If anyone needed a Self-Care Sunday, it was Vincent Van Gogh. Not only is he famous for his expressive and colorful paintings, he is also known for his mental health challenges. Many have speculated about why he behaved so erratically, and then committed suicide at the age of 37. I’m not here to speculate those things. In fact, I’m not 100% certain his gun shot wound to the abdomen was self inflicted since most suicides by gunshot are to the head.

What I do know is that I find his paintings mesmerizing to view in person. With his thick brush strokes, it’s almost like a cross between painting and sculpting. And the way he would combine colors. It wasn’t about accuracy, but about expression. Which is why a lot of his portraits of others did not have natural skin tones. It was never about real life, but his interpretation.

Needless to say, I got very excited when I first found out about the Van Gogh immersive experiences that were touring around the country. I thought this would be an amazing way to celebrate the paintings of this amazing artist. And I was not disappointed.

Below is a video I made of his masterpiece Starry Night coming to life as a giant living mural on the wall. In fact, if you listen closely, you can hear a little girl in the background saying, ‘This is Starry Night.’ And then she gets so excited, she walks up to the wall to get a closer look.

Starry Night comes to life

It makes me wonder what Vincent would have thought if he could have experienced this himself. At the time he was alive, very few people appreciated his work. As an artist myself, I lamented to one of my friends, that the worst part about being an artist is that your work is more valuable when you’re dead. And that’s certainly true for Van Gogh. It’s why I experience both joy and sadness when I view his work. He had no idea how much his work would impact the art community, but here we are, generations later enjoying his work.

If you get a chance to view this Van Gogh experience, I highly recommend it!

Take care.

3 thoughts on “Immersed in Van Gogh’s Paintings”

  1. Pingback: Self-Care Sunday: Immersed in Monet -

  2. That’s a beautiful video! And I agree, it’s sad indeed that an artist’s work seems to be more appreciated and valuable when they are dead. 🙁

    1. Thank you for the comment. I hope you get to enjoy Van Gogh’s work in person. Even the most beautiful photos/videos don’t replace the real thing!

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