Animate an Artwork – Competition | Aberdeen City Council

installation view of beyond van gogh showing self portraits of the artist projected onto the walls with silhouettes of people walking around

Aberdeen Art Gallery celebrates Beyond Van Gogh

To celebrate the arrival of Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience in Aberdeen, we’re inviting you to get creative and bring our collection to life!

Inspired by the stunning animation and storytelling in the Beyond Van Gogh experience at P&J Live, this competition challenges you to reimagine one of our artworks in motion.

How to Enter

Choose an artwork
We've chosen 8 artworks from the Art Gallery displays to get your creative juices flowing. You can see them in real life (we're open every day and admission is free) or take a look below, or online via our eMuseum.
Animate your favourite
Use any style, format, or platform — from digital animation to stop-motion, GIFs, or even hand-drawn flipbooks. Let your imagination run wild! While AI tools can be impressive, this competition is all about your imagination, your skills, and your unique artistic voice. We encourage you to explore animation through hands-on techniques like stop-motion, hand-drawn flipbooks, or digital tools that showcase your personal touch.
Submit your creation
Send your animated artwork to us via email at AAGMMarketing@aberdeencity.gov.uk or through Messenger. Please include your name and a short description of your piece.

This competition is open to everyone, regardless of age. If you're under 16, please make sure you have permission from a parent or guardian before sending us your entry.

Deadline

You have 3 weeks to enter. Submissions close on Thursday 24 July, 5pm. Send your submission to AAGMMarketing@aberdeencity.gov.uk

The Prize

One winner will receive:

2 tickets to Beyond Van Gogh at P&J Live, 12 July until 10 August
2 tickets to Monsters of the Deep at Aberdeen Art Gallery, until 26 October

Choose an artwork

A young girl in a straw hat and simple dress walks barefoot through a flat, open field, gently herding a group of white geese. The geese move in a slow, processional line across the foreground, creating a frieze-like composition. The landscape is expansive and muted, evoking the quiet rhythm of rural life in the Lincolnshire fens.

To Pastures New, 1883, Sir James Guthrie. Currently on display in Gallery 1 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

A snow-covered forest glows softly under a pink and golden evening sky. Long blue shadows stretch across the ground, and a group of rabbits emerges quietly from the undergrowth, foraging in the fading light.

Afterglow, 1912, Joseph Farquharson. Currently on display in Gallery 9 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

A dramatic view of the white chalk cliffs at Fécamp on the Normandy coast, bathed in soft natural light. The sea below is calm and luminous, reflecting the pale sky. The composition captures the rugged beauty of the coastline with Monet’s signature loose brushwork and subtle colour transitions, evoking a sense of atmosphere and fleeting light.

La Falaise à Fécamp, 1881, Claude Monet. Currently on display in Gallery 10 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

A sweeping panoramic view of Aberdeen from the south, painted in the early 19th century. The city’s skyline rises in the distance, with prominent landmarks like King’s College and Marischal College visible. In the foreground, figures in Regency-era dress stroll along a country path, framed by trees and open fields. The scene blends urban grandeur with pastoral calm, capturing Aberdeen’s historic character and setting.

View of Aberdeen, 1756, William Mosman. Currently on display in Gallery 15 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

A richly dressed woman with auburn hair sits in a shadowy interior, gazing pensively out of a stained-glass window. She holds a piece of embroidery in her lap, her posture and expression conveying longing and melancholy. The warm, glowing colours and intricate details evoke a sense of romantic introspection, inspired by Shakespeare’s character Mariana, who waits in vain for her absent lover.

Mariana, 1870, Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Currently on display in Gallery 18 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

A refined 18th-century interior scene featuring four figures in elegant dress. Robert Morse is seated playing the cello, while his sisters Anne Francis and Sarah sit at a harpsichord. Sarah’s husband, William Cator, stands to the right. The group is posed in a richly decorated room with classical British furnishings, though the painting was created in India. The composition reflects the genteel lifestyle and cultural aspirations of a colonial British family.

The Morse and Cator Family, c. 1784, Johann Zoffany. Currently on display in Gallery 18 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

A sunlit olive grove in Provence, painted in shimmering dabs of colour. The trees are rendered in soft greens and silvery greys, their twisted trunks casting delicate shadows on the ochre earth. The morning light filters through the foliage, creating a tranquil, dappled atmosphere typical of Neo-Impressionist technique.

Les Oliviers (Oliveraie Morning), 1930, Lucien Pissarro. Currently on display in Gallery 7 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

A group of elegantly dressed men and women gather beside a tennis court on a summer afternoon. The figures are arranged in relaxed poses, some seated and others standing, suggesting conversation and social interaction. The scene captures a moment of leisure and subtle courtship, with a young woman poised at the edge of the court, possibly waiting to play. The composition hints at themes of equality and changing social roles, as men and women prepare to compete together in sport.

The Tennis Party, 1885, Sir John Lavery. Currently on display in Gallery 14 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.