One week before his untimely death, Vincent van Gogh wrote, “We cannot speak other than by our paintings.” This Sunday, attend a Manship Theatre screening of Loving Vincent, the world’s first fully painted film, which is inspired by his life and final days.
At age 37, van Gogh died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. But, mysterious circumstances surround his death as there were no witnesses, he changed locations afterward and survived for 30 hours after the incident. Additionally, many people close to him attested that he was in high spirits before his death. When combined, these factors may suggest that perhaps there is more to the story, which is what the film builds on.
Loving Vincent tells the story of Armand Roulin—the son of a postmaster—who travels to van Gogh’s hometown to personally deliver the late artist’s final letter to his brother Theo, meeting several of van Gogh’s friends and acquaintances along the way.
|
|
|
Each of the film’s 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, painted in the same technique used by van Gogh. The filmmakers, choosing classically trained painters over traditional animators, employed more than 110 painters to complete the frames.
Despite crafting more than 800 paintings in just eight years, van Gogh was considered an unsuccessful madman at the time and was ostracized. None of his paintings sold until after his death. Today, he is known by art historians as the father of modern painting and typifies the ideal of the tortured artist.
|
|
|
Loving Vincent will be screened at 2 p.m. this Sunday, Nov. 19. Tickets are $6.50 each and may be purchased here.
Manship Theatre is at 100 Lafayette St. See the trailer below: