When people talk about painters–people from all walks of life, from high-powered experts to wherever the other end of the spectrum touches down-the first name mentioned is usually Vincent Van Gogh. The Dutch-born Expressionist painter lived only 37 years (1853-1890) and painted for only nine of them, but created masterpieces familiar to almost everyone and, in an ultimate expression of irony, never sold a single painting during his lifetime.
"Van Gogh: Brush With Genius" opens today in the Omnimax Theater at the St. Louis Science Center, and while the size of the images is always breathtaking but sometimes overwhelming, the movie on the giant screen is a splendid look at the artist and his work.
The film, directed by Francois Bertrand, was written by Peter Knapp and Marie Sellier. Three people talk about the artist, with Knapp as the filmmaker, Jacques Gamblin as Van Gogh himself and Helene Seuzaret as Ellen Bukhuys, a Dutch researcher who leads us on a journey of his life, with the artist providing the illustrations and the French countryside its own beautiful self.
Van Gogh took to Expressionism while he was in Paris, did some of his best work in the Provencal towns of Arles and St. Remy, and the time in the south of France is remembered and shown in delightful style. The size of the huge Omnimax screen sometimes swallows the delicacy of some images, but Van Gogh's canvases are dramatic, and this film highlights that part of his style.
At the Omnimax Theater, St. Louis Science Center
–Joe