I’ve been bouncing a concept around in my head to actually put this blog to proper use. I love visiting museums, and to get more out of it I want to document what I see here. It encourages me to put my thoughts into words, improving both my skills in observing and writing, and linking the two together.
As I like items in neat series, I want to put these blogs in a very fixed format. Each entry should have four works, each with the core information, a square picture of the work, and my experience in concise written form.
Today feels like the start of a project, with the scope being unsure. Maybe this will end up with a single post, but I do hope I can continue with this for a long time.
I should also emphasise that I will be doing this primarily for my own enjoyment, but of course if this ends up bring joy to other people as well, that would be fantastic. If you are someone that joins me on this journey, please feel welcomed.
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As much as I like consistency with these posts, this day’s visit really revolved around my interaction with one single artwork and I want to reflect that focus here. First to set the stage: The first exhibition I visited was about the concept of stillness but seemed to heavily rely on explanations given by the booklet given at the entrance. Some texts went as far as spelling out the exact emotion the visitor was expected to feel. When I saw one painting’s text stating it was based on Van Gogh but was “better” I started to feel frustrated (I’m not a Van Gogh stan, I just think treating it like a competition like that is bad form).
The second exhibition was about the artist and choreographer William Forsythe and managed to already lift my spirits at the gate. All of Forsythe’s works are about movements and contortions, either shown in video or performed by the visitor. While some rooms were stronger than others, most managed to show a novel concept and were genuinely fun to interact with.
Which brings me to his installation in the eighth room of the exhibition.
Additive Inverse
William Forsythe
2007
The installation consists of a dark room with a large wooden open-topped box in the centre. Mist is slowly sprayed inside the box with a ringlight illuminating it from above. The ringlight forms a conelike shape inside the mist, but here’s the catch; as is described in the booklet people need to enter the room slowly. Any agitation will disperse the mist and it will take minutes to reform.
When I entered the room and was getting my bearings in the dark I must have awkwardly held the booklet and nearly dropped it, making a jolting movement to catch it. I felt guilty for disturbing the mist which of course was a comical thing to worry about in retrospect. I resolved to sitting close to the box, keeping in mind that my outline was visible for new people entering the room so they won’t bump into me.
Formally the installation is already intriguing to experience. Sitting in a dark room while listening to some ambient music (which I learned later was a part of the ninth room but did fit here as well), and watching whorls of mist was relaxing and mesmerising, bringing me in the mindspace to think about the installation’s real strength. As I calmed further down I started to notice how people entered the room in different ways. Some Chinese people followed my example and whispered to each other as they sat down for a while (it’s interesting that whispering felt appropriate for almost all visitors). Children flailing about dispersing the mist felt like an expected result. The bored middle-aged men poorly hiding that they were waving their booklets at the mist felt more immature.
I realised this was making me feel angry, though this felt like an undeserved reaction just as fast. It is an intrinsic part of living on planet Earth with a population exceeding “1” that you get mildly annoyed by someone else at times; especially when that annoyance is something as benign as them moving some mist about. I felt sadness taking its place, realising that I can’t see the full artwork as there will always be more people coming in the room throughout the day and that that cone will elude me, no matter how long I wait.
In turn, this made me think about what I exactly meant with “the full artwork”. I figured that perhaps the artwork is not the cone, and neither is it the whorls. At least that is not all of it. I felt that the artwork in part is the interaction with the other people in that room, with the installation as the catalyst. And I think the lack of a description spelling it out is an important part of that, as it allows each visitor to come to their own conclusions, probably for each taking just a different shape than mine. My memory of how I interacted with the installation ended up being really strong and became an integral part of the artwork, and I think because of that this artwork will stay with me for many years to come.
good art is when something looks like real life, the more real it looks the more better the art. abstracted figures give my trad children nightmares, one time they were exposed to cubism and couldn't go outside for a week
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Hidden around a corner stood this figure, solid yet ethereal. I was immediately drawn to it.
It's interesting how it uses a visual language that fits mostly in 2D art, here translated to the 3D world. What I also like is the title, the diminutive form giving it something soft and endearing. I really love it.
Who says I'm not under the protection of God
Paul Beumer
2009
At first this work looked like a Pollockesque storm of paint. Approaching it I found it to be a mixed media piece, with cutout pictures and deliberate spools of paint mimicking the images underneath. I found it oddly interesting.
With its size it offers a lot of layers to explore, though its meaning eludes me.
Schrijnende danseres met tamboerijn
Fioen Blaisse
1979
I like the very organic and dynamic feel of this statue. It's also interesting how the colours are made, as the stone is black when polished smooth while approaching white when roughly engraved, an effect that is very deliberately used.
The shape looks human, though it's ultimately a bit ambiguous.
Parlement
Daniël Verkerk
1994
I always find it fascinating how much one can leave out and still create a figurative piece.
This work just has thick patches of black and white paint, with no colour or details visible. Yet when I look at it, a busy room full of people shines through, picking up volume the more I look at it.
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Whenever you are afraid of the challenge of developing a skill or getting into a hobby, just remember Modryn Oreyn, a lifelong warrior who became the second-in-command of the Fighters Guild, was sincerely proud of how far along his painting skills were coming when he produced this. If he can be proud of this milestone of his, you can be proud of your own.
walking into a museum and the little info cards by each artwork just says "credit to the artist!" "lmk if ur the artist and want me to tag u" "found this on pinterest :)"
Even without the title, this work manages to evoke an image of someone waiting at a station, which is fascinating considering how much is left open. There are catenary lines and a rail signal, but the rest of the scene is ambiguous. A large part of the work is covered by a yellow zone, while there are no rails, no platforms, or any other pieces that create a recognisable space.
