Candace left on Saturday morning :-( And then Jessica left on Tuesday :-( I'm the only American left! But its OK because I have plenty to do. As a last venture out, Jessica and I went to the National Gallery. This was my second visit, but I took a lot more time and discovered so many more pieces of art that I didn't really pay attention to before. Some new favorites include Jan Steen, Salvator Rosa's "Witches at their Incantations", Friedrich's "Winter Landscape with Church", Delaroche's "The Execution of Lady Jane Grey" (you have to see this one in person), Goya's "El hechizado por Fuerza", Monet's "Water Lilies, Setting Sun", Caillebotte's "A Man At His Bath", Degas' "Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando", and Odilon Redon's "Ophelia Among the Flowers". And of course, I stood in front of Vigée-Le Brun's self portrait for a good ten minutes.
At the National Portrait Gallery, I was super excited about the Tudor wing. There were some really incredible portraits of Elizabeth I. Some other favorite portraits included Catherine Stephens, a 19th century soprano and actress, Sarah Siddons, a very famous Shakespearean actress of her time, and Dame Ethel Smyth, a composer. I also really loved the portraits of Fiona Shaw, Sam-Taylor Wood, Paul McCartney, and William Blake.
Today was my last day in London. I went to the opening exhibit of "Rude Britannia" at the Tate Britain, which was all about British political cartoons and satire. I was so happy to finally see some authentic work of James Gillray. I was also really excited to learn about William Hogarth, Alley Sloper, Rowlandson, Pellegrini (Singe?), and Cruikshank. This work was just fascinating to see alongside the celebrated extravagant portraits hanging in the rest of the museum. I love the grotesque and dirty quality of the cartoons. No one is safe. I guess you could compare it to the history of comedy in theatre as it parallels to tragedy and drama.
Then I got my last Yuforia.
Well, this was a bit of a rushed entry, but I have to go pack. So sad to be leaving. I'll probably edit this later. And I'll still be writing entries over the next few days as I leave and arrive at home.
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painting. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Get some Slaapcomfort from your Hazelnootpasta Appelflaps
Jessica and I got back from the Netherlands a week ago, but it's been a busy week so I haven't been able to update my blog until now. And what a whirlwind adventure our trip was!
We left on Monday the 29th and took train and an overnight ferry out of London, arriving in Holland around 8am. I personally was sick of air travel and dealing with extra unexpected expenses from cheap airlines. The ferry was a relaxing and fun way to go - I highly recommend it.
Our first stop in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House. We wanted to get the most depressing bit out of the way. And boy was it depressing. But really fascinating and moving at the same time. I think it's very important to see it if you get the chance. I remember reading the book and trying to imagine the space they were in, but it's really a shaking feeling to step behind the bookcase and go up those narrow stairs. The creaky floorboards and blacked out windows gave you a sense of the danger of the situation. It was a remarkable experience.
After the Anne Frank house we wandered for a while trying to find our hostel. Despite the symmetry of the city, it was pretty easy to get lost. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the atmosphere of the city was not at all what I imagined. I guess because of the taboo associated with Amsterdam, I expected it to be a bit grimey and unsafe. It was the opposite! We wandered through the streets of a beautiful, quaint, happy European city. There were people on bikes everywhere, flower markets, friendly faces - and it was not too crowded by tourism.
We had time to kill before meeting our friends at the hostel, so we headed to the Rijksmuseum. It was small, but it packed a punch. The lower floor was dedicated to Dutch history and artifacts, while the upper floor was decked with incredible masterpieces by painters from the Dutch Golden Age such as Rembrandt, Jan Steen, and Vermeer. It was my first time seeing Rembrandt portraits, so that was a real treat.
Once our friends arrived we did a bit more wandering. We felt better in a bigger group to explore the more shady areas of the city (that were still pretty watered down by tourism - don't worry). It was interesting to see this quaint city become so different at night. It takes on a completely different personality. We called it an early night, however, because we were all tired from a day of travel.
