

In the big room, we stood close to the center of the room to try and take it all in. His artwork came alive with the technology, almost like magic. A couple of times there were portraits of Vincent all around us, most noticeably the ones with his bandaged ear. Some of these 30’ tall portraits actually blinked! No kidding! Water looked like it was moving as a stream. There were pipes that looked like they had smoke coming from them. The movement was so intriguing.

The music was lovely and the perfect instrumental accompaniment to the painting movement. I don’t think it can be easily described in this blog. It was cool and all of us enjoyed it.

That being said, after the hype and super reviews from many friends, I have to say I was a little disappointed. Ha! First of all, the convention center was very sterile and although there were walls of black cloth to keep the room dimly lit and allow the art to stand out, the open ceiling of an exhibit hall did not match the elegance of an art exhibit.

Although there was a lot of movement, the totally immersive experience that I expected to be the biggest part of the exhibit, was only about half of the 37 minutes.

Perhaps in some other location it would have been more elegant. Maybe an old theater, art studio or a ballroom would provide the ambiance I was looking for.

Please know that we did enjoy it. I do not feel like we wasted our money. It was well worth the opportunity to get out, where they were managing the crowd to allow all guests to enjoy it.

Of course, an outing day would not be complete without happy hour and we did go to a little place near home to have some apps and drinks.

What I got out of this day was the magic and peace of art shown in an immersive style. It gave the five of us, an enjoyable experience, each of us sharing what we enjoyed the most. I liked the blinking portraits and the beautiful white florals. (this is funny since it was so colorful!) We were able to escape, although for just short time, into a calming environment where we could truly appreciate the gift of art, forgetting the outside world for a short time.

If you have a chance to “Gogh,” I hope you will. Give yourself the gift of one hour of relaxation and a feast for the blinking eyes!!!

I’m hoping to take the next couple of weeks off from the blog to refresh my page and get some updated photos on there. So, if I miss the next couple of Wednesdays, you’ll know why!!

Happy Labor Day weekend! I hope you enjoy the official end of summer!! XOXOXOX