This does seem to be exactly Ballan's point. Much of his work is about anonymous persons, not representing someone in particular but just a type of interaction. This scene also manages to tap into a common memory by how nondescript it is.
Next to this, I think the colour use is gorgeous. The greys and reds play wonderfully together, while the black ground layer has very unifying effect.
Nautilus cup
1621
Cornelis Jansz. van Weerdenborch
This is a wonderful example from the 17th century where an already valuable object (the exotic shell) is "upgraded" with metalwork. The chosen ornamentations are delightfully weird.
At the top stands a rather sassy Poseidon. He stands on some kind of seamonster. The shell is carried by a mermaid, but instead of one firm tail (as in modern depictions), she has two floppy looking ones extending from her thighs. At the bottom is a shell with a grotesque head sticking out of it, and it also has four legs like some sort of crustacean.
Poseidon's realm truly is a marvelous place.
St Anthony's Chapel in St John's Church
1645
Pieter Saenredam
Paintings of interiors are always a favourite of mine, as they represent a painting the best as a portal into a different space and time. Even so, this one managed to draw me in particularly well.
One part is due how it was presented, as it has a solid black frame, hanging from a black wall. The image is left to glow in isolation, amplifying the sucking effect of the dramatic perspective.
The scene itself is rather simple. Three people are kneeling in prayer, while in the right corner someone is just leaving. But with this simplicity it's possible to grasp the full image.
Damesportret
c. 1900-1910
Isaac Israëls
As I'm crossing off items on my list of local museums that I haven't seen yet, it seems that every art museum in the Netherlands has a work of Israëls. That isn't a complaint, with each work I encounter I'm appreciating his style more.
Israëls has a gift to paint with extremely coarse brushstrokes where each do a lot of work in the painting. The lady's face for example isn't finely rendered at all, yet each stroke is in the right place, and she glows with character. Her clothing is even more coarse with parts of the ground layer showing through, yet the illusion of the image holds beautifully.
Above all, I always feel like Israëls makes it look like his work was easy to make, but in fact it displays a stunning display of skill and vision.
The Baroque is generally an area I focus less on, but when I first saw work of Maes it felt special. His works often have particularly rich shades of red, and have a very soft quality to it.
This work is a joy to unpack. In the centre, a maid invites us to watch the other maid standing in the hallway. As she is occupied by a suitor, the cat at the right has free rein to steal food, while the company at the top left is wondering when their refills are arriving. Together with the beautiful rendering of the spaces in the house, it is a captivating scene.
Stilleven met eieren
1935
Dick Ket
This work displays beautifully why the still live is the precursor to abstract art. Judging the work just by the objects it represents literal trash. Yet, the shapes, colours, and textures together make a beautiful composition.
Especially the rendering of the paper is wonderfully done. The text is devoid of meaning as it transforms into just another interesting shape. The smooth eggshells offer variety in the sea of sharp angles.
Trostomaten
2005
Ina van Zyl
While the subject of this work may be mundane, it is drawn into the unfamiliar by its size and odd cropping.
The plastic is rendered in a naturalistic manner. It’s easy to envision the material; the rustling sound, the smooth surface. It’s very different from the actual painting that is rather coarse, almost flaky. It has an uncanny quality to it.
Waterval in Noorwegen
1871
Alexander Wüst
Contained on a small canvas is the power of nature. A waterfall rushes on, surrounded by a desolate landscape with a dead tree. Two birds flying by are the only signs of life, following the roiling stream out of the frame.
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There is intrinsically something peculiar about an artwork depicting another artwork. It could either try to document it as accurately as possible, or transform it. I’m not sure what approach Toorop has taken with this work; I think it could be both.
It’s not just the subject that drew me to this piece. I really appreciated the limited palette, with similar colours reappearing throughout the work, like the reds, yellows, and greys. The snowy scene feels tranquil, while the turned away statue adds some tension as it makes you want to look at it from a different location, either facing it or seeing through its eyes.
Oannès
c. 1900 – 1910
Odilon Redon
Redon is one of my favourite painters. His fantastical subjects perfectly match the dreamlike quality of his painting style.
The suspended head represents a sea god. On the bottom, odd creatures go about their day. The whole scene offers no clear sense of space or scale, existing in its own dreamlike reality where it is easy to get lost in. No other artist can evoke such an impression of witnessing magic for me.
Vissersvrouw
1883
Vincent van Gogh
This early work of van Gogh was mainly meant as a study for painting figures. The head was not important for this purpose and has remained a disc in a single colour.
It’s interesting how much such a thing can alter the look. Because of the “face”, the static pose, and the bright red cape it made me think about Malevich’s figures.
I also like how with simple means a foreboding sea is represented. Together with the figure the scene made me very curious.
Green Room / Vault
2016
Marien Schouten
Walking through the park surrounding the museum, this work hidden in the forest pulled me in immediately. The frame is huge and imposing, the plastic sheet housed within is slightly opaque with a very unnatural colour. Standing before it, it feels like an unworldly portal, a vague vision of a different reality shimmering through.
The accompanying piece is odd in a very different way. The organically shaped earthenware sculpture is mostly symmetrical, like some kind of creature. The rain earlier that day had filled the dimples on the top with water, with conifer leaves drifting on the surface. It felt strange yet grounded.
Both objects seem to have the colour green in common, but their methods couldn’t be further apart.
