Travel destinations: Amsterdam
December 28, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Old Masters
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. It was founded as a fishing village in the 12th century. With its old world charm and contemporary outlook, it is a city of tolerance, diversity and culture.
During the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age, Amsterdam’s canals were built as four main concentric canals with interconnecting canals and over one hundred bridges. The middle three canals were for residential purposes and the fourth, outer canal was built for defense and water management. A boat ride through the canals is the best way to see this beautiful city the way it was built to be seen. An elegant mix of old and new, Amsterdam consists of cobbled streets and crooked buildings, coupled with cafes and coffeeshops.
Amsterdam is recognized for its world-famous museums. Visit Museumplein, or “Museum Square” in English- called such because four museums are situated around the square- to see the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Van Gosh Museum and the Diamant Museum. The Rijksmuseum has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age as well as a collection of Asian art. It boasts works by artists Jacob van Ruysdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt and Rembrandt’s pupils. Rembrandt’s famous Night Watch is one of the many masterpieces in the Rijksmuseum. The Stedelijk Museum is a museum of modern art. It includes the big artists of modern painting movements in impressionism, cubism, and expressionism as well as a large collection of paintings by Kasimir Malevich. The Van Gogh Museum has the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. The main exhibition provides an opportunity to witness Van Gogh’s development as a painter. The Diamant Museum contains a collection of jewelery and offers the visitor information on diamonds and their journey from formation through mining, distribution, trade and processing.
Another bustling tourist spot and museum is the Anne Frank House, where Anne and her family hid from Nazi persecution. The house was converted into a museum in 1960, and is dedicated to Anne Frank. Tour the Secret Annex where the family hid and Anne wrote her famous diary, and examine the various exhibitions highlighting persecution and discrimination. The Rembrandt House Museum, like the Anne Frank House, is also a house converted into a museum and a very popular tourist attraction. In this house Rembrandt lived and painted until 1958. Today it attracts visitors with its collection of Rembrandt’s etchings.
But perhaps what Amsterdam is best known for is the Red Light District and its controversial drug policy. In Amsterdam, prostitution is legal, and a “coffeeshop” is an establishment where the sale of small quantities of cannabis for personal consumption is permitted. To get an actual coffee, one would visit a “koffiehuis”, while a “caf” is equivalent to a bar. Take a stroll through the Red Light District to see the ladies of the night in the windows, or stop at one of the Sex Shows or Banana Bars. Other attractions include the Sex Museum, the Condom Shop Het Gulden Vlies and the Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum. Amsterdam has a reputation as a party city and its nightlife attracts tourists from all over the world.
Watch The Best Oil Paintings
October 10, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Impressionist
Art is an important part of the culture and it had contributed with the society’s development. One of the main art’s expressions is the painting, especially in Oil Paintings style. Each country has its own famous painter and this time The Netherlands is our destination. The Netherlands also known as Holland is identified by one painter, Vincent Van Gogh.
Amsterdam, Holland’s capital is home of Van Gogh Museum. It has the largest collection of Van Gogh’s artworks and drawings in the world. Visiting Van Gogh Museum is a unique experience that you can’t miss for any reason. Majority the museum contains Oil Paintings, visitors can go everyday and tickets are not expensive, you will never regret this decision.
These are Van Gogh’s Oil Paintings that you should visit during your staying in Amsterdam: A Pair of Leather Clogs (1889), Almond Tree in Blossom (1888), Portrait of Marcelle Roulin (1888), Self-Portrait with Straw Hat (1887), The Garden of Saint Paul’s Hospital (1889), Wheatfield under Thunderclouds (1890), The Harvest (1888), Vegetable Gardens and the Moulin de Blute-Fin on Montmartre (1887), Gauguin’s chair (1888) The Vicarage at Nuenen (1885), etc.
Van Gogh Museum divides Van Gogh’s artwork according to the category. For example, they are divided in landscapes, self portraits, portrait, drawings, peasant life, still life and other. Fortunately, the museum is open daily from 10.00 until 18.00, just Friday until 22.00 PM. Plan your trip in Amsterdam and visit the Museumplein. It is an area where are located the three most important museums in Holland, including Van Gogh Museum. The other two museums are Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum.
In addition to work by Van Gogh, the museum contains a rich anthology of other 19th-century art. The artists represented include Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and others. Van Gogh was influenced by friends and other painters. He influenced other people too.
Amsterdam And Its Museums
September 3, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Old Masters
Amsterdam is one of the most popular European city destinations in the world. One of Amsterdam’s most famous tourist attractions is its museums where one can see modern art, art exhibitions, Dutch art and archeological collections. Travellers from the world over gather in Amsterdam to enjoy its museums and nowhere else in the world can offer the unique experience to be had in Amsterdam — below we look at just a few of the many available museum attractions.
The Rijksmuseum is the largest and most popular museum in Amsterdam and hosts a wide variety of collections. Currently it is undergoing renovation until 2008 although some of the most important collections are still available for viewing in the Philips Wing where one can see many hundred masterpieces from Amsterdam’s Golden Age as a world trading outpost. These include works from Vermeer, Hals and Rembrandt.
The Stedelijk Museum specializes in modern art. Having previously exhibited works from Van Gogh, this museum is over one hundred years old and attracts travelling exhibitions of contempory art from all over the world. Works by Picasso, Cezanne and Renoir can be found here. Until 2008, the Stedelijk Museum has relocated to a temporary location in the former Post Office building
The Van Gogh Museum contains the largest collection of Vincent van Gogh paintings in the world. It is a very popular museum of Amsterdam as demonstrated by the hoards of tourists you will see all over the city sporting a prism shaped box containing prints they have purchased from the museum! The museum itself contains over two hundred paintings by Van Gogh, as well as collections by other 19th century artists. Van Gogh is probably Holland’s most famous artist and rightly so — nowhere else in the world can you view his self portraits and famous works such as “Sunflowers”.
The Dutch Resistance Museum (also known as Verzetsmuseum) depicts life during the Second World War in Amsterdam when, under occupation by the Germans, locals rallied against their occupiers by plotting against them. A much more emotive and thought provoking museum than those listed above, the Dutch Resistance Museum consists of personal accounts and artefacts, leaving the visitor with lingering thoughts of what they would have done in wartime Amsterdam.
Amsterdam can be considered the museum capital of the world for both the number and sheer variety of collections that can be found in one city. Many can be seen in one day travelling on foot, and even the remote and specialized museums are easily accessible by tram. Nowhere else in the world can boast the museum experience that Amsterdam can.