Beyond Van Gogh

Beyond Van Gogh is a traveling immersive experience, I got to see it in two cities, Phoenix and Salt Lake. The two exhibits were very different, so I'm glad I got to experience it both ways.

I went to the Phoenix one is September, when I was visiting Karin and her family for a week.

There was a section with letters between Van Gogh and his family and friends etched on mirrors.

Van Gogh's letters are beautifully written and fascinating to read. He was such a beautiful soul, he was so thoughtful and loving. I wrote a paper on Van Gogh in college, I spent hours reading his letters as research. I have had a special place for him in my heart ever since.

The entrance to the immersive rooms was mesmerizing 

Vincent's works were projected on all the walls and floor. They were animated and set to moving music. The show was about 30 minutes long and played in a continuous loop, we could stay and watch it as many times as we wanted.

There was a special VIP room that you had to have special tickets to enter, but I could stand in the entry way and catch glimpses of it. It had a glossy floor that created reflections of the projections on the walls.

Pictures don't really capture the full experience of being completely enveloped in these colorful masterpieces, it was such a unique and wonderful experience.

The entrance to the Phoenix exhibit was amazing, complete with the platers bursting with fake sunflowers.

The exhibit then came to Salt Lake and I went to see it in January.  Beth had discovered that they offered yoga classes in the immersive room every Saturday morning. We had made plans to go together but they fell through, so she went one week with V and I went the week after. The classes were held before the exhibit opened, so we had the place all to ourselves. It was so much fun doing yoga in that beautiful space.

After class, we got to go through the entire exhibit, like I said, it was very different from the Phoenix edition, so it was like a completely new experience.

These panels outlined different aspects of Van Gogh's life and personality.

The show in the immersive rooms in Salt Lake was completely different than the one in Arizona.

I wore my most Van Gogh-ish shoes.

I also wore my artist palate earrings Beth gave me for Christmas.

I loved the transition from the portraits to the floral arrangements.

The floral part was absolutely breathtaking, all the different flowers moved, and floated across the floor and the walls, totally surrounding us all in the most gorgeous, vibrant colors and larger than life blooms.

And then all the flowers melted into liquid color and we were whisked away into another scene from Van Gogh's dreams.

The Almond Blossom painting has always been a favorite of mine, not only because of how gorgeous it is, but because of it's symbolism. Vincent painted the blossoms for Theo and his family after the birth of Theo's first son, who he named after his beloved older brother, Vincent Willem Van Gogh.

Almond trees flower early in spring. The tree therefore marks the arrival of spring and the start of new life, the perfect gift for his brand new nephew.

The animation on the almond blossoms was my favorite of both shows that I saw. The petals floated all around the room and on the floor. More and more petals appeared until we felt like we were caught up in a magnificent whirlwind of white petals. 

Beth also gave me this "Let it Gogh" shirt for Christmas since she knows how much I love him.

I absolutely love seeing this brilliant, creative, genius being honored and celebrated by so many people around the world with this exhibit. It was an amazing, unique experience and I am so glad I got to enjoy it twice!