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Self-Portrait of Van Gogh
This is one of the many self-portraits that Van Gogh created during his time in Paris when he was too poor to afford a model. Today, I decided to have a "Jess" day & go to Amsterdam to check out the Vincent Van Gogh Museum. It's only a 2.5 hour train ride from Maastricht to Amsterdam so I figured I would make a nice day trip out of it. I arrived in Amsterdam around noon, had lunch in a cafe, then headed toward the museum. The last time my parents & I were in Amsterdam, the line for the place was around the block; this time, I planned ahead & bought my ticket online so I could actually get in. Doesn't it figure that there was no line today? If I wouldn't have pre-purchased my ticket, you know the line would have been twice as long as it was the last time... Oh well, I was just like the Boy Scouts - always prepared!
The museum is AWESOME. It houses more than 200 Van Gogh paintings & also has some works from other 19th-century painters (such as Gauguin & Seurat) who either influenced Van Gogh's work or else were influenced by him.
Van Gogh began his career as an artist at the age of 27 in the Netherlands in 1880. For his 5 years
Sunflowers
Aside from "Starry Night", the "Sunflowers" series is probably Van Gogh's most famous masterpieces. It's not well-known that Van Gogh only created this series in an attempt to decorate his house in Arles. in the Netherlands, he painted a lot of landscapes & farming scenes. Van Gogh was influenced by Jean-Francois Millet (a 19th-century French painter) so he wanted to emulate his work of representing the life of peasants (i.e. farmers and weavers). He did so in a somber way by using a lot of dark colors. In 1886, Van Gogh went to Paris where he lived with his brother. The Van Gogh brothers lived in the Montmartre quartier where Van Gogh met the other young artists in the neighborhood (including Toulouse-Lautrec). During this time, he couldn't afford models so he spent a lot of time working on self-portraits. It was his time in Paris that he became influenced by the Neo-Impressionists, so much of his work included small dots & lines in bright colors. He was also heavily influenced by Japanese woodcuts; his work included a lot of powerful colors & strong contour lines emulating the Japanese style. In 1888, Van Gogh moved to the south of France to a town named Arles. During this time, he returned to his fascination with landscapes & rural life. His time in Arles is perhaps Van Gogh's most well-known period. It was here that he
Portrait of Van Gogh
Gaugin's portrait of Van Gogh (while he is working on the sunflowers still-life series). painted his famous masterpiece "Sunflowers" & a whole series of still-lifes (which he used to decorate his house). In the hopes of establishing an artist's colony in Arles, Van Gogh invited his (on again/off again) friend Paul Gauguin to join him. Gauguin arrived in October 1888; however, by December the relationship between the two had reached a boiling point. It was during a fight with Gauguin that Van Gogh cut off a piece of his ear (after threatening Gauguin with the knife). Shortly thereafter, Van Gogh was admitted to a mental health clinic in Saint-Rémy. It turns out that Van Gogh had a form of epilepsy; however, his doctor allowed him to continue his work. The color schemes of his work during this period are softer than his previous works, but the brushstrokes are more active in that they portray movement & energy. After being released from the clinic in 1890, Van Gogh moved to Auvers-Sur-Oise (near Paris). Here, Van Gogh produced a number of landscapes. Van Gogh was very close to his brother, Theo, his entire life. Theo actually supported Van Gogh as an artist. However, by 1890, it was hard to make his salary meet the demands of
Bedroom at Arles
This is Van Gogh's depiction of his room in Arles. He lived in what he referred to as the "Yellow House." He had hoped to create an artists' colony there. supporting his family, his brother, & his mother. Van Gogh expressed his concern of being a burden on his brother. On July 27, 1890, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest & died 2 days later. Theo died 6 months later. The brothers are buried side-by-side in a cemetery in Auvers-Sur-Oise.
The Museum is located on the Museumplein & is right behind the Rijksmuseum (where you can go see masterpieces by Rembrandt & Vermeer). The district right across the canal is called the Spiegelkwartier & is renowned for its art & antique boutiques. I poked around in an antique store & found an
awesome skeleton key. (I have an odd fixation with skeleton keys. The very concept of one key that can open any door in a building fascinates me. Plus, they look cool.) From there, I headed toward the Leidseplein. On the corner of Leidsestraat and Prinsengracht, there is a store dedicated solely to Delft pottery. Deft pottery is the blue & white ceramics ware the gained popularity in the Netherlands in the 16th century. I found my mom a nice plate (that came with a certificate of authenticity & everything!) Right around the corner is
Wheatfield with Crows
This painting was done in 1890. Some consider it to be Van Gogh's last masterpiece before his suicide. There's a myth that the dark skies & the crows are an ominous foreshadowing of his impending death... the muffin place (B&B Lunchroom) that we LOVE. I picked up a couple of chocolate muffins with cherry filling. Delicious! From there, I headed over to the Koningsplein where there's a flower market. The amount of flowers there is amazing. Of course the number 1 flower in the Netherlands is the tulip. Who ever knew the amount of different types of tulips that exist! Getting around today, I figured out the tram system. It's actually really cheap & a quick & easy way to get around town. I suggest it for anyone going to Amsterdam. There are constantly trams running so you never have to wait for them, & they cover the entire city.
All in all, today was a really great adventure. I really like Amsterdam. There are a ton of things to do, the people are nice, the city is accessible, & it's just a great place in general. 😊
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Lia Nascimento
non-member comment
Really cool
Hello, KurtzJL. I am an English teacher from Brazil and today, while searching for some travel material for one of my students, I fould your post and loved it. I've been to Europe, but not to Amsterdam, and reading your post made me feel as if I were there. So nice!!! Hope to visit it soon. Regards, Lia Nascimento.