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Day 8, 20 June 2014 - Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum / Art is Therapy. Five solid hours of hiking around a pretty stunning museum. Then my feet fell off. The Rijks only reopened recently after major renovations, so it was all round a pretty awesome experience. Slowly but surely, with the aid of lots of treasures in this veritable Cathedral of Art, I am getting my head around Dutch history. (If it's all too much, this is a great read and covers 700 odd years in a down and dirty fashion: http://www.funamsterdam.com/history-of-amsterdam/).
Whilst the museum has truckloads of fabulous art, it was the decorative arts pieces that really stunned me as you can see from today's album (pictured above is a dish carved from citrine rock crystal). Whilst seeing Rembrandt's massive Night Watch masterpiece was fascinating, especially after visiting the house he worked in, so much Dutch art seems a little dark for my tastes. The other highlight of the day was an exhibition of sorts going on in the museum called Art is Therapy. Lots of yellow posters around the paintings suggesting a "sickness" and describing a "cure". One sickness might be "Only idiots like pretty things" - then the cure would discuss why we think that is so and whether it's necessary or worthwhile to think that way. A bit of a different way of looking at "it's not the duty of art to be beautiful". I personally like beautiful, light filled art - it soothes me. Another sickness might be "What year was it painted in?" The cure discussion was along the lines of "does it matter - if you enjoy looking at it and it heals your soul, who cares!" Actually a really thought provoking and interesting way of having an exhibit overlay the exhibits so to speak. My time in Amsterdam is slowly but surely coming to an end. A sleep in and an easy day tomorrow - perhaps a market and some general tramming about the city.
- comments
James Hardie Babe, it is official you have turned into a museum groupie, which is not a bad thing, five hours is not the record for us , I think that was set in Cairo or the Louvre, however this is a good showing, you would have to be a boffin on all things dutch. well done.