Imagining Van Gogh’s visions

It’s easy to see why the three-dimensional exhibition Imagine Van Gogh has been held over so long. It’s marvellous, disorienting, and sometimes dizzying to walk through the constantly changing world of the artist’s paintings.

The show also features information panels about the painter. During his 37 years, he suffered from poverty, mental health problems, rejection by family members, and a cold reception for his art.

After working in various galleries, he signed up at a semiary and studied to become a priest. This was a relief to his family, who found him embarrassing.

Though he did work briefly as a lay preacher among poor Belgian miners, the church soon ejected him.

Nearly thirty when he began to study art, he took classes in Brussels and the Hague, where he met other well-known artists and writers. He lived briefly in Antwerp, then moved to Paris, where his brother Theo, long associated with the art world, helped and encouraged him. He joined a Paris studio and exhibited some work. He also met some of the Impressionists and saw their work exhibited.

From Paris he moved on to Arles, where he painted a great deal before being hospitalized “at the request of the residents.” Diagnosed with “a kind of epilepsy,” he was sent to an insane asylum near St.-Remy-de-Provence. There he was allowed an extra room to paint in, and produced some of his most famous works, including The Starry Night, in 1890.

In May of that year he was moved to Auvers-sur-Oise. There, while under medical treatment, he cycled between depression and euphoria, painted a great many works, had a painting sold for a decent price, and gained some artistic recognition. He died there at the end of July, 1890.