Tuesday was our last day of the trip–ending in Amsterdam. We saw a Jewish district in Amsterdam during the morning, and was able to learn more about the holocaust in a museum after. But what really stood out on the last day was the Anne Frank house.

You always hear people talking about the house, or see it in the movies, so being able to stand where Anne Frank and her family had once stood was incredible. The bottom floor was part of a museum and gift shop (unfortunately) but as you climbed through the house it remained the same as it had been (never refurnished or painted over). Even the same pictures that Anne Frank had decorated the walls with remained glued on, and her diary remained there as well. The stairs were so steep and tall that the house felt enormous and towering. It was incredible that they managed to black out all the windows and live in that space for so long.

But, what the house really stood for (for me at least) was not really Anne Frank. Yes, it was her house and her family’s house, but they were just one in a million. So many Jewish families and others were taken from their homes and were killed so unjustly and inhumanely. The house does not only represent Anne and her family but others as well during this time of cruelty. It was really an eye opening moment being able to walk around that house and feel the history of what had happened.

After the Anne Frank house we had the rest of the day free to explore Amsterdam. I only wish the trip had lasted longer!

Until next time, Amsterdam.

Today was our first full day in Amsterdam! I fell in love (not only because this is where TFIOS was filmed) because of the art and atmosphere here. We first visited the Rijk’s museum, then the Van Gogh museum, then had the rest of the day to explore. We weren’t able to take pictures inside the Van Gogh museum, but we were able to save pictures in the Rijk’s. So many pieces in the Rijk’s were incredible: the Night Watch, the Milk Maid, the Battle of Waterloo and many more… To pick a favorite piece was nearly impossible. BUT, a piece I had never seen caught my eye.

Festoon of Fruit and Flowers by Jan Davidsz de Heem. If you look at it from far away you see this beautiful arrangements of bright fruits and colors. But the closer you get you see that in fact these fruits are rotting and are being eaten by insects. This illusion was meant as a metaphor for life: we all start out as bright and healthy (fruits) but eventually we all become old and withered. I just liked the simplicity and beauty in this. The bright colors mixed with the grotesque insects make an interesting mix–it’s not just a normal still life painting.

The other works of art in the Rijk were incredible as well. Being able to see the Night Watch was another highlight. We discussed so much about it in class so being able to experience that in person and see what all the fuss was about is a once in a life time opportunity. Overall today was awesome.

Yesterday we finally had a day to just walk around the lovely city of Ghent and see whichever sites we wanted to see. But first, we got a small talk/introduction of Ghent by a local tour guide (Christine (?)). She went into details about how Belgium is, what the tax system here is like, and even which sports are most highly appreciated (it’s cycling, btw). But what really interested me the most was the government compensation. Here in Belgium if you have one child you get over a 100 euros to help pay for the care of raising your child; and the more and more children you have, the more money the government provides. I thought this was really something important and smart the government was doing here, because a lot of families in the states (especially single mothers) can have a hard time paying for child care needs. And if there’s a bad economy the parents wouldn’t have to worry as much about their child eating every day since they do have that government funds.

After the tour we split up and walked around the city. I think this was really my favorite part: I was able to talk to locals and shop owners and experience Ghent in more depth. It was so exciting to experience the city & more chocolate! There was one clothing store that stood out especially. The clothing was made out of all organic materials and the funds went directly to help people in need, and give them clothing. It was definitely something you don’t see everyday.

Today we did a tour (with Ann Marie of course) around Ghent: we were able to see the culture and learn more about the history here…and the food. Here were a few of my favorite places:

This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the day! We got a three course meal: asparagus soup, ratatouille, and fruit. The soup was my favorite by far. The cocktail wasn’t all I expected it to be, though.

By the end of the day we ended up at the Fine Arts museum of Ghent. This was one of the best museums we’ve been to so far. There were so many different sections; whether it was realism, expressionism, or surrealism. I spent at least 30 minutes in romanticism then studying some of Rodin’s which was so surreal; it was nice to finally have free time to really take a closer work at the art here.

I’m not sure who sculpted this or what it’s called but it’s soooo intricate and unique. I haven’t seen anything like this before since we arrived in Ghent. And it’s huge which is another level of impressive. The sculptures in the museum were one of the most impressive parts. Some were plaster, marble, but not much painted wood–the only painted wood sculptures I’ve seen so far was in the churches we visited yesterday. I hope to see more sculptures like this one and especially Rodin’s. He’s known for being such a talented modern sculpture so being able to see more of his pieces in real life would be incredible.

Day two:

Today we traveled to Bruges and spent the entire day there exploring the small area. Apparently, it’s only 7 miles (?) around the place and we walked at least 6.99 of those miles. We were able to see the architecture, the chocolate, the cathedrals, and of course the art.

I focused on one specific piece in the Groeninge museum: Portrait of Margareta Van Eyck by Jan van Eyck.

 

 

Jan van Eyck is a well known artist today, partially due to his use of detail and realism. What I found particularly interesting about this piece was the way that women of the 1400s dressed and portrayed themselves. Notice how Eyck painted her exactly how she would appear in real life: balding head, long sharp nose, and bundled up in clothes. Women in the 15th century actually shaved their foreheads so it would appear larger (large foreheads was a trend). Additionally it was not proper to have your hair lose, it always had to be tied back tightly or else it was considered indecent. This is a simple piece by Eyck but the detail and realism of it really stands out to me.

The day began right after we hopped off the plane in Brussels–we took barely anytime through customs before we boarded our own bus and headed off to see the sites. On the way to the Brussels Museum–where we spent the bulk of our day–we were able to see many of the different buildings throughout Brussels. The buildings ranged from Gothic, to optimistic, to Japanese structures and even to smaller 18th century apartments. The bus and walking tours were exciting and gave an overall view of Brussels. The museum, however, gave some more history.

In the museum I was given the task to find and analyze Justice of Emperor Otto III by Dirk Bouts. 

So many things are happening in this piece it was hard to tell what the whole story was. A few things I noticed was that the joker-like dressed man that beheaded a manfor Emperor Otto III is also seen setting fire to a woman in the background (which appears in both paintings, she seems to be whispering something in the piece on the left). Additionally, the backgrounds change from great castles to almost a church/cathedral image which may have something to do with the Emperor’s hierarchy. Also all the men seem to look too strangely alike; I could tell the differences between the first and second paintings of the men because of their clothes and small features.

But after staring at this piece I am left with more questions than answers: why is the emperor having this man beheaded in the first place? Who is this man? What is in the small box on the right? Why is the man who has done the beheading dressed the way he is? Who is the woman being burned at the stake? Why does a monk appear on the left but not on the right? What is the featured woman holding in her left hand? Could it be a scroll?
I hope to answer these questions and more..soon…hopefully.
The first day was a good start but I can’t wait to see what to do tomorrow.

Hi guys! I’m Natalie Richards and I plan on studying Economics (BSBA) here at ASU, then pursuing a career as either an economist or actuary. I love traveling and so far I’ve been to Canada, London and NYC a few times; so I can’t wait to see what Belgium and Netherlands are like!

In Art, Politics, and Power I researched a piece entitled Madonna of the Fish by Raphael (here). Unfortunately, this piece is housed in Spain so we won’t be able to view it on our trip. After reading and watching the Monuments Men I look forward to seeing as much artwork as possible: if people risked their lives for artwork to be secure then I definitely want to experience it. I’m also excited to see artwork that is located in Ghent–especially the Ghent Altarpiece. We spent so much time studying it in class, so being able to see the piece in real life would be so incredible. Additionally, I’m just excited to walk around everywhere and experience the different culture there (and definitely the food).

Can’t wait!