Many of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings feature the great outdoors, the artist seemingly capturing the pulse of nature and translating its fluctuations onto canvas. One natural element deeply impacted the Dutch painter; fascinated by weather conditions, van Gogh frequently included such motifs in his work, using them as a way to express his turbulent emotions.
His depictions of weather are particularly fascinating, especially in a context in which, according to physicians, the atmospheric conditions weren’t just a source of inspiration for him. An analysis of his paintings — most notably “The Starry Night” — made specialists believe that van Gogh understood the mathematical models of turbulence.
Fast-forwarding roughly two centuries and given the admiration Dutch people have for the artist and the weather, the world can finally experience the weather as if imagined by van Gogh. Thanks to a project by creative agency SuperHeroes‘ copywriter Cillian Kenny and a team of developers, the Weather on the Gogh initiative fuses the artist’s talent with real-time meteorological data. The result is a live weather forecast that allows users to experience his masterpieces in a new and immersive way.
WeatherontheGogh.com reimagines current weather conditions, such as cloud coverage, rain, temperature, or wind, through van Gogh’s distinctive artistic style. To generate images that match local weather conditions, the team trained a custom AI model, feeding it with meteorological data and more than 150 of the artist’s works. Being location-specific, no matter where a user accesses the digital experience from, they’ll be able to see the forecast through the eyes of the Post-Impressionist painter.
“As a creative, what inspires me most is non-traditional storytelling and the creative use of data,” comments Cillian Kenny, “and as a huge fan of Van Gogh, I wanted to create a new space where people can discover more about his art and the way he used colour, light and movement to bring the landscapes around him to life.”
“We’re always looking for creatives who are artists in their own right. People who bring big ideas to life even when no one’s asking,” adds Rogier Vijverberg, Chief Creative Hero at SuperHeroes. “Cillian’s work on Weather on the Gogh is a perfect example of that spirit. When someone can dream up, build, and launch something this imaginative, you know they have the grit, independence, and vision to push boundaries for our clients too.”
At a time when digital noise has never been louder and our attention is easily pulled in every direction, the Weather on the Gogh project stands out as an educational tool and a creative way for people to reconnect to nature through the beauty of art.
CREDITS
Creatives behind the project: Cillian Kenny & Eamonn Finn
Creative Technologist & Use of AI: Cillian Kenny
Creative Technologist & UX Design: Eamonn Finn
Back End Developer & Creative Tech: Reza Erami
Lead Web Developer: Ilija Dončić
Designer & Video Editor: Jeffrey Okhuijsen
Special thanks to:
SuperHeroes, Rogier Vijverberg, Django Weisz Blanchetta, Craig Miles, Sako Tvildiani, Victor Winters, Rachel Hunter, Eoin Tierney, Conor Cunniffe, Stan Severin, Iván Domingo Berenguer, Henrique Louzada, Haider Hussain, Max Halley Tom Connolly and Cormac Ó Conaire.
