Though I am a short train ride from Amsterdam (around 40 minutes) I do not go into that city too much. When I did, yesterday, I was struck by the hurry and flurry of city life. Semi-small Utrecht made me forget what big cities feel like. Nonetheless, I had no problems finding my destination. Because of my love of art, I am impelled to see museums while in Amsterdam. Two museums, the Rijks and the Van Gogh Museum are right next to each other. (Here, Van Go is pronounced Van Ho, with the H being a back-of-the-throat sound that is hard to replicate in print.)A tip is to go on a weekday. The crowds are less. And, with a museum card, which costs 20 euros, you can see any museum for one-year in the Netherlands at no extra cost. Without this card, museum-going in Holland can be very expensive. I am struck by different museum charge policies in Europe and America. Some American museums are free, some are not. I always enjoy when they are free. In France, the museums are free to European Union students under the age of 26. At least in Holland we have the museum card.
I have been to the Van Gogh museum four times and never tire of it. Most of Van Gogh's more famous paintings, like his vase of sunflowers and self-portraits are in Amsterdam, which the exception of 'Starry, Starry Night,' which I believe is in New York.
Similarly, I adore the works of Vermeer. "The Milkmaid" is a favorite. Her skirt is a blue so vibrant it shimmers like liquid. In those times, all colors were made by hand. Apprentices ground precious minerals (like blue lapus lazuli) with a mortar and pestle until the stones became powder. Oils were added. And resplendent paints were made--paints made to last hundreds of years. Today, our paints do not have the intensity of color that Vermeer and Van Gogh’s shades possessed. I wonder if our modern artist’s works will last as long, since our materials are not of that old-time, fine quality.
(I would have posted pictures from the museums, but photography was not allowed.)
The. End.
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