Providence Art Lovers Should Be ‘Van Goghing’ to This Show

The Southern New England art scene seems to be full of immersive Van Gogh displays right now. With the two shows coming to an end in Boston soon, it is the perfect time for Providence to host a Van Gogh exhibit of their own.

From Van Gogh Exhibition: The Immersive Experience to Imagine Van Gogh, it has been hard to keep track of which show is which (and I actually went to one). Now a third tour of Van Gogh artwork is arriving at the Rhode Island Convention Center this May with Beyond Van Gogh.

Personally I would love to see them all, but have so far only made it to one. Last month I went to Imagine Van Gogh Boston and absolutely loved my experience. It was a great date day with my husband and we both thought the trip was totally worth it.

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Beyond Van Gogh seems ready to offer guests a similar experience, Van Gogh artworks enlarged and projected onto the walls and floor of a huge, open space so that one feels as if they have literally stepped inside a piece of art. It sounds so simple and yet it was a much more enjoyable experience than I had expected.

I truly thought the show would just be a series of Van Gogh paintings projected around the room while I stood there and watched. In actuality it was a show that seemed like a work of art itself.

When you enter the exhibit space you do in fact feel like you have walked into a painting. Pieces of the artwork are projected everywhere you turn, making Van Gogh's brush strokes and paint blobs larger than life. But the creators then pair the artwork you know and love with classical music and combine paintings in ways you may never have imagined.

Several flower paintings blend to become a field of blooms, works featuring field hands give you the feeling of farming hay yourself and when Cafe Terrace at Night actual merged with Starry Night it was downright incredible.

I loved checking out the immersive Van Gogh display and would say if you head to Providence this spring to see the show, go at a quieter time, find yourself a spot to see as much of the room as you can and then sit down to take it all in.