By TR Robertson Some pictures in Immersive Experience from Paquin Entertainment Group
Those attending the latest Immersive Experience at the Del Mar Fairgrounds have a chance to take in a unique multimedia experience using cutting edge technology to present a stunningly colorful and beautiful look at the work of two of the iconic masters of the artwork, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. The exhibit is produced by Paquin Entertainment Group. The exhibit is 30,000 square feet with over 1-million cubic feet of space making it the largest immersive experience in the country. Justin Paquin, president of exhibitions and theatrical at the Paquin Entertainment Group says, “Both Beyond Monet and Beyond Van Gogh are redefining what art means to people. Touring since last year, Beyond Van Gogh has sold over 7 million tickets globally since its opening. Those who attend the shows can choose to see only the Beyond Monet or the Beyond Van Gogh or both. Back-to-back times are available on select dates and times.
Your experience begins in the Education Room where large panels decorated with some of the artists’ paintings also contain biographical information about the artists as well as descriptions in the artist’s words about his life or his work. Some of the information concerning Van Gogh is from many of the over 600 letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo. A small bridge, resembling the bridge built in Monet’s Garden outside of his home in Giverny, in northern France, is in the center of the room where guests can observe the panels. When you have spent time in this room, guests follow the sign to enter the large Immersive Room. Make sure you visually make a mental note of what you are seeing on the massive walls when you enter as depending on what artist is being shown that production may start again or if you are seeing back-to-back shows of a Monet show followed by a Van Gogh show it will be obvious when a different artist is being presented. Either way, seeing the shows several times is well worth the experience. Each show is over 30-45 minutes long and there are only a few small benches in the room. Many choose to sit on the floor and become part of the paintings as they flow through the production on the walls and on the floor.
The paintings for each artist ebb and flows into the next painting in this three-dimensional experience. Guests can remain stationary or move around as the projections wrap the walls in color and images with flowers, landscapes, buildings, portraits, the ocean, city life and much more. Over 400 of Monet’s 2,000+ paintings are featured including “Water Lilies”, “Impression, Sunrise” and “Poppies at Argenteuil”. Over 300 of Van Gogh’s 2,000+ paintings are featured including “The Starry Night”, “Sunflowers” and “Café Terrace at Night”. The Van Gogh presentation features an eclectic mixture of contemporary and classical musical tracks, and the Monet presentation features an original score by Jean-Sebastian Cote. As you watch and listen to the Immersive Experience you become mesmerized at times with the imagery and color as it envelopes you not only on the walls but on the floor and the large stationary panels place in various locations in the room, colors blending into colors, scenes fading into other scenes. At one point in the Monet presentation, you become in the center of a storm and the ocean, taken from several of Monet’s storm paintings he created from firsthand experiences. At various times for each artist, quotes from the artist will appear describing their feelings about their work or what they were feeling at the time they were painting a specific piece of artwork.
A Little About Each Artist
Vincent Willem Van Gogh – Van Gogh is a Dutch painter born in 1853. He is considered a Post-Impressionist painter creating 2,100 pieces of art, of which 860 were oils. He is most famous for landscapes, still life’s, portraits, and self-portraits. Van Goghs work features bold dramatic colors and thick application of paint in his oils. Only one of his paintings, known by name, was sold during his lifetime. Van Gogh liked city life but felt more at ease in the countryside. He once thought of becoming a pastor but failed the exams and courses necessary to complete the classes needed for a degree. He was in ill health for much of his life and suffered from a wide range of mental illnesses including depression, psychotic episodes, and delusions. After an argument, with his artistic avant-garde friend Paul Gauguin, ended with a confrontation involving a razor, Van Gogh severed part of his left ear. Van Gogh painted a number of self-portraits, including several of him with a bandage on his head covering the portion of the ear he cut off. He lived in poverty most of his life and drank alcohol heavily. Van Gogh’s work would not become famous until after his death and his name became synonymous with the misunderstood genius and the tortured artist. He is thought to have died from suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a revolver. He died two days later on July 27, 1890, at the age of 37. During his life he constantly wrote letters to his brother, Theo. Theo kept most of the letters from Vincent, over 600, but only 40 from Theo were found after Van Gogh died. Van Gogh’s painting, “The Portrait of Doctor Paul Gauchet”, sold for $75 million in auction in 1990. Dr. Gauchet was the doctor that took care of Van Gogh later in his life.
Oscar-Claude Monet – Monet is a French painter born in 1840 and is considered the founder of Impressionism – the philosophy of expressing one’s perceptions of nature. Monet showed this mostly through plein air – outdoor landscape painting. Vibrant colors, techniques of demonstrating the effect of light on landscapes or images dominated his work. In 1872, at the Exhibition of the Impressionists in Paris, the public started to become aware of his and others unique style. His early art featured suburban and rural life of leisure activities in Paris as well as still life. Monet had two sons with his muse Camille Doncieux. After she passed away, he married Alice Hoschede whose husband had died leaving her with 6 children. In 1883, Monet moved to Giverny in northern France, into a large pink house with gardens. Monet began a vast landscaping project which included a water lily pond, which would also be featured in numerous of his paintings. He also wanted to document, by his paintings, the French countryside. Many of his choices for what to paint would become multiples, such as the series of haystacks, paintings of Rowan Cathedral and his water lilies. Monet frequently exhibited and sold artwork and was considered successful during his lifetime. He had declining eyesight in his later years but continued to paint. Monet died of lung cancer in 1926 at the age of 86. His home, garden and the Museum of Impressionism are major attractions in France. The Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris displays over 100 of his 2,500 paintings, pastels, and sketches. His most expensive painting sold today was “Haystacks” that sold in 2019 for $110 million.
Beyond Van Gogh and Beyond Monet will be at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Wyland Center until April 4th. Ticket prices range from $36.99 for adults to $21.99 for ages 5-15. Parking is $20 but can be purchased early online for $15. The Virtual Reality experience at the end of the Immersive Experience cost $15 where you can see and listen to a recreation of some of Van Gogh’s letters to Theo. Go to www.beyondmonet.com or www.beyondvangogh.com for more information about the Immersive Experience at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
“If one truly loves nature, one finds beauty everywhere.” Vincent Van Gogh
