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Toronto, the capital of Canada, was selected for this assignment. The city was chosen for its proximity and the fact that it hosts the largest Art Gallery of Ontario. Recently, the museum has little to no expressionist pieces, focusing mainly on contemporary pieces. The building has sufficient space, boosting about 45,000 square meters (Art Gallery of Ontario, 2017). As such, it is ranked one of the largest museums in Northern America. Some of its largest collections are African, European, and Oceanic art. In its permanent collection, the art gallery has the works of Pablo Picasso, Tintoretto, Auguste Rodin, among others (Art Gallery of Ontario, 2017). Such features make it the perfect exhibition for description and analysis in the current assignment.

The artist chosen for the exhibition was Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh was famous for his post-impressionist artwork. His masterpieces are among the most famous and expensive pieces of art globally, the majority of his best works were only produced in the final two years of his life. Van GoghВ’s pieces were not adequately appreciated by his coevals. His personal story and journey through mental illness make his pieces revered. Earlier in his career, he made use of somber colors, until he encountered impressionists, then he combined their vibrant colors and his technique to generate unique pieces (TheMet, 2010). To date, his pieces are still on very high demand, which creates the need to have an exhibition.

Amy exhibition should be able to engage the audience. It would not be justified for the audience to wander through the gallery in silence as they looked at the pieces. To engage the audiences, each of the selected pieces will be accompanied by audio cues that would present an overview of the piece. In addition, the audience will be engaged through a question and answer session, whereby they will be allowed to ask any facts that may have been unclear. Finally, there will be a brief play performed to display van GoghВ’s life.

Being able to capture and maintain the attention of the audience will be crucial for the success of the show. The exhibition featuring van GoghВ’s works is important since he had a strong influence throughout history. German Expressionists and Fauves took after his flamboyant use of color and subjective nature. Abstract expressionists also adopted his technique of brush strokes and sweeping brush use, which were a reflection of his unstable emotional state. He created more than 1000 paintings, yet only sold one (Art Gallery of Ontario, 2017). The exhibition should happen at this precise time since there have been several attempts by people to sell imitations of GoghВ’s work.

Physical Description of the Exhibition

The success of the exhibition will depend on the physical aspects of the gallery. On the entrance, the audience will be met by the names В“Vincent van Gogh,В” which will be on full display at the entrance, it will inform the audience of the main subject of the exhibition. At the entrance, there will also be a brief biography of the artist and description of his most famous works. It will allow the audience to have a better understanding of the pieces and their inspiration. It will be essential to keep the floor clear, since the exhibition will also include a short play. An open flow plan will also allow the audience to freely shift between the pieces, according to their areas of interest (The Museum of Modern Art, 2017). The three selected van GoghВ’s works will be on full display on an open wall. The wall will only hold those three pieces, which will make them the center of the exhibition. The curator should mingle with the audience to give them a chance to ask questions.

Curatorial Philosophy Statement

The pieces selected for the exhibition were considered to be van GoghВ’s most popular works. His objective was to communicate his spiritual state as well as his emotions. He painted the canvas heavily, making use of big brush strokes as well as a bright opulent canvas, which brought out his personal style (The Art Story, 2015). Each of the pieces gave a direct sense of how the painter perceived the world through his own eyes. It was such an emotional and probative style that it was influencing several generations of artists. There is a strong possibility that van GoghВ’s works will continue to be popular in future as well. Although he was mentally unstable, the painter was able to capture and convey his confusion into his work. He was impulsive in his pieces and he selected certain colors to communicate his emotions. Van Gogh strived to convey his spirituality and the combination of nature and man, the product was imaginative, dramatic, and communicated more than what meets the eye.

Programming

There are extra events and programs that will complement the exhibition. They will include having a guest speaker. It will be a person, who will introduce van Gogh as well as the contributions that he has made in history. In addition, there will be a play before the end of the exhibition. The play will be a reenactment of van GoghВ’s life to give the audience a deeper insight. The audience will be given ample time for them to walk around and review the pieces. It will be essential for them to have enough time, so they can enjoy various aspects of the art works. Towards the end, the audience will have a question and answer session with the curator. He will mingle with people to get their thoughts in addition to clarifying any doubts. The program will be designed to be short and precise, with the focus on giving the audience enough time to view the pieces and enjoy them.

List of Images

Vincent van Gogh

Starry Night, 1889

Oil on Canvas

(29in*37in)

Vincent van Gogh

The potato eaters, 1885

Oil on Canvas

(32.3in*45in)

Vincent van Gogh

The Courtesan (1887)

Oil on Canvas

(41in*23in)

Biography

Vincent van Gogh is regarded as one of the most notable painters of his time. He only sold one of his paintings during his life. The majority of his works were categorized as post-impressionist. One common characteristic of his paintings was their deep reflection of emotions and beauty by means of color. However, Vincent van Gogh reached the peak of his popularity in the end of the twentieth century. Unfortunately during his life, the painter was a victim of mental illness (TheMet, 2010). He was poor during most of life and even remained unemployed.