Feature

Meet Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso and Paper: Video Tour

28 Feb 2020

by Sandy Di Yu

We ventured out into the bitter cold to experience Meet Vincent Van Gogh and encounter Picasso and Paper at the Royal Academy. Although both exhibitions centred on European male artists and their contributions to modern art, the two experiences couldn't have been more different.

On February 27, ArtRabbit visited Meet Vincent Van Gogh, situated in Southbank, London, as well as Picasso and Paper at the Royal Academy. Whilst the former had virtually no artworks on-premise, the latter was constructed entirely of archival pieces graced by Picasso's hands. The stark contrast between the two presentations made for a varied and unusual day trip, highlighted by the position (or there lack of) played by art.

Join us and experience both shows by clicking through to our Instagram Story Highlights or play below:

Although art history buffs and critical theory enthusiasts alike may have their contentions with the Meet Vincent Van Gogh experience, its strength lies exactly in its ability to break down the walls of inaccessibility often found in traditional formats of presenting art. The experience gives visitors the chance to walk through a flashy space whilst learning about Van Gogh with the intimate first-person narration of both him and key characters in his life. If you're looking for in-depth expositions on his artworks, you'd be disappointed. But if you're looking for an activity that can be experienced as a group and is situated somewhere between a cinema and museum experience, this may just be the right way to go.

Picasso and Paper at the Royal Academy, on the other hand, is a comprehensive display of Picasso's life's work, seen through his works on paper (amongst other materials). The dizzying amount of objects and images to take in satisfies the deepest hunger for art, especially when coming from an art experience where no art was to be seen. You won't find much criticism of Picasso as a person (physically and emotionally abusive to the many women in his life), and while this may be an unfortunate oversight, what the exhibition centres on the materiality of the works he produced, spanning a life lived in pursuit of art.

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