Museums Galore: Amsterdam Day 2

Today has been a jam-packed day exploring many museums that show-case various mediums of art from the 1850s onwards. I've inadvertently visited the museums in chronological order which was fascinating as I got a good overview of how art developed according to the socio-political conditions of the time.

The best bits:

1. The Van Gogh Museum was brilliant and is a must-see for all visitors to Amsterdam. This museum was home to far more Van Gogh works than I expected and the remarkable story of his artistic life was clearly conveyed. Much to my surprise, he was only an active artist for 10 years, yet was still prolific, finishing almost a painting a day during his last year. He initially studied at art school in Holland where he adopted a dark, earthen-toned palette, but it was only after he moved to Paris that he developed his signature vivid-coloured, thick and flame-like stroke technique. As a poor artist, he would paint still life, peasants, and every day objects, sometimes even on the back of other paintings as he ran out of canvases. I can understand why people at the time did no warm to his work as he was technically poor at proportions and perspective compared to other artists at the time. Unsuccessful and suffering from an unspecified mental disorder, Van Gogh cut off his left ear, drunk turputine and shoot himself in the chest, last of which caused his death 2 days after the incident. His death was a tragic loss but we are very lucky today to still be able to see the fruits of his labour. The inner turmoil and raw emotion that drove him to his death is ultimately what makes his works captivating and powerful.

TWO BONUS VAN GOGH FACTS:

1. His works were initially more red toned - the red lake pigment he used to paint with were incredibly sensitive to light and have all mostly faded. His famous "Irises" were actually purple despite that they don a delicate cornflower colour now.
2. One of his favourite and most beautiful work is his Almond Blossoms that was painted shortly after the birth of his nephew, expressing the humanity in a man who is often only known as the man who didn't sell a single work and cut off his own ear.
1. The Stedeljk Museum is well worth a visit. I am relative interested in modern art and particularly interested in design - I personally loved all the different design era chairs! From super minimalist, primary coloured paintings where I questioned where the skill was to thought provoking films and sculptures exploring the darker sides of the human psyche, I found this museum also thoroughly enjoyable.

"Steady on..."

Elbowless times

 2. The Tassenmuseum (Handbag Museum) was really small and cute, displaying many different handbags and it didn't get much deeper than that. Probably not worth buying a ticket to view but it was free with my Museumkaart and was some light relief from the darker/deeper subjects of some of the other museums.

So many bags!

3. The FOAM photographic gallery was also a very small place that I initially wasn't going to visit today but it turned out that they were opening two new galleries so the photographers being exhibited were there! The gallery was packed with ridiculously attractive, well groomed and well dressed Dutch gallery regulars so I felt rather out of place with my scruffy jeans and trainers. I even got a token for a free glass of wine which I did not end up claiming, but it was overall a very surreal and hip experience. I also visited an exhibition on an untainted view of sex, violence and heroin addiction and during the 1970s called Tulsa & Teenage lust, but Larry Clark. Depicted were raw young people shooting drugs to experience God-like highs which ultimately left them like "empty beer cans on a highway".
4. All museums and galleries in Amsterdam have free cloakrooms or lockers to save lugging around cumbersome backpacks or carrying heavy coats.

The worst bits: 

1. The Diamont Museum was awful. Very little actual diamonds and a tiny exhibit - would not recommend.
2. Walking around in circles looking for the Bloemenmarkt expecting it to be this vibrant market selling fresh-cut flowers when it was in fact a few floating greenhouses selling the tulip bulbs.

 Today has been another great day in Amster-daym. Sorry for the lack of photographs today; I was not allowed to take pictures in multiple museums. Talk to you tomorrow!

Rebecca

A beautiful city