Art and cinema unite to create Loving Vincent

Art and cinema unite to create Loving Vincent

Last Updated: 13 Nov 2017
Sarah Price Twist
A tale of love, loss, creativity and regret, Loving Vincent is an artistic look at one of the greatest painters that ever lived.
In the first movie of its kind, 65,000 filmed frames painted by over 100 classical artists create this feature-length film in the style of Vincent Van Gogh. The narrative seamlessly merges art history, myth, and biography to create an artist’s eye view of the life and death of this iconic man.

Although Van Gogh is considered a genius pioneer and an artist ahead of his time by contemporary art-lovers, it seems whilst he was living his experience of life and art making was a troubled one. Loving Vincent seeks to explore the man’s difficult childhood, the problems he experienced as he realised his creativity, and his untimely and mysterious death.

In trying to be both original and a fair representation of Van Gogh’s work, there was a risk that the movie could be labelled as not particularly good at either. But from the very start of the feature, the artwork is stunning, almost mesmerising, as it moves across the screen and the story is captivating.

The narrative follows a young man who, entrusted by his father to deliver the artist's final letter, travels to the last place Van Gogh called home and, instead, ends up investigating his final days. At the beginning, it takes a little while to understand exactly who is who and find the thread of the story, but this is almost inconsequential with the beautiful art depicting the story.

Loving Vincent is a brave to attempt to celebrate the work of Van Gogh whilst also telling a complex story. It’s a successful combination, with the finished product a monument to creativity itself. This movie elegantly showcases Van Gogh’s style and creates a new way of communicating a story to modern audiences.

For anyone who enjoys art, cinematography or who just wants to witness something different to the norm, this movie is well worth watching. It’s refreshing to see something so original being released and embraced by audiences. It leaves you in awe of who the great Van Gogh strove to be, and a little more enlightened about the colourful human history of this great painter.

Loving Vincent is on general release

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