Rijksmuseum Exhibits Atmospheric 19th-century Winter Paintings

Written by Nicholas Vondermann Wednesday, 21 December 2011 23:30

AMSTERDAM.- From 21 December 2011 to 26 March 2012, the Rijksmuseum will be presenting the Dutch Winters exhibition at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The evolution of the 19th-century winter landscape will be displayed by means of eight atmospheric paintings. During the first half of the 19th century, Romanticism painting was at its height. In their winter landscapes, Barend Cornelis Koekkoek and Charles Leickert evoke an idyllic atmosphere and a love of nature. Around 1870, a new phase emerged in which the detailed brush strokes of the Romantic period made way for a more tonal style of painting. The Hague School attempted to depict nature more realistically and to capture the atmosphere of a particular moment. The grey tones in the works of Louis Apol and Anton Mauve are typical of the style. At the end of the 1880s, Amsterdam Impressionism arose as a counterpart to this movement. Willem Witsen and Isaac Israëls use a more colorful palette and smooth strokes to render their impressions of urban and rural life.

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol is located on Holland Boulevard between Piers E and F in the area beyond passport control. The museum is open daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol has a permanent exhibition of works by Dutch Masters from the Golden Age drawn from the Rijksmuseum collection. Featuring a temporary exhibition three times a year, it also offers a contemporary Museum Shop with Dutch Design and Rijksmuseum souvenirs.


The museum was founded in 1800 in The Hague to exhibit the collections of the Dutch stadtholders. It was inspired by French example. By then it was known as the National Art Gallery ( Dutch: Nationale Kunst-Gallerij ). In 1808 the museum moved to Amsterdam on the orders of king Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. The paintings owned by that city, such as The Night Watch by Rembrandt, became part of the collection.

In 1863, there was a design contest for a new building for the Rijksmuseum, but none of the submissions was considered to be of sufficient quality. Pierre Cuypers also participated in the contest and his submission reached the second place. In 1876 a new contest was held and this time Pierre Cuypers won. The design was a combination of gothic and renaissance elements. The construction began on October 1, 1876. On both the inside and the outside, the building was richly decorated with references to Dutch art history. Another contest was held for these decorations. The winners were B. van Hove and J.F. Vermeylen for the sculptures, G. Sturm for the tile tableaus and painting and W.F. Dixon for the stained glass. The museum was opened at its new location on July 13, 1885. The front of the museum is located at the Stadhouderskade, but on the other side it has a prominent position on the Museumplein, nowadays among the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw. Visit : www.rijksmuseum.nl/

---

Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~