Art Plunge - VR Voyaging

Art Plunge is a gallery where you can get the feeling of being inside famous paintings. This is not a game. This is a short but sweet experience featuring VR interpretations of [five paintings].
From the product description

About the Experience

This is an older title that we somehow haven’t gotten around to reviewing yet. It’s an excellent title with a small but well-done selection of classic paintings that have been expanded into 3d environments that are more like shadow boxes. Except these shadow boxes are for stepping into, not just looking at from the outside.

It’s not 100% unique, though it may have been first. A similar title is The Museum of ThroughView which also contains paintings with added depth, but that lacks the same sense of scale and polish. There’s also a one-off 3D representation of Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles available on Sketchfab.

First or unique or not, this is well done and a fun title to try out.

Graphics and Sound

A title like this isn’t worth much if the graphics aren’t good. Fortunately, even being a few years old, the visuals are very nicely done. The flat paintings are converted into 3D scenes in a way that remains consistent to the source material even as ambient sound effects, subtle movements, and the work itself is coaxed into 3D.

Information Content

This isn’t a title with background information on the pieces. It’s purely an experiential title. See the flat paintings on the wall, then step inside of them as they expand into volumetric interpretations.

Navigation and Interactivity

There’s little to interact with. You start the app standing in a hallway with the paintings hanging on the wall. You can approach them to activate them at which point they stretch into 3D and you can enter the space. You can’t really move around much, which makes sense as it’s a very carefully cultivated view which would fall apart (no longer looking like the painting) from the wrong points of view.

Updates and Support

While this app has sat dormant since 2019, it was just announced (February, 2024) that it has become a free download on Steam (still $1.99 from Meta and Viveport at time of writing)! Better still, the developers intend to release new artwork and even tools for people to create their own immersive paintings. I’m looking forward to seeing what new content is made by the community.

Summary

This has always been a gem for people who are ok with seeing the classics in new ways. Making it free should expand its reach even more! If you don’t have it yet, definitely grab it. It’s fun to explore, and a great demo for showing friends and family the benefits of VR.