la bella vita

Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam.

The BvB was an exceptional museum, both for its curatorship and collection. So often I find misbalance in a display due to how it is presented, but in this case it was wonderful.

Of course, there was a large selection of works by Dutch artists, and a fair representation of the ‘Golden Age’ of Dutch painting. This did not come too much at the expense of other artists from the period though, much to my relief. Prominently displayed was Bosch, Brughels the elder (I had been waiting to see the Tower of Babel for some time, and it didn’t disappoint), Van Dyck, Rembrandt. Others I enjoyed included Anoniem and Titian.

There was also an lovely progressiveness to the exhibits, but not to the extent of wrongly presuming the development of art was a linear process. In fact, it was prominently displayed why the works of the museum’s collection were presented as they were, identifying challenges and opportunities in the curatorship, which greatly interested me.

In particular, I also enjoyed the Impressionist and post-Impressionist galleries. They included lovely works by Courot, Monet, Cezanne, Pissarro, Sisley, Gauguin, Goya, Picasso, Degas, and Kandinsky. I even managed to enjoy the Surrealist Man Ray and Dali.

All in all, a most wonderful museum, which I would highly recommend!

The ‘Swan’ Bridge over the Nieuwe Maas, Rotterdam

Harbour in Rotterdam

Peace and seclusion in Rotterdam

Next to the NAI, Amsterdam

Zomer Carnaval, Rotterdam

This poor little kid obviously got a touch tired!

Sylvette - Pablo Picasso

Just a Picasso casually on the street. As you do.

Zomer Carnaval in Rotterdam

Our first day in Rotterdam happened to coincide with the Carnaval, a huge celebration of diversity, music, food, and culture in the city. We spent the day eating, drinking, and taking part in the festivities, before watching a concert as the sun went down.

‘Wall Relief No. 1’ - Henry Moore

Rotterdam is literally full of art! The city’s architecture is art in itself, and there are so many sculptures of happily stumble upon. Yesterday, I came across sculptures by Laurent, Rodin, Picasso, and this masterpiece by Moore.

Looking forward to getting to the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum to see Brughel and Titian later!

Public art in Rotterdam.

Arrived into Rotterdam yesterday evening, and what a contrast the city makes to the prettiness of Amsterdam or the quintessentially Dutch countryside. It feels wrong mentioning them alongside each other, as if Rotterdam may be judged negatively by comparison, whereas it should be considered in a completely different sphere altogether.

Many parts of the city were heavily bombed and razed in WWII, and as such, its design and architecture is modern, and designed as an embrace of that same modernity. Part of this contributes to the alienation one can feel here, especially to a decidedly post-postmodernist visitor.

Yet patches of beauty emerge, as if organic in their creation from the empty and stark spaces, like this large scale mural on the wall of what I believe is a college. In the foreground, partially obscured is a multicoloured sculpture, but neither of which are what I found most striking. In the seemingly long and unkempt grass around the sculpture, little flowers of red, blue, orange, yellow, and pink are in bloom, as if to reflect the colours of the sculpture. Something beautiful emerging out of the seemingly uncared for. Perhaps a metaphor for Rotterdam herself? Look past her first appearance and see what you may find.