Amsterdam's first impressions

I went to see Gabriele and Nestor today. The apt in Amsterdam opportunity. Turns out she has someone to take care of the cat through the 19th in the morning, but she still needs someone for the rest of the time through the 28th. But she is still meeting another girl, so nothing is sure yet. I should know by Fri! 'Til then, all I can do is plan for some more traveling. I am thinking Belgium and London. If the apt goes through, I'll be back before then. If it doesn't, I'll take it south from there.

Well, this gave me a chance to see Amsterdam for the first time. The one city most guides dedicate themselves to, and I left it for last. Still didn't get to see much today. But I walked from the train station to her place, through a lovely residential area, of old houses over canals. I didn't realize Amsterdam is such a water place. I guess Venice must be like this. The only down point to the walk was the freezing cold. Damn was it chilly! And today was supposed to be nice... *sigh*. I had a sweater on, but I froze my ass off. Gabriele was going to give me one of her old coats 'cause she couldn't believe I was walking around with just what I had! People here are still in coats and scarves...

Anyhoo, after visiting her I took a tram to the Rijksmuseum. The most popular one in Amsterdam... and I'm sure it's lovely... if it wasn't under construction 'til 2008!! They are now reduced to 2 floors of 5 rooms each. Very poor selection. The first floor is all about the Netherlands and how cool their past is, and how they had an empire in the past. Ceramics, doll houses, silverware... The second floor has the masterpieces. Including Rembrandt's "Night Watch". It has a neat little stage, a curtain, and seats in a room all for itself.

I am starting to be quite cynical about art. How artists are exalted and specific paintings over others are popularized... it's ringing a dissonant chord within me. I'm gonna have to mull on this one.

After such a quick walk-through, I looked up for something else that would be within walking distance. The Van Gogh Museum was just across the field. Headed that way. Almost missed it. Even with my museum card I had to pay 10EUR! Again, totally worth it. They had a special exhibit that compared Rembrandt with Caravaggio. Some of the comparisons were a bit sketchy... felt pulled... but it was cool to see paintings side by side, and hear the commentaries from the included audio tour.

Then the rest of the museum was, of course, about Van Gogh. Of the 800 paintings he outputted in his short career, they have about 200. And then about half of his 1,100 drawings. And 700 of his 800 letters to his brother, which follow his thought process throughout his career.

More cynicism. I mean, if you see most of the guy's stuff, it sucks. Or, it's nothing special. It's the efforts of someone learning to do art. So why does he get to be so famous? 'Cause of how his life became public through his letters, I guess. And his contacts with other artists of his time. And how he connected it all in his head, with his writings. He has a couple of pieces that did make a difference in the art world. But you should see all the other stuff he did besides those. The stuff he's famous for seems to be just a couple of things, almost a mistake in technique, which he didn't replicate throughout his career...

What makes "good" art? Or is anything art? Is it all just about the passion? The dedication? If you declare yourself an artist, and just keep at it, no matter whether you are good or not... is that enough? If you know the critics, and get them to talk about you... is it all just about publicity? If you happen to make one revolutionary statement... does that validate your entire career?

I feel all the years I spent learning fine arts didn't really sink in. Or, rather, I learned by memory what was told to me. And promptly forgot it. But the critical analysis kinda got lost. I know I did plenty of thinking and analyzing. But I can't remember any of it now. Nor was it at a grand scale of "what *is* art?" I'm sure my teachers asked the question. Had us read articles on the subject. But I never really cared, or never really realized the impact of the question. Its implications. Its reality.

I recently finished a book, whose main character called herself an "opsimath" which means "one who begins learning late in life." I remembered my father thinking that of himself. That he matured late in life. Before his 30's it was all child's play. I am starting to think it's genetic. He was a genius. While I cannot claim such a high IQ, maybe there's still hope for me for the little things in life... :)

Ah. And the pictures. The pictures! I'm not gonna go such a big stretch again without posting. Although my hard drive is kinda running out of space... *sigh*