Van Gogh, Vermeer, Rembrandt... visiting Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

I had a day off in Amsterdam today. As I was told, you shouldn't have lived without having seen "The Night Watch" at least once. So, combined with my will to widen my perspective on creativity, that's what I did...

First to say: Visit this place to see with your own eyes. The pics made with my smartphone cam can't even get close to the impressions you get when you are standing in front of those masterworks...

The threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn, 1650

This was not the first painting I saw, but the first one that fascinated me that I hadn't known before. That swan looked so realistic - wow. You can sense it's aggression. And the size of the painting made it even more impressive.

Just a detail of another painting of that period. Unfortunately I did not make notes of the names.

A rather small painting. the light and the void are fascinating here...

The Milkmaid, Johannes Vermeer, 1660

This one leaves you speechless. Unbelievable light/shadow effects. Amazing colors...

The Syndics of the Drapers' Guild, Rembrandt, 1662

The facial expressions appear so lively ...

Just amazing faces and expressions.

The Night Watch, Rembrandt, 1642

This is breathtaking. The photo can't get near ... The colors and light are just amazing. And it is huge. I was surprised to hear that this painting has been cropped to fit in a building in the 1700s. Imagine to crop one of the most precious paintings of all time! They have an early copy of it that shows what has been cropped... There also have been attacks with acid and knives in the last 30 years or so... Always very crowded in front of it... Go and see it.

The Meagre Company 1633–37 by Frans Hals and Pieter Codde

Another jewel I didn't know before. It has fantastic characters.

The shoes somehow fascinated me...

And the fabrics were so realistic...

I liked that crowded place with so many redundant heads in there... sorry, don't remember the artists name...

Another highlight was this scene in the moonlight. I loved the light in here, and that dog barking at the carriage.

Some people say the crypto hype is like the tulips bubble in ancient Netherlands. I of course disagree, but these tulips the dutch liked a lot... And this painting makes them really come alive. It is told that these on the painting were very precious ones.

Great characters in that monument....

Look at the shadow under that bridge! Wow...

The geometry and lights in this painting is fantastic...

This one has such a great color composition ....

Girl in a White Kimono, George Hendrik Breitner, 1894

This is also a rather popular one.

The Singel Bridge at the Palace in Amsterdam1896 George Hendrik Breitner 1857-1923

This was one of the first paintings to ever be made with a photography as template.

Van Gogh selfportrait

just impressive...

Don't miss this when you're in Amsterdam... I know there are many other interesting things to do but this is is the one you definitely WILL be able to remember ;) ...

Thanks for watching!