On Wednesday morning, we headed to the Van Gogh Museum. This museum was very well designed and thought out: Walking through it took you through the different stages in Van Gogh's career. I had no idea that he was only active as a painter for 10 years. The first floor was dedicated to the artists that preceded Van Gogh. These were the Dutch artists that he trained with and drew inspiration from. The second floor was dedicated to his work according to year and place. This way you could wander through the entire second floor and witness how his work blossomed and changed, and at the same time stayed true to his style. At first I was disappointed that the museum did not provide more information about his personal life, but I soon changed my mind. Towards the last years of his life, it was clear from his use of color and more vigorous application of paint that he was struggling: The art says it all. My favorite paintings of his final years were "Wheatfields Under Thunderclouds" and "Wheatfield With Crows". One seems to evoke a sense of peace with an endless horizon, while the other one I found deeply disturbing and suffocating. Can't wait to go back to the MOMA and take a better look at "Starry Night".
Jess and I then wandered into Vondelpark, which was nice but would have been a more pleasant walk if it weren't so chilly and windy. We saw some ducks. And a parrot in a tree! We think it was a lost escaped pet.
In the evening, the five of us explored the Red Light District. That was something for the memory books. Its the sort of thing you hear people talk about, but you don't really understand it until you've seen it. I'm not going to go into detail, but lets just say I'm glad we didn't linger!
On Thursday morning, Jess and I decided to leave early because we had to get to Den Haag for our next hostel. We stayed a night in that city because a) the overnight ferry was booked and b) it gave us on opportunity to see the Nederlands Dans Theater - a world famous dance company that I've been dying to see after watching a DVD of them in Italy.
Trying to find our hostel was more difficult than expected. It was tucked away at the very end of a beach, which would have been nice had it not been unbearably cold and windy. Despite this minor setback, we made it into Den Haag with time to go to the Mauritshuis, the museum housing Vermeer's "The Girl With the Pearl Earring" among many other fabulous Dutch paintings. We got to see more Vermeer and Rembrandt, which we were both happy about.
Feeling thoroughly satisfied and cultured, we walked a couple blocks over to the Lucent Danstheater to catch the evening performance of "True to II" by the NDT. The show was unbelievable. I've never seen a dance performance like it. It was set against a beautiful orchestra playing classical pieces, but the choreography was a dynamic mix of form, structure, gesture, and playfulness. It was a delight to watch - I could watch this company for hours and days on end. Hoping to get some DVDs when I get back to the states! In the meantime, here's a clip from the website of one of the pieces we saw called "CACTI".
The next morning we were on the ferry all day, but it was nice to kick back after our adventures in the Netherlands. We got to see "The Princess and the Frog" and "Sherlock Holmes" on the boat, so I can't really complain.
We managed to pack quite a lot into only a few days. I can't wait to go back to Holland though. I know there's more to see and do in Amsterdam and I definitely want to get to know Den Haag even more. That city has so mcuh to offer and we didn't even know it!
I'll be posting another entry soon about Dad and Grandpa's visit. Until then, here are pics and videos from my trip across the North Sea.
Anne Frank House
Tulips for mommy
Only 271 days til Christmas!
Not a pedestrian city. You're either on a bike, in a car, or trying not to get hit by one of them.
Unpredictable weather
Strange
Vondelpark
Dutch Ducks
Anyone missing a pet parrot??
From the hostel window
Bye Amsterdam!
Hello Den Haag!
Mama bird!
Mauritshuis
Lucent Danstheater
Rocket Power Hostel
Scheveningen Beach
Arriving in the UK!
It's been a whirlwind adventure.
We left on Monday the 29th and took train and an overnight ferry out of London, arriving in Holland around 8am. I personally was sick of air travel and dealing with extra unexpected expenses from cheap airlines. The ferry was a relaxing and fun way to go - I highly recommend it.
Our first stop in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House. We wanted to get the most depressing bit out of the way. And boy was it depressing. But really fascinating and moving at the same time. I think it's very important to see it if you get the chance. I remember reading the book and trying to imagine the space they were in, but it's really a shaking feeling to step behind the bookcase and go up those narrow stairs. The creaky floorboards and blacked out windows gave you a sense of the danger of the situation. It was a remarkable experience.
After the Anne Frank house we wandered for a while trying to find our hostel. Despite the symmetry of the city, it was pretty easy to get lost. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the atmosphere of the city was not at all what I imagined. I guess because of the taboo associated with Amsterdam, I expected it to be a bit grimey and unsafe. It was the opposite! We wandered through the streets of a beautiful, quaint, happy European city. There were people on bikes everywhere, flower markets, friendly faces - and it was not too crowded by tourism.
