Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing – New Film Coming to Cinemas Worldwide

As Vincent van Gogh noted, “Art is long and life is short.” So take a couple of hours to immerse yourself in the life and works of Van Gogh when the new Exhibition On Screen film, Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing, screens in cinemas worldwide next week.

When it comes to dramas about the life of Vincent van Gogh, one of the world’s most beloved artists, you might think of the brilliant biopic Lust for Life, which starred Kirk Douglas as Van Gogh. (The sci-fi fans amongst you might also recall the Doctor Who episode, “Vincent and the Doctor.”)

Well, hold on to your (straw) hats, because there’s a new feature film about the Post-Impressionist artist coming to town — Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing — and this latest in the Exhibition On Screen series provides an extraordinary biography of Van Gogh’s life.

Phil Grabsky, the film’s producer, stated, “Van Gogh’s life is shrouded in myth and misunderstanding. How many times have you heard that Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime? That’s just one of the myths. This film reveals how this is simply untrue. What better way to discover the real Van Gogh than through his art?”

Two years in the making, with unheard of access to the treasures of Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing was made in close collaboration with key curators and historians at the Van Gogh Museum and beyond, and incorporates new research and recent discoveries that inform the storytelling and address the many myths surrounding the artist’s troubled life.

The Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of Vincent’s artistic output in the world and features iconic works such as The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, Irises, The Bedroom, and many of his self-portraits. It recently underwent a complete re-hang of its collection to address the true story of Van Gogh’s life and work. Both the re-hang and the film, which offers exclusive, behind-­‐the-­scenes access to the Van Gogh Museum as it engages in the re-hang, mark the 125th anniversary of Van Gogh’s death.

Said Director David Bickerstaff, “We had unprecedented access to the Museum and their storage facility for filming, which means the film is rich with Van Gogh imagery, from early drawings to his great masterpieces in paint and illuminating letters.”

Given the complete access to the galleries and the storerooms, Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing gives you privileged views of Van Gogh’s remarkable paintings and drawings in a high-definition cinematic experience.

See his masterpieces up close on the big screen, and gain new insights and interpretations from the narration, including thoughts from specially selected curators, historians, and artists, as well as interviews with Vincent Willem van Gogh (great grandson of Theo van Gogh), Dominique-Charles Janssens (President of the Institute Van Gogh), Axel Rüger (Director, Van Gogh Museum), and Van Gogh Museum Senior Researchers Teio Meedendorp and Louis van Tilborgh.

Vincent van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing tracks Van Gogh’s life from his beginnings in the Netherlands and England, to his development as an impassioned artist in France. It also features the artist’s prolific letter-­writing to his family and friends. The film’s production team worked its way through the entire collection to choose the most revealing and moving moments, which are brought to life by Jamie de Courcey (Rush) as Van Gogh.

Bickerstaff added, “I was also surprised at how revealing his letters were. He was not some mad, isolated genius but a deep thinking man who was extremely well-read, observant and dedicated to understanding the essence of making art. He didn’t suffer fools lightly and was hungry to interact with the world, particularly with nature and ordinary people from everyday life.

“We decided that the best way to animate Vincent’s letters was to film an actor in a series of carefully considered scenes that have key letters read over them by the Dutch actor Jochum ten Haaf (Accused). This has proved very effective in giving a balanced insight into the mind of Van Gogh and a clear narrative to his colorful life.”

A Seventh Art Productions project for Exhibition On Screen, and distributed worldwide by Arts Alliance, Van Gogh: A New Way of Seeing screens in cinemas around the world on Tuesday, 14 April 2015.

For cinema listings and screening times, visit the Exhibition On Screen website.

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