Join the Impressionists in Paris 1874 – An Immersive Experience

Aug 5, 2025 by

By Sue Weston and Susan Rosenbluth –  Two Sues On The Aisle

Scientists insist time travel is not possible, but don’t tell that to artists, such as those associated with Eclipso Entertainment and Excurio Immersive Expeditions. They are the forces behind several virtual immersive experiences being shown in their 11,000-square-foot space at 555 West 57th Street. For 45 minutes, their newest venture, “Tonight with the Impressionists,” transports guests back to Paris in 1874, when 30 budding artists broke with “The Salon,” the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts that had refused them entrée.

These avant-garde artists, determined to present their works to the world despite their rejection by the old guard, established a new showcase, featuring the movement they called Impressionism. Their goal: to capture their visual impressions of the moment, feelings, and experiences rather than accurate depictions, and styles in which traditional clarity of structure and theme were subordinate to harmonic effects.

Like all immersive experiences, “Tonight with the Impressionists” uses virtual reality (VR) headsets, providing visuals and sounds to create a virtual environment with eerily stunning clarity, depth, and verisimilitude that can almost—but not quite—convince viewers of its authenticity.

Impressionists in Paris 1874 – An Immersive Experience

The Tour

Led by Rose—an obviously AI-produced, virtual young aspiring female artist—participants wander the streets of Paris to get to the studio of the French photographer (also caricaturist, journalist, novelist, and balloonist) Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, also known as Félix Nadar. There, at 35 Boulevard des Capucines, she introduces participants to AI-generated personas of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, and Berthe Morisot—one of the few women in the Impressionist circle. Also, Edgar Degas, famous for his portrayals of dancers but not as notorious as he should be for his outspoken antisemitic views that prompted him to publicly disavow friendships with Jewish artists and refusal to employ models he believed might be Jewish; and Camille Pissarro, the oldest of the Impressionists and of Portuguese-Jewish descent.

Impressionists in Paris 1874 – An Immersive Experience

None of this is mentioned in “Tonight with the Impressionists,” not even when Rose escorts participants to the studio of their cohort, Jean Frédéric Bazille, where the gathered Impressionists are addressed by the writer, Emile Zola, who championed their cause. Left unaddressed is Zola’s refusal to accept antisemitism, a denunciation that helped inspire Theodore Herzl to embrace Zionism.

Impressionists in Paris 1874 – An Immersive Experience

The historians responsible for “Tonight with the Impressionists,” including Excurio, GEDEON Experiences, and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, can, perhaps, be excused. The break between Degas and Pissarro did not officially occur until 1890, and J’accuse, Zola’s impassioned defense of Alfred Dreyfus, the wrongfully accused and convicted French army officer whose only crime was being Jewish, was not published until 1898. Therefore, this immersive experience can be an eye-opener into earlier conversations that might have taken place as history, including interesting analysis by each “virtual artist” of the works in question, comes to life.

“‘Tonight with the Impressionists’ offers a unique opportunity to step into the world where these iconic works were created, bringing an extraordinary moment to life, in a way that resonates with audiences today,” said Fabien Baratim, CEO of Excurio.

The Experience

For VR novices (like us), the experience can be mind-bending. While the environment appears three-dimensional and real, all that is seen are only images. Participants cannot interact with them, yet they evoke actual sensations. We felt motion as the platform we were standing on rose, and trepidation walking across narrow raised bridges or stepping down curbs. Although logically, we knew we were in a room with our feet on the ground the entire time, the sensations of walking through Paris and traveling to the sites where these artists worked felt genuine.

Impressionists in Paris 1874 – An Immersive Experience

VR convinces the brain that the virtual world is the physical one. Imagery becomes perceived reality. We were actually being guided through a large white room with black symbols painted on the walls. Those markings provided stimuli to trigger the VR headset.

The 45-minute experience begins with an attendant explaining the rules, which, for us, sounded simpler than they were: Stay within the blue or yellow lines. If you get lost, look for the white beacon of light. If you see a red grid, stop or you will walk into a wall or another traveler. And don’t try to sit on the chairs; you will fall to the floor.

Once the VR headset was on, everything initially went dark. Then the outlines came into view, including a 3D representation of our hands (but no feet). We grabbed each other’s hands and did not let go until the adventure was over.

Once we entered the virtual space, we found ourselves walking on a boulevard in Paris outside the nearly completed Opéra Garnier. Horse-drawn carriages passed dangerously close by as we tried to stay close to Rose, who skipped down from the curb. Our sense of balance and grasp of reality challenged, we attempted to step up onto the curb, in the middle of the traffic circle, and followed Rose to the gallery where the Impressionist Exhibition was being planned. Each artist focused on one picture and transported us above the gallery to provide more detail.

Impressionists in Paris 1874 – An Immersive Experience

Unsettling but Fun

At first, navigating our virtual surroundings was unsettling. The VR headset revealed a panoramic landscape that felt real. Everything was fine when we stayed on the path (blue boxes on the ground) and followed our virtual guide, Rose. But when we strayed off the path, there was only darkness, necessitating a disturbing walk toward the lighted obelisks to return to our virtual tour group, which had progressed without us. There were times when we became aware of the presence of other real people, who may or may not have been participating in “Tonight with the Impressionists. Their ghostly outlines appeared, and sometimes, we felt them walk past. It was unnerving initially, and so was experiencing the virtual artist’s walk through us, as if it were we who didn’t exist. We leave the philosophical conundrum to the epistemologists.

Quite sensibly, VR is not recommended for individuals who suffer from claustrophobia, agoraphobia, fear of heights, fear of underwater environments, or epilepsy. The experience requires walking for 45 minutes and may be unsuitable for those with limited balance, as the VR headset can increase the risk of falling. Walkers or canes are not permitted, but wheelchairs are available upon request. Children must be 8+ years old and at least 4’6″.

We recommend the experience especially for history buffs, but even they should keep in mind that virtual reality takes some adjustment, learning to trust the mind rather than the eye.

Related Posts

Tags

Share This