The Thirty-Second Day: Amsterdam Part 2, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum

Does reading my blog sometimes feel like an art history lesson? If you don't want to look at a bunch of Van Gogh's, maybe don't read this blog today, 'kay? 

Monday, March 10:

Chris had work meetings all day, so I explored the city some more. First stop: The Rijksmuseum, one of the world's great art museums.

I loved this ceiling.

Just a few of my favourite pieces:

Carità educatrice (Charity the Educator), Lorenzo Bartolini, c. 1842 - c. 1845

I like this piece as a representation of motherhood. Snuggling one babe and teaching the other to read.
His scroll is inscribed "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, also known as ‘In the Month of July’,  
Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël, c. 1889 

‘Our country is saturated with colour. ...I repeat, our country is not grey, 
not even in grey weather, nor are the dunes grey,’ wrote Gabriël in a letter. 

The Rokin in Amsterdam, George Henrik Breitner, 1897

Facial casts of Nias islanders, J.P. Kleiweg de Zwaan, 1910

The thing I like most about these facial casts is how some of their eyebrows are furrowed from holding their breath.

Portrait of Marie Jeanette de Lange, Jan Toorop, 1900

I've always loved pointillism, but the use of color is what really makes this piece stand out.

I also visited the Van Gogh museum, which was just awesome. You guys already know I'm a Van Gogh fan, so you can imagine how excited I was. I wish they allowed photography in the museum in Amsterdam, but alas. I did, however, take notes on my favourite pieces. So here they are!

Self-Portrait with Felt Hat, 1888

After studying pointillism, Van Gogh modified it to suit his own style. 

Many of his pieces use this brushwork technique to convey movement and emotion. 

The Potato Eaters, 1885
Widely regarded as Van Gogh's first great masterpiece. He deliberately chose to paint something that would be challenging for him. He worked hard to paint the faces, 'the color of a good, dusty potato, unpeeled naturally,' and tried to convey the idea that these people had 'used the same hands with which they now take food from the plate to dig the earth […] and had thus earned their meal honestly.'

A Pair of Shoes, 1886

Van Gogh purchased these shoes at a flea market for the sole (no pun intended) purpose of using them in a still-life. He felt that they looked to clean to be interesting, so he wore them on a long, rainy tromp through the mud.

Avenue of Poplars in Autumn, 1884

Love the lighting here. 

Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette, 1886

Painted during a human anatomy course at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Van Gogh added the cigarette as a joke, maybe a commentary on the conservative academic practices of the time. He would later remark that he found these classes boring and that he learned nothing. 

It was such a sunny, lovely day when I left the Van Gogh museum. Tons of people were soaking up some rays at Museum Square. So I joined them.
I just laid in the sun for about half an hour.

You can't tell from my face, but it was awesome. 

Then I grabbed some more frites, because man I love these things. 

That night, we went to dinner with some of Chris's work colleagues. My first experience with Indonesian food.  We went to a place called Sama Sebo and ordered a rijsttafel, which is literally "rice table" in Dutch. And indeed, our entire table was filled with Indonesian dishes served with rice. 

 We went to bed with very full tummies. It was an awesome way to end the night.

Cheers!
Kami & Chris, The Pseudo-Londoners