Flowers bloom, ships skip, and art comes to life in immersive Van Gogh and Monet exhibitions.

No matter how much they protest it, most people are not afraid to admire a famously beautiful painting.

That’s why thousands of tourists gather in sweaty crowds outside New York’s Museum of Modern Art every day, hoping to grab a few uninterrupted seconds before “Starry Night” (I was once one of those sticky hands clutching an iPhone) and why this particular image has been reproduced on millions of tote bags, buttons and bumper stickers. It is in our nature to admire art, even if it is just a copy.

“Beyond Van Gogh” and “Beyond Monet”, two immersive artistic experience who have traveled to cities in the United States rely on this semi-universal truth. Luckily for Portland art lovers and influencers, both exhibitions are now at the Oregon Convention Center through January 5th.

Tickets Ranges from $19.99 for children ages 5-15 to approximately $69.99 for VIP. If you want to see both exhibitions of artists—post-impressionist Vincent Van Gogh and impressionist pioneer Claude Monet—you can purchase a combo ticket for $49.99 or $29.99 for children. The shows last about 35 minutes each.

“Beyond Monet” is new to Portland, but a version of the Van Gogh exhibit is visiting the convention center for the first time in 2021—and received rave reviews from The Oregonian/OregonLive reporter Lizzie Acker’s 2-year-old daughter.

Even though I’ve known about it for a couple of decades, I share the same opinion: it’s is Beautiful.

The best thing about art, at least something as brilliant and famous as that of artists like Van Gogh and Monet, is that it doesn’t become any less beautiful just because it’s not real. I am the proud owner of several pieces of museum memorabilia – a Starry Night bookmark, Sunflowers posters and pins, a set of Monet stickers that I have slowly used over the past six years. Obviously they’re fake, but who can resist?

Entering the exhibition space has the same immersive effect. You’re engulfed in almost every direction by huge images that you’ve probably never seen outside of your phone screen.

When you first walk into the main room—a large, but not massive, empty area covered in screens—it’s easy to think it won’t captivate you. I entered a moment when nothing much was happening: Monet’s projections “Haystacks” TV series were mostly hanging motionless on the walls, and the snowy background illuminated the room too brightly.

But if you’re patient, these simpler sequences usually give way to something explosive. Over time, the Haystack series evolved into a sea scene with several boats bobbing up and down in a stormy sea. Reflected water rippled underfoot, and the calmer instrumental soundtrack became more urgent, eerie – immersive.

These moments were some of the most memorable, when crazy sketches rushed across your shoes, trying to engulf the entire room, or thousands of white petals began to fall from the branches, driven by an invisible wind.

Still, there was solace in the quieter scenes—birds flying over the shimmering horizon, intricate portraits blinking slowly within their frames. It’s easy to get carried away by the images, but also by the people watching them.

There were a few benches scattered around the room, but when they filled up, people preferred to sit on the floor. This gave the space its own impressionistic feel—think of a Georges Seurat painting. “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” — with couples lounging in the shade, illuminated by an ever-changing grassy backdrop of flowers and water lilies.

(By the way, when did the Portland Art Museum restructured galleries will open next year, you will be able to see the newly renovated “Water lilies” according to Monet. Like, the real thing.)

At one point, as the white flowers disappeared into a forest of bright, twisting trees, an instrumental version of “Here Comes the Sun” began to play. Of course, it was an anachronism, but it probably gave me goosebumps.

If you prefer tours that include an educational aspect, there is a smaller room in front of the projection area filled with tall text signs about the lives of Van Gogh and Monet. There are also some memorable moments here, such as the turquoise pedestrian bridge, reminiscent of a bridge from Monet’s paintings.

Even in this projection-free part of the exhibition, there is magic in the juxtaposition of enlarged versions of images you may remember from completely mundane everyday objects. I recognized the picture almond flowers because I saw it on my friend’s iPad case almost every day. I never realized it was Van Gogh.

And don’t worry, this entire event comes with a fully stocked gift shop, so you can walk away with your very own public domain Monet merchandise. It’s okay, I know you want it.

If you go: “Beyond Van Gogh” and “Beyond Monet”. Oregon Convention Center, 777 Martin Luther King Boulevard NE, $19.99 to $69.99, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (last admission one hour before closing) Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 21:00 on Friday and Saturday and from 10:00 to 18:00 on Sunday. , until January 5.

— Veronica Nocera covers life and culture. You can contact her at [email protected]503-221-8111 or @vernocera