I always wanted to see Amsterdam- the Dutch capital, famous for many reasons. Be it the tag of a party haven,or the beauty of water canals driven into the roadways. My brother and I, set off to explore the artistic side of Amsterdam, on one rainy day in early November.
We arrived at the Van Gogh museum in the center of Amsterdam, only to be greeted by crowds of people standing in the lashing rain, waiting to go in!. Sheer madness! you would say!. But thats Van Gogh for you!. We were lucky to go in, bypassing the long queues (and a sizable fee!), thanks to Shell (my brother's employer- also a major sponsor for the museum).
It is a well planned museum set over 3 floors and appropriately spaced out. Starting with his early days, we travel up to his works and then a few works of his contemporaries. What strikes you about a Van Gogh painting, as opposed to the intricate art works that decorate the walls of other museums like the Louvre, is the simplicity of his subjects and objects. From sunflowers to red cabbages and prawns, to the scene of his bedroom in Arles (south of France), and even the unassuming faces of the "potato-eaters", you are visualizing everyday life in those times, and not a majestic portrait of a duke and his extended family. His works were initially dark and gloomy, but over time he took to more bright and appealing colors. His penchant for self portraits, comes across as strange initially, but as we later understand, he had no money to buy a subject to sit for him!; so he often painted himself, while looking at a mirror, each time working on new technique and color!.
Enriched and happy after my first real artistic encounter, I picked up five large Van Gogh painting postcards of my choice to later frame in my living room!.
Post lunch, we drove through the busy thoroughfares (scores of cyclists!) of Amsterdam to see the house of Anne Frank. Set on the banks of a canal, it s a surprisingly congested house, now modified somewhat to host a museum. Again we were greeted by spiraling queues!. But this time I was contend to just take in the view from outside, sitting on the banks of the canal.
Like most places, I have seen in Europe, I would always love to come back again to Amsterdam!. Next time- Rijksmuseum here I come !
We arrived at the Van Gogh museum in the center of Amsterdam, only to be greeted by crowds of people standing in the lashing rain, waiting to go in!. Sheer madness! you would say!. But thats Van Gogh for you!. We were lucky to go in, bypassing the long queues (and a sizable fee!), thanks to Shell (my brother's employer- also a major sponsor for the museum).
It is a well planned museum set over 3 floors and appropriately spaced out. Starting with his early days, we travel up to his works and then a few works of his contemporaries. What strikes you about a Van Gogh painting, as opposed to the intricate art works that decorate the walls of other museums like the Louvre, is the simplicity of his subjects and objects. From sunflowers to red cabbages and prawns, to the scene of his bedroom in Arles (south of France), and even the unassuming faces of the "potato-eaters", you are visualizing everyday life in those times, and not a majestic portrait of a duke and his extended family. His works were initially dark and gloomy, but over time he took to more bright and appealing colors. His penchant for self portraits, comes across as strange initially, but as we later understand, he had no money to buy a subject to sit for him!; so he often painted himself, while looking at a mirror, each time working on new technique and color!.
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| Sunflowers- a Van Gogh masterpiece |
Enriched and happy after my first real artistic encounter, I picked up five large Van Gogh painting postcards of my choice to later frame in my living room!.
Post lunch, we drove through the busy thoroughfares (scores of cyclists!) of Amsterdam to see the house of Anne Frank. Set on the banks of a canal, it s a surprisingly congested house, now modified somewhat to host a museum. Again we were greeted by spiraling queues!. But this time I was contend to just take in the view from outside, sitting on the banks of the canal.Like most places, I have seen in Europe, I would always love to come back again to Amsterdam!. Next time- Rijksmuseum here I come !
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