Van Gogh, Starry Night (2019) through the eyes of Peter Weibel

The immersive digital exhibition, Van Gogh, Starry Night (2019) is hosted by the Atelier de Lumières in Paris. The exhibition offers a fresh perspective on Van Gogh’s paintings by projecting them on to all of the surfaces of the space. These projections, paired with the delicate sound of music wafting through the space, creates a rich aesthetic and sensory experience for visitors. The digital projections allow visitors to truly interact with the different aspects of Van Gogh’s painting. By observing the paintings in this way, particular attention can be drawn to his impasto technique of painting. This is an excellent example of how the post-medium condition has increased the focus on the particularities of each medium.

Fig 1: The Atelier de Lumieres covered in projections of Van Gogh's paintings. All images taken from: https://mymodernmet.com/van-gogh-art-atelier-des-lumieres/

Van Gogh, Starry Night (2019) exemplifies the way in which we can experience the non-technological old media through the new technological media. The digital exhibition allows you to experience the artwork instead of simply observing it. In a sense, the spectator becomes an integral part of the art itself. This opens up an entire new dimension to old art media, not only by keeping it alive but by forcing it into radical changes. It becomes challenging to draw distinctions between different forms of media at this point. All art follows the script of the media. The 20th century saw the rise of the crisis of representation. The invention of the camera meant that the days of creating paintings that depicted an object almost exactly as we perceive it in reality, were over. Instead, artists had to become more creative and this led to the rise of the abstract. The object no longer had to be realistic, in fact in some cases, the object was removed completely. However, as this era progressed – the hyper-real became prominent once again. It was different this time, in way that it was executed. The introduction of digital techniques, such as algorithms, created a different type of “painting”. We now find ourselves in a space where things are not simply one or the other but rather a combination of both of these things.

Fig 2: A person stands immersed in the work of Van Gogh.

New technological media (projections) is used in this exhibition to showcase the old non-technological media (paintings). By showcasing the paintings in this way, the viewer is encouraged to focus on the form and technique. The brush strokes can be seen clearly, and the paintings come to life as the viewer feels submerged inside of it. This is not meant to take away from the original paintings in anyway. Instead, it is meant to enhance the richness of them. The viewer not only gets to experience Van Gogh’s paintings but for a small portion of the exhibition, they can observe the Japanese style art that greatly influenced Van Gogh. This demonstrates how the blending of media can deeply enhance the experience of art. Painting is not revitalised through itself but through reference to other media. The viewer of this exhibition not only gets to experience the beautiful works of Van Gogh, but they are also provided with some insight into his paintings.

Fig 3: Starry Night by Van Gogh covers the class ceiling.

I very much still stand by the arguments put forward in my article titled: The post-medial condition (2005). Due to digital technology and new media, the specificity of media is becoming increasingly indistinguishable. The post-media condition can be seen as an increased focus on the particularities of each medium. This was an idea, originally put forward by modernist theorists. We now have the means to explore this in deeper detail. Through large-scale simulations, we find ourselves able to look at details, in ways we never could before. In some sense, we have moved away the postmodern understanding of the art object in its association with medium, materiality and objecthood. The art object in the case of the exhibition cannot simply be defined as a single medium.

Fig 4: The Japanese style paintings that Van Gogh drew inspiration from.

Although, this is not a new idea. Post-modern artists are famous for their experimentation with mixing mediums. However, the art object has been changed slightly in this case. Here it is on a much larger scale and the object is continuously changing. There is no single “object”, but the recurring objects create a sense of a single object. The material of the artwork is also difficult to define as it is not oil on canvas but rather a representation of oil on canvas. The viewer is offered a similar experience to viewing the “oil on canvas”. In many ways the viewer is shown more of the technicality of this technique through this depiction. But it is not the original artwork. It is merely a simulation of the real artwork. This is new territory and can therefore cannot simply be defined in the usual post-modern sense.

Fig 5: Van Gogh's Sunflower's projected.

I do not think that this detracts from the post-modern understanding of the art object at all though. Instead, I believe that contributes greatly to its understanding and paves the way for future constructions of this concept. It is clear to see that the lines are becoming blurrier between different mediums. One might even be as controversial, as to say that the immerged experience is richer than that of simply viewing the original artworks, despite the fact that the original is seen to be more “culturally rich” simply because it is the original.

My final point is this, the overlap between media and art is going to continue to become grow and eventually they will be completely interwoven. This does not mean that the value of art is going to decrease, instead it means that art is going to adapt and find new ways to be seen.

(922 Words)