A big sigh of calm mixed with a desire to pull out my oil paints settled over me in my socially distanced circle, arm entrenched in my husband's strong embrace, the air hot and stuffy behind my mandatory mask. At first it was underwhelming, the Immersive Van Gogh event, hundreds of tiny little beams of light dancing around the walls with music pouring over our carefully counted heads. But the longer we sat, the dynamic nature of this beautiful and tortured soul settled into our imaginations, carried along by the changing rhythms of dark and light music and depictions of Van Gogh's infamous paintings rushing from sunflowers to dark strokes of pain. And like most rich experiences of life, it all escaped delightfully and mystically beyond our feeble attempts of capturing these moments on our cameras and phones to share with our small circles, or look on with slipping nostalgia days later.
Luke recalled the number of paintings Van Gogh had accomplished so beautifully in his short life, and reminded me of his days of being up and down emotionally and mentally. It was oddly comforting and I felt touched by his suffering, and moved by his expressions. It's something we need to be reminded of, that we are not alone in our struggles, and the suffering we face is not new to mankind. What a gift it was to see and be reminded of the fruits of this man's artistic labours - he put his gifts out into the world and kept showing up with his brush in hand, generous to the canvas and eventually, the world.
We captured a few photographs of the event - our cameras being one of our own leanings and ways to show up and contribute to the world. It was a nice event - the perfect way to commence date nights post quarantine life, and celebrate the work of such an epic artist.
If you're in Toronto, I'd say it's worth checking out before the event ends, and I'm thankful they brought it here after it's successful run in Paris. Happy weekend, friends. I hope you find exciting ways to get out and explore, and perhaps nourish your creative spirits.