Vincent van Gogh is not only known for his art but his whole character also became a pop icon in the past years. From his famous 'Starry Night' painting to his self-portraits, people all over the world visit Vincent van Gogh's exhibitions to be fully immersed in his artworks. His paintings are different than what you would expect from that time (Post-Impressionism) as he experimented with several styles creating whimsical as well as more serious pieces (Porter, 2015). Because of those aspects he is now of the most interesting artists worldwide. But what is even more special about van Gogh is the extraordinary ways in which his art is presented.
Nowadays, many museums offer multimedia and interactive experiences to be fully immersed in the paintings of the 'Starry Night' or 'The Bedroom'. For example, the Art Institute of Chicago recreated Vincent van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles and visitors can even renting it out via the platform AirBnb (Neuendorf, 2021). The interest in this artist is pushed more as the experiences become more and more appealing to visitors. One recent example is the partnership between the Vincent van Gogh's Museum in Amsterdam and the popular Japanese franchise Pokémon. To celebrate the museum's 50th anniversary, van Gogh’s famous paintings were remodelled or changed up completely by merging characters such as Pikachu or Eevee into artworks such as the 'Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat' (Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum, n.d.). This partnership was made mainly to attract children and invite them to learn more about art and Vincent van Gogh (Pokémon x van Gogh Museum, n.d).
Through such exhibitions, his art becomes more and more relatable and interesting with all different kinds of audiences which makes Vincent van Gogh even more of a Pop Icon of the 21st century. The initial success of his artworks being against the mainstream and offering people a way to see the past live through his eyes, as more and more ways emerge to experience his art style, his lifetime and open struggles with his mental and bodily health (Porter, 2015). A major example is the 'Starry Night Stereo VR experience' in which visitors can immerse themselves in the 'Starry Night' painting through a multimedia experience that can be seen in the video below. This is a 360-degree view of the village represented in the 'Starry Night' which after guiding the viewers through the small streets, finally arrives at the famous bedroom in Arles of Vincent van Gogh. When creating this VR experience, the YouTube channel 'Motion Magic' aimed at bringing the warm and bright colours used in both the paintings to life in order to ensure that the viewers can fully immerse in their video (Motion Magic, 2016).
Do you want to experience the Starry Night in the comfort of your home? Have a look here down below.
Learn more about the Pokémon Collaboration with the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam here: Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam