Sadly, yesterday was our last day in Amsterdam but we definitely made the most of the time we had. We started yesterday morning with a walking tour accompanied by our fantastic guide, Pim. Our tour was of The Jewish Quarter, where the Jewish community resided before World War Two. We saw many interesting spots and learned some new information about the part of the city. Though my favorite part of the walking tour was the Portuguese Synagogue which was built in the 17th century. We were able to get an audio tour and venture around the grounds of the synagogue. As I am not Jewish it was very interesting to learn about such an important part of Amsterdam’s culture and past. We went from there to the Jewish Historical Museum right across the street and learned even more about jewish culture and life in The Netherlands.

Next in our day we took a boat tour of some of the beautiful canals in the city. This was a good way for us to relax and still get a great tour of Amsterdam. After the canal cruise we visited the Anne Frank House and it was one of my favorite stops of the whole trip. I have read her diary and it was incredible and very powerful to stand in the rooms that she and her family hid in during the war. There were even photos and height marks left on the wall from their time in hiding. After the house, Cassidy and I made sure to find the bench used in the movie The Fault In Our Stars and had a mini photoshoot. We really enjoyed exploring the city on our own and enjoyed a last dinner at a very good restaurant in the city. I can’t believe this trip has come to an end and I already want to go back!

Today we had the privilege of visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and see some of the amazing masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and many others. The piece I chose to write about was The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer. For my documentary film I chose to do The Astronomer which is also by Vermeer. Once I started researching him I found so many things that fascinated me about his life and his many great works. For example, he only painted about 34 paintings in his life time so the paintings that we see in museums are so rare and special.

To witness The Milkmaid in person was very special and pictures do not do it justice. From a distance it catches your eye with its light and bright yellow color. Vermeer is known for his domestic scenes and how he makes the still figures seem alive. This painting portrays a milkmaid pouring a pitcher of milk bathed in light from the window she is standing in front of. The way Vermeer portrays this ordinary scene is what makes this work so extraordinary. I sat and studied this painting for a good while and still couldn’t take in the beauty that is this this Vermeer masterpiece.

 

Yesterday was our free day to venture around the city of Ghent. We started the day as a group and met with Lillian’s friend, Christine, who lives in Ghent. She gave us some insight on some questions we had regarding some of the culture and everyday life in Belgium. My favorite part of meeting with Christine was when she took us around the city and showed us some of the local spots that she enjoyed which we didn’t get to see on our other tour of Ghent. She showed us her favorite chocolate stores and good places to shop. After, we went to the oldest waffle shop in Belgium and enjoyed some amazing Belgian waffles and hot coffee.

After lunch, a few friends and I went to some chocolate shops and local places to shop for souvenirs and then eventually found our way back to the hotel where we got some much needed rest. Last night, nine of us went to dinner at a nice restaurant and enjoyed some good food and drinks to celebrate our last night in Belgium. Today we are on our way to Antwerp where we will take a tour of the city before we head to Amsterdam tonight!

 

Today was another fantastic day in the beautiful city of Ghent! I am writing about the amazing Fine Arts Museum here in Ghent. Earlier in the day we got to visit the gothic St. Bavo’s Cathedral where the Ghent Altarpiece is held. The Ghent Altarpiece or The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb was painted by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck in the 15th century and holds much symbolism and importance in many cultures. We talked in depth about this work because it was stolen by the Nazis during World War Two and recovered by The Monuments Men following the war. We had the privilege of seeing this piece up close in the cathedral. However, some of the panels are being restored in the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent where we went later that day. First in the museum we saw the panels that are being restored. To see these incredible pieces of art was incredible and surreal.

After we saw the panels we had free time to roam around the museum. My favorite part was the naturalism and impressionism room. The moment I walked in I was captured by all the bright colors and expressive brush strokes. I was especially drawn to the painting called The Gardener by Jenny Montigny (pictured below). Though this was my favorite room in the museum, all of the works I saw were incredible. We had some fun posing like some of the paintings and sculptures as well (also pictured below). Tomorrow is our free day in Ghent and I can’t wait to explore more of this awesome city!

 

Today at the Groeninge Museum I was assigned to write about the painting St. Lucas drawing the Madonna. It was painted by Rogier Van der Weyden around the year 1435.  I really enjoyed this painting because how much symbolism was represented in the details. St. Lucas is the man who is drawing and he is the patron of the artists. You can tell he is St. Lucas because of the book (he was one of the gospel writers) and the bull in the background beside him. The madonna is pictured without a halo or glowing presence and breastfeeding the Christ child. This is very rare and her portrayal in this painting is very special because it is so normal and nonchalant. She is also viewed from St. Lucas’ perspective at a profile view which is also very rare. Also, the subjects are in the foreground of the picture with a garden out the window followed by the landscape which is very characteristic of primitive Flemish art because they did not yet have much of a grasp on perspective. I very much enjoyed the pieces of art in this Museum  because many of the scenes depicted in the paintings were scenes that we saw in the city of Brugge.

I was assigned the painting Hélène Fourment by Peter Paul Rubens. It is a simple portrait of a woman wearing very elaborate clothes and jewelry. If you just glance at this painting it looks very ordinary but as I stood and stared at the work it is actually extraordinary. The complexity that is shown in the color and detail is incredible. Her clothes and jewelry reflect that she must of been of high standards. I enjoyed this painting very much and the artist (Peter Paul Rubens) is one of my favorite that I’ve seen so far.

 

Hi! My name is Mattie Hough and I am planning on studying Exercise Science at ASU. After college, I plan on attending graduate school to become a Physician’s Assistant. I have only been out of the country one time on a family trip to Mexico. I can’t wait to visit Belgium and the Netherlands because I love to experience other cultures. Also, it will be very cool to see some of the places and pieces of art that we studied in class!

In this class, I researched The Astronomer by Johannes Vermeer (see my documentary here). Vermeer was a Dutch artist and I can’t wait to see some of his rare paintings in real life! I think the artwork that I am most looking forward to seeing is The Ghent Altarpiece in St. Bavo’s Cathedral. I loved studying this piece and was so interested in it’s history and meaning. I can’t wait to embark on this awesome adventure!