Art, Politics & Power 2017 Study Travel to Belgium & The Netherlands

Since my roommate Julie and I stayed up a little late we both had a rushed morning getting ready for the day. Once we had breakfast and chased after the group we got to see a cool basement, that the hotel converted into a line. Lillian’s friend Christine shared and went over her beautiful country Belgium. While I learned a lot one of my favorite things she said was that just about 10 years ago Halloween started here. That is such an insane thought to be because Halloween has always been apart of our culture for as long as I can think back to so it’s funny it just got to Belgium.

After that Julie and I waited for lunch. Today we were going to a famous Waffle place called Max. I got to taste very interesting fruit and one made my tongue go numb. After a lovely lunch Julian wanted to go shopping. Unfortunately it was a cold and rainy day and a lot of people were out shopping so it wasn’t very enjoyable. We did get to see a lot of European shops which was cold. We then walked back to the hotel and Julian, Julia and I went passed out for three hours on one hotel bed.

Once we all woke up we got ready for a night out on the town. We all got dressed up and went to the Christmas festival going on right outside our hotel. We hit up the food stands and I got a cheese burger and a waffle. The food at the those stands were the best food I have had on the trip. We were thirsty so everyone went to Starbucks to warm up and then head to the Ferris Wheel. We were the only one on the whole wheel and they let us ride around about four times. I had a blast even though Julian, Stella and Julie tried to rock the cart and give me a heart attack. That night was one of my favorite nights in Gent.

Hi fellow bloggers and friends! This morning we sat down in the basement bar of the hotel and met with a native woman from Gent and asked her multiple questions about Gent’s culture. Questions like, whats sports were popular, the divorce rate and teen pregnency, the Ghent Alterpiece, biblical stmbols in art, popular music, and of course the best local places to get chocolate and waffels. I think she was very helpful that we had a secuded place to just sit down and talk rather than trying to ask questions and see the city at the same time. Also, I think she was very patient and knowlegeable about Gent and the surrounding cities. One of the most interesting things that Christine explained to us was how even though the country of Belgium is so tiny compared to the USA even if youre from the different city really close by the dilects are very different and the people view you different. Distance to them is not the same as distance for us. Overall, I really liked her and the information she shared us.

Fir the rest of the day we had a free day. Most of the people in our group went shopping or cite seeing but me and my roommate took a nap. We were really tired and we wanted to go out later that night so we thought sleep would be a good idea. We went back to our room and watched some tv. We watched skiing, a couple of game shows, and a really weird kid show about a clown. Most of the channels were in Dutch or Flemmish, but one of two channels were in English which was suprising to me. We woke up to go get some really good Belgium waffels but then we went back to the hotel for a while again.

 

Later that night my roommate, a couple of friends, and I went out to have dinner and ride the huge ferris wheel down the street from our hotel. We got food from a really good sandwitch hut. I had a salami and melted cheese sandwitch. It was really yummy. Then after getting some hot chocolate and coffee we went to ride the ferric wheel. I’ve never been on the ferris wheel before so I was really excited! There was no line to wait so we got our tickets right away and went to the front. After getting on we stopped halfway and went up and around about three or four times. I was never one to be afraid if heights but my roomate was pretty scared. It was funny, we had a good time. The view from the top was amazing, words cannot even describe seeing Gent from above.

This is our last day in Gent and tomorrrow we go to Amsterdam tomorrow and I’m super excited to see yet another beautiful old european city!

Until tomorrow!
Juliana Eike

Today was our first big day in Amsterdam. We first went to the Rijksmuseum, one of the largest museums in the world. We went inside, and there were hundreds of amazing paintings from several Dutch painters, the most notable was Rembrandt. At the museum, we saw one of the paintings that I really like, called “Still Life with a Silver Jug and Porcelain Bowl,” by Willem Kalf.
What makes this painting interesting is the detail put into the lemon (Citroen in Dutch.) One of the big tests for art students at the time was seeing if they could accurately paint a lemon, because they are the hardest fruit to paint. Willem Kalf shows incredible skill by not only showing a lemon skin, but the inside of the fruit as well, which was even harder to paint. 
After we went to the museums today, we got to find our way back to our hotel, around 2 miles outside of the city. We first went on the team inside the city, which was really fun, and then went on the metro, which was my first time doing so. 

Vermeer is one of the best known painters of his time, and for a good reason. Our class had the honor to visit the Rijksmuseum to see the home of the most beautiful masterpieces to ever be made on this earth! While we made our way to The MilkMaid, I spotted this painting right beside it. Woman Reading a Letter by Johannes Vermeer is a painting of a woman enjoying a quiet moment while reading a letter. It is said that her blue night jacket is still being worn as the sun is seemingly rising. The details used in this painting really draws you in. I find it interesting, as my new friend Mattie pointed out, that Vermeer was one of the first painters to use windows as a main light source . The use of natural light in this painting is so compelling t0o me and creative. I thoroughly enjoyed this painting, along with the rest of the museum.

All-in-all, today’s visits were great and I can’t wait for tomorrow!

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.

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.

 

Today was our first official day in one of the two capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. Our daily “adventures” only have us at a half day. HALLELUJAH! 🙏🏽We had a new tour guide today who took us to the Rijk Museum which hold Amsterdams most prize possession The Night Watch. But let me tell you, this museum was HUGE, and huge is an understatement. It’s easily comparable to the Smithsonian. 🙀

At this museum, we where told to choose one painting and to discuss it on the blog. You know, the usual. The painting I chose was Festoon of Fruits 🍑and Flowers 🌸by Jon Davidsz de Heem. It this painting you see very intricately painted fruits and flowers, but only from afar. Up close you see the fruit and flowers opened and exposed. They have been nipped and nibbled at bugs and flys exposing the inner colors and flesh like wounds. This painting was composed in or around 1683 by a sumptuous and Flemish still-life painter. You can see that all kinds of 🐜 (insect) life forms populate the festoon of both fruits and 🌺 (flowers).

Today we are in Amsterdam ❤❤ I am so excited because obviously the movie “The Fault in Our Stars” was filmed here and also it is the home of great shopping….at least so I’ve heard. This city is absolutely gorgeous minus the weather but today we traveled to the Rijk Museum which is home to many famous artworks including, “The Night Hawk” and my favorite “The Milkmaid”. I first heard of the painting from Vickey, the sweetest chaperone ever. The way she spoke of the piece I could already tell I was gonna love it the way she did. When I first saw the piece I was honestly amazed. The detail and brush strokes out into the painting was just superb. I looked over and saw Vickey staring at the piece too and she started to cry. Seeing someone come to tears because of a piece of art really made me look at the rest of the artwork in a different light. For this reason, the Milkmaid is one of my favorite pieces I have had the chance to observe so far.