Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

On December 18, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Netherlands3 Comments

Although we only had a couple of days in Amsterdam, one of the places that we wanted to visit was the Rijksmuseum. It is the Dutch National Museum and is dedicated to the arts and history of the Netherlands. It is also the largest art museum in the country and it displays more than 8,000 pieces. The building itself is actually quite beautiful and first opened its doors in 1885.

There were a couple of things that we found quite interesting and made visiting this museum a little different than most other museums that we have visited. First was that there is a working library within the museum where people can read some of the literature that they have collected. Obviously, it isn’t a lending library and we aren’t sure what credentials are required to get access to the library, but it was interesting to see. The other thing was that they have an active display of art restoration in progress. Like everything else in life, art restoration has become extremely high-tech.

Of all of the artwork in the museum, The Night Watch by Rembrandt is probably the most famous. There are other famous Rembrandt paintings there as well, but this painting is definitely given a place of honor. We didn’t spend as much time in the museum as we would have hoped to, but we really enjoyed everything that we saw. The Rijksmuseum is definitely worth visiting if you have the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam.

Art and Inspiration

On December 11, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado11 Comments

One of the things that we always enjoy when walking the 16th Street Mall in Denver, Colorado, is watching people play the fancifully decorated pianos on the street. This certainly isn’t isolated to Denver, but providing access to musical instruments in a public setting provides an opportunity for impromptu gatherings of people enjoying themselves. As soon as someone stops and starts to play, usually better than one might expect, people start to gather, perhaps someone starts to sing, and the next thing you know you are enjoying a show. We often see homeless people playing the pianos, which is not only a reminder of their humanity, but is likely a brief opportunity for them to escape from their plight. In this time in the world when music classes are being eliminated from schools, seeing how music can connect people of all ethnicities should serve as an example to be replicated not eradicated. Have you seen anything similar in the cities that you’ve visited? If so, we would love to hear about them and how they are received in those places.

Halls of History

On August 2, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge5 Comments

When visiting the palaces, museums, and castles around the world, it is amazing to see the volume of art that exists in these amazing places. In many cases, there is so much artwork that they literally line the hallways with the art that they have collected. Halls are not just a way to traverse from one room to another room, but is a destination in and of itself. Whether lined with paintings, sculptures, tapestries, books, or rare artifacts, the amount of art can become overwhelming. It is hard to imagine the wealth of some of the kings and queens that collected such vast amounts of historic pieces and horded them for their own benefit. Fortunately, over time, these pieces of history have been returned to the public in the form of museums and other sites that have been opened to the public. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Hallways, we have chosen some photos of our favorite halls that surround you with incredible pieces of art.