Seeing and Feeling Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh is undeniably one of the most beloved and complex artists throughout art history. His innate ability to see and feel everything and express a myriad emotions is one of the gifts he gave humanity. Although his painting The Starry Night depicts the view from his dreary asylum room, it captures the aspirations of hope he derived from the sky and stars. He once stated, “I don’t know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.”

Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night has been a visitor favorite at MoMA since it first appeared in its Van Gogh retrospective in 1935 and then was acquired in 1941.

Many of us who can see van Gogh’s paintings may take our sight for granted. But, for many individuals who live with visual impairments or total blindness viewing extraordinary paintings like Starry Night may not be possible. However, van Gogh would have been pleased to know their dreams may have come true — thanks to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Program For The Visually Impaired at the Van Gogh Museum
You may have read my article about the program at El Prado Museum in Spain that allows the visually impaired to “see” master paintings with their hands. Since then we learned about “Feeling Van Gogh”, a new program created at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Thanks to a new technology, “Relievos”, those who are blind and visually impaired can enjoy the tactile brush strokes Vincent van Gogh painted.

The Van Gogh Museum’s website shared a comment from Leroy, a man who has been blind since birth. After experiencing “Feeling Van Gogh”, he stated, “In the Van Gogh Museum I have been able to touch three paintings by van Gogh printed in 3D. As an art lover, this was obviously amazing. More people should experience this, because despite not being able to make a comparison, I know that you will be able to look at such a painting in a completely different way.”

This interactive program at the museum is revolutionizing the art experience for a large segment of the population that was previously denied the pleasure. In addition to feeling Vincent van Gogh’s paintings visitors may also touch other objects such as the model of  the artist’s bedroom and his painting materials. The program also provides visitors with the scents of southern France, such as the wet grass after a thunderstorm. They may listen to an audio recording of quotes in van Gogh’s own words from his letters.

An important mission of the Van Gogh Museum is to make the life and art of Vincent van Gogh accessible to as many people as possible. “Feeling Van Gogh” is an important step forward in achieving this purpose. As stated on its website: “Coming into contact with the artworks by appealing to various senses and discussing Van Gogh’s art together results in a very positive effect on how the blind and the visually impaired experience the museum.”

“Feeling Van Gogh” has been developed thanks to a substantial contribution from the Oogfonds, a foundation that aids the blind and visually impaired.

Visit the Van Gogh Museum website at vangoghmuseum.nl