A Trip to The Van Gogh Museum - Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Van Gogh Museum - Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 13, 2018
Recently I took a fairly spontaneous trip to Amsterdam and I ended up at The Van Gogh Museum. This was definitely one of the best art museums I have ever been through. Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter of the Post-Impressionism era. He is quite possibly the most influential painter of all time and a very interesting man. The museum takes you on a trip through the history of his life through his work.
The Van Gogh Museum Website
Located : Museumplein, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Life of an Artist
Most of what we know comes from the letters that he wrote to his younger brother Theo. Vincent lived a life of poverty and was financially supported by Theo. He suffered from severe mental breakdowns and was essentially a madman at times. But in the short period that Vincent was painting, he feverishly busted out over 2,000 pieces of artwork including over 800 oil paintings. He admired the life of peasants and how they worked to live off the land. He often painted peasants as if they have become one with the earth. At 37 years old, Vincent van Gogh was shot in the abdomen and it was deemed a suicide. He was never admired during his lifetime and it was only until he died that his paintings were seen as brilliant.
Letters in a Drawer
Theo van Gogh died shortly after Vincent. The cabinet above is where most of their letters of correspondence were found. These letters would paint the life of Vincent as we know it today. The cabinet itself is an amazing piece of woodwork.
The Pallet
Above is a picture of Vincent van Gogh's painting pallet. As you can see, the colors are all mixed up and smudged together. Vincent was obsessed with mixing colors. Overtime his paintings grew in color and brightness and he created a new style of painting with his big strokes. He painted colorful landscapes and nature scenes of orchards and flowers as well as many portraits and self-portraits.
The King of Selfies
The museum had an entire section dedicated to the many self-portraits that Vincent van Gogh painted. He was portrayed a bit different in all of them. 'Self-Portrait in Grey Felt Hat' seen below was one of my favorites. The way he used strokes of color to create expression is brilliant. Pictures do not do these paintings justice. I highly advise taking a trip to the museum, because when you see the paintings in person there is a third-dimensional sense to it all.
Japanese Influence
Towards the end of Van Gogh's life, he began showing interest in the Japanese artistic style. He coined the term 'Japonaiserie' to describe artwork of the Japanese influence. Although there is a myth that 'Wheatfield with Crows' was Van Gogh's final piece, the painting below called 'Tree Roots' is more likely to be Vincent's last ever painting. It definitely has a Japonaiserie touch to it. Many believe it was unfinished.
Wheatfield with Crows
'Wheatfield with Crows' shows a dramatic scene with crows shooting out from the field as a storm rolls through. Due to the tragic death of Van Gogh, some people claimed this was Van Gogh's last painting, but in reality 'Tree Roots' is a much more likely candidate. Regardless, the 'Wheatfield with Crows' piece will forever be one of the Vincent's most famous paintings.
Other Artists
The museum features work from many artists from Van Gogh's era. There are paintings by colleagues like Émile Bernard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, the famous Claude Monet and many more. There are also a couple sculptures from Auguste Rodin and Jules Dalou.
Apollo Slays Python
Apollo Slays Python is a famous painting that decorates the ceiling of the Galerie d'Apollon in the Louvre of Paris, France. It was created by Eugène Delacroix from 1850 to 1851. The painting below is featured in the Van Gogh Museum. It is a mock-up sketch that Delacroix used as the design for his painting on the ceiling of the Louvre.
Visit The Van Gogh Museum
Overall, The Van Gogh Museum was an epic experience. I highly recommend visiting if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam. It gives a great glimpse into the life of Vincent Van Gogh and features the most pieces of Van Gogh's work on the planet. I definitely walked out of the museum with a bit of artistic inspiration.
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Thanks For Reading!
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The life and story of Van Gogh to me is always one of sadness and sorrow to. I have read a lot online about his work and a appreciate the photos evidence I have seen though I have never seen one piece of his art.
Why do I feel sad whenever I hear that name is mostly because this is a man who was never appreciated throughout his lifetime till he was dead and gone. His story tells me the many who have passed through this life with an excellent spirit but was never discovered or recognised Dr their efforts till they are dead.
I hope we do our best to appreciate people effort while they are still alive. Not only when they are gone.
150/1150
Second favorite movie of all time:
http://lovingvincent.com/
I'll check it out right away.
what is your first favourite movie @dimimp sir?
wow @great dimimp sir. I watch it. thanks for your reply!
nice movie.
I agree @lordjames, it is a tragic story. I hope more people appreciate the brilliant folks around them while they are alive. It's best to compliment others for their work.
How cool! Thanks for bringing us into the Van Gogh museum with you, and sharing what you know about the artist. I especially enjoy seeing his painting pallet, which I'd never imagined before. One time I had the good fortune of visiting the Orsay museum, in Paris, which holds some additional paintings of his. For me, I admired the big thick strokes of paint blobs, looking like buttons, and I secretly wanted to press them and watch the goo burst out.
I completely agree! The three-dimensional paint blobs amazed me and had to be seen in person. Pictures just don't do it justice. I can only imagine the way he threw the paint onto the paper with his brush.
Nice and interesting post for all of us @jeffjagoe hopefully it was a memorable trip for you, such a historical museum, and you took pictures beautifully, thanks for sharing such a beautiful art work...
I resteem this post.
Thanks a lot for the resteem @taurus007. I appreciate it.
Its my pleasure @jeffjagoe ,thanks for appreciating me, stay blessed my friend.
"Pictures do not do these paintings justice. I highly advise taking a trip to the museum, because when you see the paintings in person there is a third-dimensional sense to it all." I agree. :) Still, your presentation is very inspiring for art lovers to do the next step and visit the museum. Thank you. I resteem it.
Hello my friend @jeffjago how are you? How about your start of the day ?. Without a doubt Vincent Van Gogh was an excellent painter. At the high school I had the opportunity to conduct an investigation on the biography of him and without any doubt is a very tragic and very sad story about his death, because as you comment you died at 37 years old, he was still very young and in spite of his mental disorders he was a real artist, although his art was not renococinated until he died. But I think that if he were not dead, he would have done even more art than he could in the time he was alive. He was an excellent painter and each work painted by him were made with love and dedication because he liked what he did, and well those photos of your publication are a sample of the wonderful paintings that Van Gogh could make and are really fantastic to inspire in his work. Currently, his paintings and his name are very well known, but really, if he were not lost his life so young, there will still be much more to talk about him. Excellent publication my friend and very nice photos of the art of Van Gogh, I'm sure that when entering that museum should be a unique and unparalleled experience. Thank you for sharing this experience with us.
Thanks for the comment @alejo1996. I agree. If he lived longer there would be many more masterpieces. I'm having a good morning, how about you?
Exactly my dear friend, if he had those masterpieces in the 37 years that he lived, imagine if he were lived some years more, he was a super great without any doubt. Well I'm glad you're having an excellent start to my day, I'm also having a good start to the day, as we say right here in Venezuela every day, every day we are in the struggle but going forward, always working a lot every day to that nothing is missing in our homes. Blessings brother for you
I think it is one of the best museums I have visited!
I am impressed, I have never been to a painting museum I want to visit some at some point in my life, I would like to start with Van Gogh, something that I find curious is that those great past artists always fell into depression or were somewhat crazy
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good post, we aceh nation still a mystery issue of independence of aceh state of sumatra indonesia island, may be stored in same meseum.
Good history
I like it art, thanks for sharing this travel....