An Immersive Art-Exhibit with Van Gough
An Article on Art-Tech by DS, SF Bay Area, USA
Getting close to and within “Starry Nights” at an immersive art exhibition on Van Gough in San Francisco, 2022
One of the latest trends in the art-exhibition world is traveling immersive-art-exhibitions featuring the work of impressionist legends like Gogh, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and others. These exhibitions travel to different cities in the United States, giving people the opportunity to experience the work of these master artists in a new, immersive, and exciting way. The audio-video technology used in these exhibits creates a truly immersive experience in the sense that it surrounds visitors with the paintings themselves and transports them to another place and time of perhaps how the artist may have felt. For classic purist, it might be un-appealing, but it's an incredible way to experience art, and it's one that is sure to become more popular in the future, especially the younger generations. As technology advances, we will be able to enjoy these and other exhibits in more and more lifelike ways. So if you can't make it to a European museum, to see the real thing, be sure to check out one of these Immersive Art Exhibitions (IEAs) coming to a big-city near you.
San Francisco Bay area in Northern California in USA, in general, is a mecca for all types of art experiences, local and traveling both. With so many options, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. That’s why first let’s look at some of the best art experiences, exhibits and immersive both, in the city. Whether you’re a seasoned art aficionado or a first-time visitor, there’s an art experience for everyone at all levels in San Francisco. From world-renowned museums, to local up-and-coming galleries, to larger than life murals painted of whole streets, the city has it all. Let’s take a look at some of the local favorites.
The deYoung Museum: The deYoung Museum is one of San Francisco’s most beloved cultural institutions. Located in Golden Gate Park, the museum houses an impressive collection of art from around the world. One of the highlights of the deYoung Museum has been the immersive Van Gogh exhibit. You’ll feel as though you are transported to another time and place as you wander through this incredible exhibit.
The Contemporary Jewish Museum: The Contemporary Jewish Museum is one of the most unique museums in San Francisco. The museum is housed in a historic building that was once a synagogue. The current exhibition is “Broken Vessels: Rebuilding Modernism—Masterworks from SFMOMA.” This exhibit features works by some of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century including Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, and Salvador Dali. The exhibit explores how these artists used broken objects to create new and innovative works of art. This is a must-see for any art lover!
The SF MOMA Artists Gallery: If you’re looking for an immersive art experience that is truly unique, look no further than the SF MOMA Artists Gallery. This gallery features rotating exhibitions by local artists working in a variety of mediums. The gallery also offers hands-on workshops led by professional artists. These workshops are a great way to get involved in the local art scene and meet other like-minded people.
These are just few examples among tens to hundreds of smaller, private art galleries dotted through out the city. San Francisco is a city with no shortage of art experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned art aficionado or a first-time visitor, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
My own first experience with immersive audio-visual art, displayed on the huge walls in front of me as well as on the ceiling above and the floor below, came recently with traveling Van Gogh's exhibition in San Francisco. Giant rolling visuals of starry nights, sunflower fields, self-portraits, and others surrounded us with full symphony-style orchestra music creating a captivating ambiance that transported me to my own world of sunflower fields or moving galaxies of starry nights.
It was very different from the overly priced and over-crowded galleries in Europe that I have been to in the past. I felt as though I had been transported to another, ethereal world where I was sitting or laying on the floor with the familiar life size white-blue brush strokes of Van Gogh painting the moving starry nights and galaxies with full beauty and relevant surround-sound music around me. The scenes change seamlessly with appropriate full symphonic orchestra changing the music from that for starry nights to a sunflower field to a more somber one during a self-portrait. It was an unforgettable experience and one that I will cherish for years to come. Thank you, Van Gogh, for opening my eyes to the beauty of art sitting here in the cradle of a traveling arts exhibition hall in San Francisco with people strolling, walking around going closer to or getting farther away from the wall to enjoy some of your world or perhaps some of your imaginations as they rolled around you during your time.
Starry Night is one of the world's most famous paintings, and it's easy to see why. The swirling night sky is full of intense colors and energy, and the stars seem to be alive with movement. It's a painting that begs to be experienced, and now, thanks to advances in technology, it's possible to do just that with new technologies knocking at our door.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands. But what if you could experience Van Gogh's paintings in a completely immersive way? What if you could step into his world and see the colors and brushstrokes up close? These are the kinds of experiences that will be possible with the future of immersive traveling arts exhibitions.
With augmented reality and virtual reality technology, visitors will be able to not just see but also interact with famous works of art. Imagine being able to walk through Michael Angelo's Sistine Chapel or Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. This will be a completely new way of experiencing art and history. And it will be accessible to people all over the world, not just those who can travel to Amsterdam or Rome. So yes, in last 1-2 years huge wall size stationary or moving visuals of the most famous painting of these masters of last century with enveloping music and visual effects have passed through the cities of San Francisco Bay area. I have enjoyed some of these with the detailed background, history, context, and even the story behind each painting. These traveling exhibitions have enriched me much more than what I could gather moving slowly through throngs of people passing, stopping, and glancing at some of the originals in the museums in Paris, London, Rome, Tokyo, or Amsterdam over the years.
So far, there have been a few experimental immersive exhibitions, but the technology is still in the early stages. The future of these exhibitions looks very promising. Right now it is going through major metropolises around the world, but very soon, perhaps in 2023-2024 it might be traveling through a city near you.
By DS in San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
