Beyond Monet opens Friday, March 15, 2024, at the NoCo Center. | Heather Henderson, Jacksonville Today
Published on March 14, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Beyond Monet: The Immersive Experience opens Friday at the NoCo Center in Downtown Jacksonville. The unique experience showcases the work of impressionist painter Claude Monet in a whole new way.
Accompanied by music, Monet’s paintings swirl around the room, enveloping viewers in the art. Monet worked to capture movement in his art, something that can be difficult to convey on a canvas. But every brush stroke and layer of paint comes to life in this immersive show. Viewers are enveloped in grassy landscapes and the dark night sky. Snow falls, waves undulate, and his famous water lilies float beneath your feet.
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It’s nothing like looking at static paintings on a museum wall. And that’s the idea. Art historian Fanny Curtat says the aim of the show is to get visitors to appreciate Monet’s work in a whole new way. Especially those who might not normally visit museums to look at art in person.
“For a lot of people museums are actually intimidating, or they don’t feel like they connect to artwork that was done in the past century,” Curtat said.
Curtat says plunging viewers into an immersive experience can show them that even though the artist died a century ago, Monet’s work is still relevant in the modern world.
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“There’s something about the pure lessons of being present, of the here and now. He’s not painting a landscape; he’s painting an atmosphere. He’s painting time; he’s painting a moment. And all of these things speak to us still to this day and are still valuable lessons,” she said.
A word of warning for sensitive viewers: Anyone who tends to suffer from motion sickness or vertigo may want to exercise caution with this one. The constantly moving images can get a little dizzying.
The show is open through June 16. Tickets are available online.
