Not sure how many 12 year olds have a Bucket List, but when I was 12
years old, with instruction from an artistic neighbor, I did my first painting
with a palette knife, after he taught me all about Vincent Van Gogh. I was so
inspired! Ever since then, it has been on my Bucket List to see his work in
person. Well, it finally happened on our trip to Amsterdam.
Our first stop was the Rijksmuseum, a grand museum holding a cadre
of art by the masters of the Renaissance, including Rembrandt, Degas and
Vermeer. Robert's favorite was Rembrandt's "The Night Watch", shown
here, larger than life...
Down the street was the Van Gogh museum. To me it was like walking
into a candy store. I've seen many original Van Goghs before, but never this
amount in one place. It was a homage to the master of color and texture, where
paint was applied like cake frosting of warm yellows, bright burnt siennas
and rich blues.
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| Sunflowers |
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| Wheat Field Under Threatening Skies |
To see the paintings I've only seen in books seemed like a
dream. I easily could have spent a week in the museum. The most memorable for me
were the Sunflowers, his self-portrait, and the highlight, Van Gogh's bedroom.
When you see the original, you finally get to see the real size and scale of a
painting. You see it by itself on a wall, beautifully lit, allowing you to
stand back and soak it in. Magical.
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