Day 3 (7/3/19) : Rijksmuseum

Day three started off with our lecture and we dove into the three new Dutch words or phrases: Kom op, Opschieten, and hup hup. Kom Op means “come on,” Opschieten means “to hurry up,” and Hup Hup is “go go.” These words seem very useful because Amsterdam is such a busy city, and I would assume that many locals use these terms quite frequently, especially navigating themselves around all the lost and bewildered tourists.
Our lecture was focused on the Dutch Golden Age, primarily the art. The 17th century was a time of self-identity for the Dutch. Map drawings were very popular and the Dutch were eager to be seen as a new and impressive country. Aside from the rest of Europe, the Netherlands were well populated with aspiring artists. Most of Europe saw art as a luxury, or something to represent nobility and the royal court. For the Dutch, painters were well-numbered, and around 5 million paintings were produced in the 17th century. Everyone possessed paintings in the Netherlands, including all social classes. This in turn gave great demand for artists to succeed. It was the support and high demand of artwork in the Netherlands that allowed painters such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Vermeer, and Willem van Aelst to succeed during this era.

After our lecture we all headed out and took the tram into the city to visit the Rijksmuseum. This building looks glorious from the outside. Originally the Rijksmuseum was located in the Hague. The building in Amsterdam which we visited was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1885. It looks much older in my opinion, almost Gothic in some ways, but perhaps it was designed on purpose to fit the historical context of its treasures.
Inside the museum it is extremely well laid out. It’s entrance is very open-aired and has plenty of natural light with a modern touches, pure Dutch design. Once I entered the museum and worked my way to the second level, I felt the new design slip away and the feeling of traditional Dutch culture and history greet me. Immediately there were so many amazing pieces to be seen. Seeing some world famous artwork from the likes of Vermeer, Rembrandt, and even Van Gogh was very surreal. I have seen the paintings in pictures, but there is no comparison to viewing them in their true form.

One painting in particular that captured my eye was “The Celebration of the Peace of Münster” by Bartholomeus van der Helst, created in 1648. I think one thing that really surprised me was the fact that this was not painted by a famous Dutch master painter. The work is so exceptional in my eyes. I’m not an art connoisseur but I honestly see this piece of work at the same level as Rembrandt and the Nights Watch. Each face has such a true and unique look; it shows that van der Helst captured each figure to their truest likeness. The details are impeccable. Textures show differentiation such as silk versus velvet or cotton. The reflection and array of light is on point as well. The main commander holding the silver horn has a metal chest plate, and the armor itself reflects three men sitting opposite of the commander. I also think the painting has a strong meaning as it resembles the Dutch perseverance, and that the men and soldiers who fought so hard for their independence finally earned their separation from the Spanish. Drinks were definitely in order! Much like William Shetter states in “The Netherlands in Perspective” these pieces of art bring us back in time to where we truly understand what they are meaning to show us, as if we were living in the Golden Age ourselves. ” They painted with such a photographic eye that we are tempted to to see the pictures as realistic renditions of what we could have seen then. (pg.25) Visiting the Rijksmuseum definitely took me back in time made me realize the spirit of the Netherlands lives not just through the people, but through these preserved and majestic forms of art.