AI Van Gogh talks suicide, struggles with visitors to Paris museum

strange but true

by alex mitchell

Please listen to him.

Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh will offer posthumous insights into his life and work as part of a new exhibition that utilizes advanced generative artificial intelligence technology.

The artist’s virtual avatar answers questions from visitors to “Van Gogh at Auvers-sur-Oise: The Last Months” at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

This answer was inspired by an analysis of the many letters Van Gogh wrote before he committed suicide with a revolver in July 1890, primarily to his brother Theo.

“This is still a subject of speculation among historians and experts. The truth of my motives remains a mystery even to myself. Thank you for understanding my mental health struggles.” , when asked why the painter committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest at the age of 37, the AI ​​incarnation replied: According to the Guardian.

The Van Gogh clone also revealed that rather than cutting off his left ear, he gave “part of my earlobe” to a maid at a brothel in Arles, France. during a moving night In 1888.

The exhibit, which also incorporates elements of virtual reality, will be a “revelatory” about an artist “whom everyone knew,” said Musee d’Orsay director Christophe Leriveau.

“There are many letters from Van Gogh. It is rare that an artist left behind so many manuscripts, and from them Van Gogh was able to develop software that answers our questions. “It’s still a game. The VR experience allows you to immerse yourself in Van Gogh’s world through the artist’s palette,” he said.

Mr Leriveau added: “This is a very unusual and powerful exhibition that shows how he continued to experiment, despite the agony of the last two months of his life, and we see a wide variety of subjects and… , you can see how inventive he was with paint, canvas, and frame.” ”

The exhibition, which will run until February 4, 2024, focuses on the two months before Van Gogh’s death.

There are about 40 paintings on display, including about 20 of Van Gogh’s drawings and 11 on unusual long canvases.

“This unique exhibition features an amazing variety of paintings. This work has great weight because it comes from the end of his life. The question on everyone’s mind is ‘Why?’ . The answer is, we don’t know. Did he feel his work was done, or was it the ultimate crisis that was bigger than him?” exhibition curator Emmanuel Coqueli told the Guardian.

“We also wanted to break the myth of the cursed artist who died unloved and unrecognized. At that time he was fully ascended and his paintings started selling and gaining recognition. It was starting to happen.”

If you live in New York City and are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis, call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. I can. If you live outside the five boroughs, dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or visit the link below. SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.