A Local Landmark-The Magere(Skinny) Bridge and other Amsterdam, Netherlands Things to Do Tips

The tram ride from our hotel to the Rijksmuseum took us over the Amstel River on the Sarphatistraat bridge. We looked North past the locks and saw the bridge. It has a wild history. It was built in 1671 , the architect's name-Magere (like mager- "skinny" in Dutch), which became true. So it was rebuilt in the 19C (wider). In 1929 it was replaced by a metal electrified bridge. There was an outcry about destroying a landmark and this was replaced by a wider wooden replica of the original (still electrified) using the original plans. The form of the bridge is pleasing (like the covered bridges in the U.S.), van Gogh painted one in the outskirts of Arles and it is now a protected monument. It is said to be one of the most photographed sites in Amsterdam. (I counted at least 17 pictures at this Tip on VT ranging froma beautiful night shot to inviblr or misidentified ones.) It is reproduced in model at Madurodam (see my Tip there).

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Directions: Amstel River at Kerkstraat

The museum is open in an abridged version in the Philips Wing ( remodeling will continue into 2009). I have a 30-year old Mondadori "popular" Art Picture book on the museum which contains almost all the paintings that we viewed (the brochure states there are 400 items on view). My baby-sitters were museumed out when we arrived and even they could accept some of it. It shows ONLY the 17C ( even more limited than the Mauritshuis in den Haag). None of the early Flemish, no doll houses, some Delft pieces, a 17C cannon, a warship model, some silver plates and a statue of a Satyr by de Vries (a pupil of Giambologna, who himself was from Flanders). Even though several Rembrandts were in the Blockbuster (see Tip under Dangers) up the street at the van Gogh, there were more than enough Rembrandts on vitw to satisfy. Of course the Night Watch is there. This is a conscience-free way to do the entire Rijksmuseum (for a non-artlover).

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Phone: +31-20-6747047
Address: Stadhouderskade 42
Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl

For some reason (haste and fatigue of others) we did not see pictures by Jan Steen and Vermeer, but there must have been a few of each! Here are some of the othertop names of the 17C. Avercamp and Saenredam use singular subjects and have unique styles.Ter Borch is very competent. And then there are Hals and Rembrandt.

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Phone: +31-20-6747047
Address: Stadhouderskade 42
Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl

Although not as famous these paiters are the equal of most others. One of them, Judith Leyster shares he time frame of being the first successful female painter. De Hooch is a lesser Vermeer; deNeer exploited moonlight in his landscapes. Flinck was a pupil of Rembrandt, many of whose paintings were attributed to his teacher. Honthorst was very competent as you can easily see.

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Phone: +31-20-6747047
Address: Stadhouderskade 42
Website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl

The museum does not show their entire holdings at one time (over 200 paintings) In addition some are off to exhibits elsewhere. Besides van Gogh there are acquired works of contemporaries, immediately before him and after located on the 3rd floor. These reflect influences upon him (before and contemporary) or taken from him (after). But he was unique in style and approach and although he affected 20C art there can be no followers. The museum follows his development starting on the ground floor and going up to the end: from naive talented and original beginner to tragic master. There are also prints, etchings, sketches and writings. He used color imaginatively to express active emotion applied to real forms and this approach is not easy to understand for the beginning viewer but you should spend 2 hours here. It is an unrivaled art-viewing experience. We visit the museum whenever we are in Amsterdam. No photography is allowed of the collection, so that is why there are no real VT pictures. There was a Blockbuster Show (Rembrandt & Caravaggio) going on in the special exhibition area of the museum when we were there. (This will be described in a Tip under General).

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Phone: +31-20-5705252
Address: Paulus Potterstraat 7
Website: http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl

The Jodenbreestraat runs SE from the South Church to and over a low bridge at the end of the Oude Schanz. On the right after this is the second house (#4-6) is the Rembrandt House Museum. Rembrandt bought this house in 1639 as he became affluent and relinquished it during his bankruptcy in 1660. Next year it will celebrate its 100th anniversary as a museum. It is 3 stories high and contains about 250 etchings of his as well as drawings by him and his masters and many students, and some of their paintings. A few of his greatest etchings are on the lower entrance floor where there is also an exposition of how an etching is created. Most of the holdings are upstairs. He lived on the second floor and more etchings are here. One does not get to see many of his etchings in one place except in Art books but this Museum is a banquet of this medium. Unfortunately it is hard to exhibit etchings. They are often small and shown behind glass and the lighting causes a myriad of reflections that test the eye (and the tourist's camera). Nevertheless you cannot really appreciate Rembrandt unless you savor his etchings and you cannot find the equal of this exhibit anywhere else. In subsequent Tips we will (as best we can) try to illustrate some of what we enjoyed. (As of this writing we can find only one picture of an etching under Rembrandthuis in VT).

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Phone: +31-205200400
Address: Jodenbreestraat 4
Website: http://www.rembrandthuis.nl

Rembrandt was obsessed with illustrating emotion. He did more self-portraits than any other great artist in all sorts of media. He used a great variety of facial expressions, attitudes and garments, especially hats. No other artist has left a life time visual history of himself. His etchings were a prominent part of this catalog. Of course this proficiency, present from the beginning of his career, led to many portrait etching commissions from patrons who were writers or to whom books were dedicated. Later his religious etchings developed some demand.. Everything was grist for his etching mill. In the begiinning he sketched his family; in Amsterdam he lived next to the Jewish community and they provided numerous and varied models.

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Phone: +31-205200400
Address: Jodenbreestraat 4
Website: http://www.rembrandthuis.nl

Rembrandt is the first Protestant artist to illustrate from the Bible. Catholic artists created what had been dictated to them by patrons (clergy) and may never have read a bible themselves. Rembrandt, however, read his own bible and made his own interpretations (often consulting others, including Jews; incidentally his interpretations are never challenged). Only some subjects attracted him, especially the “interface of the human with the divine” (K. Clark), and deeds of forgiveness. Experience him in depth at the Museum.

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Phone: +31-205200400
Address: Jodenbreestraat 4
Website: http://www.rembrandthuis.nl

Probably the smallest number of Remembrandt’s works were “from nature”, that is, still-lifes, landscapes and townscapes. When he did them, they were often atypical. His depictions of the human body were often unlike any treatments that had been seen before. We have also assembled what other attempts we have made with the etchings we photographed as a Travelog.

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Phone: +31-205200400
Address: Jodenbreestraat 4
Website: http://www.rembrandthuis.nl