We had time to kill before meeting our friends at the hostel, so we headed to the Rijksmuseum. It was small, but it packed a punch. The lower floor was dedicated to Dutch history and artifacts, while the upper floor was decked with incredible masterpieces by painters from the Dutch Golden Age such as Rembrandt, Jan Steen, and Vermeer. It was my first time seeing Rembrandt portraits, so that was a real treat.
Once our friends arrived we did a bit more wandering. We felt better in a bigger group to explore the more shady areas of the city (that were still pretty watered down by tourism - don't worry). It was interesting to see this quaint city become so different at night. It takes on a completely different personality. We called it an early night, however, because we were all tired from a day of travel.
On Wednesday morning, we headed to the Van Gogh Museum. This museum was very well designed and thought out: Walking through it took you through the different stages in Van Gogh's career. I had no idea that he was only active as a painter for 10 years. The first floor was dedicated to the artists that preceded Van Gogh. These were the Dutch artists that he trained with and drew inspiration from. The second floor was dedicated to his work according to year and place. This way you could wander through the entire second floor and witness how his work blossomed and changed, and at the same time stayed true to his style. At first I was disappointed that the museum did not provide more information about his personal life, but I soon changed my mind. Towards the last years of his life, it was clear from his use of color and more vigorous application of paint that he was struggling: The art says it all. My favorite paintings of his final years were "Wheatfields Under Thunderclouds" and "Wheatfield With Crows". One seems to evoke a sense of peace with an endless horizon, while the other one I found deeply disturbing and suffocating. Can't wait to go back to the MOMA and take a better look at "Starry Night".
Jess and I then wandered into Vondelpark, which was nice but would have been a more pleasant walk if it weren't so chilly and windy. We saw some ducks. And a parrot in a tree! We think it was a lost escaped pet.
In the evening, the five of us explored the Red Light District. That was something for the memory books. Its the sort of thing you hear people talk about, but you don't really understand it until you've seen it. I'm not going to go into detail, but lets just say I'm glad we didn't linger!
On Thursday morning, Jess and I decided to leave early because we had to get to Den Haag for our next hostel. We stayed a night in that city because a) the overnight ferry was booked and b) it gave us on opportunity to see the Nederlands Dans Theater - a world famous dance company that I've been dying to see after watching a DVD of them in Italy.
Trying to find our hostel was more difficult than expected. It was tucked away at the very end of a beach, which would have been nice had it not been unbearably cold and windy. Despite this minor setback, we made it into Den Haag with time to go to the Mauritshuis, the museum housing Vermeer's "The Girl With the Pearl Earring" among many other fabulous Dutch paintings. We got to see more Vermeer and Rembrandt, which we were both happy about.
Feeling thoroughly satisfied and cultured, we walked a couple blocks over to the Lucent Danstheater to catch the evening performance of "True to II" by the NDT. The show was unbelievable. I've never seen a dance performance like it. It was set against a beautiful orchestra playing classical pieces, but the choreography was a dynamic mix of form, structure, gesture, and playfulness. It was a delight to watch - I could watch this company for hours and days on end. Hoping to get some DVDs when I get back to the states! In the meantime, here's a clip from the website of one of the pieces we saw called "CACTI".
The next morning we were on the ferry all day, but it was nice to kick back after our adventures in the Netherlands. We got to see "The Princess and the Frog" and "Sherlock Holmes" on the boat, so I can't really complain.
We managed to pack quite a lot into only a few days. I can't wait to go back to Holland though. I know there's more to see and do in Amsterdam and I definitely want to get to know Den Haag even more. That city has so mcuh to offer and we didn't even know it!
I'll be posting another entry soon about Dad and Grandpa's visit. Until then, here are pics and videos from my trip across the North Sea.
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Anne Frank House
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Tulips for mommy
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Only 271 days til Christmas!
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Not a pedestrian city. You're either on a bike, in a car, or trying not to get hit by one of them.
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Unpredictable weather
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Strange
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Vondelpark
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Dutch Ducks
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Anyone missing a pet parrot??
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| From Pick Sure and Place |
From the hostel window
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Bye Amsterdam!
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Hello Den Haag!
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Mama bird!
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Mauritshuis
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Lucent Danstheater
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Rocket Power Hostel
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Scheveningen Beach
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Arriving in the UK!
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| From Pick Sure and Place |
It's been a whirlwind adventure.
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