Today was our first day in Amsterdam we started the day with a short walking tour of the city. We got to see first hand how important bikes are to the city of Amsterdam. On our way to the Rijks museum, we saw that even with bikes, rush hour is crazy. There were scours of bikes on every corner and they sped through intersections without hesitation.

Our time at the Rijks museum consisted of both free time and and a guided tour. On the tour, we got to see a lot of very prominent historical paintings including the infamous “NightWatch”.

I soent most of my free time on the thrid floor with the modern art. This is where I found my favorite work. My favorite work was simply, ” Psychadelic Drawing” by Franz Deckwitz.

It depicts two hands reaching for one another along with some blurred lines and a lot of blended bright colors. I really liked the color combinations and the imperfection in the edges of the hands. It was done in crayon in 1966.

My favorite museum we have visited this far is the Van Gogh museum. I love the way he uses color and combines a multitude of different colors together to create a beautiful rendering of life.

Although I really enjoyed the colors of his more popular paintings, my favorite painting was the “Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette.” I really loved he shadows on the bones which made the Skelton appear very realistic. I think I liked this painting the most because while I enjoy the joyful colors of his other works, I find that I am usually more drawn to darker more unusual things.

(Picture to be posted later)