Hey everyone! A few months back I wrote about the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit that would be coming to New York City, and was excited to tell you all that I would be going, promising to write about my experience. Well, today, I am here to fulfill that promise!

I went to the exhibit a few days ago, and it was amazing! The projections run on a 30 minute loop, and since my ticket was for an hour, I was able to see it twice. It started out with paintings like The Potato Eaters that were dull in color compared to the bright and vivacious works Van Gogh is best known for. These paintings melt away as brighter colors appear. This was something I really loved about the exhibit: you were able to watch the paintings form themselves and truly come to life. My favorite one of these was for Irises – which is also my favorite painting – which panned up from the roots, showing the stems grow and petals bloom.

I also loved playing “Art Historian” with my friends. At one point, several of Van Gogh’s self portraits were shown, and I was able to point out which one is thought to actually be his brother, Theo. There was also a section that displayed Van Gogh’s works that were inspired by Japanese art. I explained to my friend that when Japan opened trade with Europe, many Impressionist artists found refuge in Japanese styles because of the rigid rules in Europe for what ‘good art’ could be. Taking influence from Japan, a country that was concerned with true expression through art, allowed European artists to rebel and begin to create for themselves rather than for others.

The exhibit is set up with three rooms, and each room plays the same projections. For the first half hour, my friends and I sat on the floor and simply watched (and took pictures, of course). Each room had different sets of mirrors that created really cool visual effects. The third room had a big platform that you could walk to the top of and see the whole room. This room also had plenty of space for folding chairs that many used to sit on. For the second half hour, we went in this room and walked around. It was truly amazing getting to see such amazing paintings blown up so you can see every detail. Even the floor had projections! You really get to experience art in a new, enchanting way!

Here are some of my favorite pictures I took:

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to attend this exhibit. The experience itself was one of wonder, and the feeling of being surrounded by the colors of my favorite artist was truly indescribable. This exhibit is one anyone can enjoy – even my friend, who admitted he thought Van Gogh painted The Scream said it was worth it. If you get the chance to see this immersive exhibit, you definitely should – it was something I will never forget. Now, the next step for me is a trip to California to see Irises in real life and, if I’m very lucky, a future tip to Amsterdam to visit the Van Gogh Museum!