Amsterdam, day 2: Amstelveen Market, Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh
We had breakfast early today as we hope to be at the Rijksmuseum when it opens at 9 am. It is raining hard and the sky is black, punctuated with loud thunder and lightning. We did have the best intentions of getting away early, but as we approached the bus station, we could see that the weekly Market was set up in the town square. It is hard to resist a market - so off we went. The market was quite extensive. After enjoying many samples, we bought cheese and freshly made stroopwafels to take home.
This young woman spent a long time with us explaining the various cheeses and where they originated from. She was very helpful and shrink wrapped our purchases to enable us to take them to Canada and through Customs.
The Rijksmuseum is always very busy with long line ups to get in, to check your coat/knapsacks, to eat in the cafeteria, etc. The long wait is worth it. This amazing art museum is housed in an immense historic building which is a masterpiece in itself.
What a magnificent building. During the recent renovation, the architect wanted to close off the gate, which presently provides a pathway through for cyclists and pedestrians, and make this the entrance to the museum. The force of the cycling lobby group prevented this change from happening and preserved a historical feature of this building. When the Rijksmuseum was built, it stood outside city gates. Hence the old entry way was a building requirement by city officials to provide a gate to allow passage from the old part of the city.
Over 800 years of Dutch art and history are on display in 80 rooms. When it opened its doors in 1885 it was the largest building in Holland and was reopened in April of this year by the Queen after 10 years of renovations. An interesting side note of the result of the renovations: the work decreased the overall weight of the building and as a result, it rose a few cm. in the below sea level, soggy Amsterdam ground.
We took the advice of museum staff and paid for an audio guide and chose to focus on the Highlights and Golden Age tours. Otherwise, one could spend days here.
Rembrandt's The Nightwatch. A photograph can't do it justice. We waited for the crowd to disperse before we moved up close to appreciate this work.We learned that it was moved to Amsterdam's town hall in 1715 and that the painting was trimmed back on all sides to make it fit its new space. Having spent much time with this painting, we can't imagine what details have been cut away.
One of the most beautiful rooms in the museum - The Library - with its wrought iron spiral staircase and bannisters, is an active reading room and research space. It houses more than 300,000 books, periodicals and auction catalogues.
A portrait of a wealthy young man by Bartholomeus van der Helst. His finery, leather gloves and corpulence signify his wealth. It is said that in adulthood he reached a weight of 220 kg.
Delft ware from the 17th century. These flower pyramids were very popular in the late 1600's and show the Chinese influenced motifs as well as the figure of Mary (William and Mary) on top.
Delft Faience Violin, c 1705-10. Originally, Delftware was an inexpensive alternative to the more expensive sought after Chinese porcelain. It soon became valuable for its own merits and owes it rise to commissions by King William III and Queen Mary.
A welcome break from the hard work of touring the Rijksmuseum and taking in such spectacular works of art. We had lunch in the dining room. Tomato soup for Barry....
Five Javaneses Court Officials - from the 19th century. The individual style of dress denotes status and point of origin. Indonesia plays an important role in the history of the Netherlands.
Waterloo, Jan Willem Pieneman 1824. Depicting the famous battle of Waterloo and the end of the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. A coalition of British and German soldiers defeated the French, but Pieneman also represented the Dutch role with the inclusion of an injured Prince Willem II on a makeshift stretcher. This painting, measuring 48 sq. meters, is one of the largest in the Netherlands. In fact, Pieneman had to build a special studio in order to paint it. King William I paid 40,000 guilders for it and gave it to his son.
William I, Prince of Orange, Adriaen Thomasz Key c. 1579 While travelling through Holland, we have learned much about the importance of William of Orange as a leader in the rebellion against Spanish rule. Here he is portrayed not as a man of the military, but, through his clothing, as a burgher.
Banquet at the Crossbowmen's Guild in Celebration of the Treaty of Munster, Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1648. Through the arch, a tantalizing view of this massive, detailed painting that tells a story of this historic event. Painting measures 17.5 ft by 7ft 8in.
Rembrandt's Bust of a Man in Oriental Dress, 1635 We saw this painting in Vienna last year, on loan from the Rijksmuseum (Rijksmuseum was closed for renovations). Once again we marvelled at Rembrandt's mastery of light and gossamer fabrics.
It is always thrilling to see works by the masters up close - the Nightwatch by Rembrandt is astounding. The size alone of this masterpiece takes your breath away - and then you start to notice the details. What a treat it is to spend time here. A few of the iconic paintings and objects we enjoyed: Jan Asselun's "The Threatened Swan",Vermeer's "The Cook", Pieter de Hooch's "A Mother's Duty", Rembrandt's "The Jewish Bride", The Doll's House of Petronella Dortman - the list goes on. After hours here, we left exhilarated but exhausted. Nonetheless, knowing that we are leaving to go home tomorrow, we decided to press on and visit the Van Gogh Art Museum as well. It is a short walk away and refreshing in its approach to this beloved artist.
VAN GOGH MUSEUM
As it is Friday, the Van Gogh Museum stays open until 10pm and they have live music with a bar on the main level. The three floors of this museum focus exclusively on Van Gogh and artists who inspired him. It features the largest collection of Van Gogh's art in the world. The structure of the museum's collection provides a good understanding of Van Gogh the man and the artist...and what a joy it is to be surrounded by originals of this calibre.
This modern building is a wing of the museum that has a theatre and shows films about Van Gogh. We really loved the Van Gogh museum and its innovative approach to appreciating the development of the artist, his life and most importantly his enduring body of work.
Van Gogh self portrait. As a way to save money, he painted on both sides of the canvas and over paintings as well. We were able to see an xray of the reverse side.
This painting shows his humourous side - attending a class to learn structure and portrait technique, he added a burning cigarette to his painting of this skeleton.
The yellow house on the corner is his home in Arles. He had hoped to host a commune of artists here - only Gaughin came and stayed for 2 months. After an argument, Gaughin left and Van Gogh cut off a part of his ear.
The museum is devoted to research about Van Gogh's process and the accuracy of current appearance of his paintings. For example, they have discovered that the blue walls were originally a violet colour. They had interactive displays where you could reveal what the painting should look like.
One of his final paintings- some researchers have considered this work to be a sign of his depression, yet his letter to his brother Theo, speaks of the optimism he sees in this work. Regardless, the power and passion of this painting is undeniable.
We returned to Amstelveen late that evening, having enjoyed Amsterdam, with a list of things that we didn't have time to see and would like to see the next time we are here. Finished packing - off to the airport tomorrow morning.
