Don’t ask me why (because I don’t understand it myself), but I had never been to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, despite being a painter who I admire very much, not only for his art, but also for his fight against his mental illnesses. Perhaps it influenced that I had already seen many of his works in other cities, that the museum was always very full before the pandemic or that every time I visited Amsterdam, it was only for a few hours. I can’t justify myself, I made a big mistake.
The museum gives you a very exciting experience because not only can you appreciate his works, but you also learn more about how he felt and about his mental disorders. It caught my attention (and made me feel sorry) that he checked himself into clinics and also got up through his passion for art.
I admire that he was self-taught, that he was a great draftsman as well, and how he recognized himself when he did a good job. It struck me that despite all of his problems, he was so sure of himself when he complimented some of his works, indicating that it was the best he had ever painted.
I also liked that when he traveled, he realized that the type of art he was making was old-fashioned and began to transform his art into something totally different. Just compare “The Potato Eaters” with his famous “The Starry Night” and there are only 4 years of distance between them. Despite everything, he had the ability to reinvent his work.
Some of his pieces were painted while he was hospitalized, how difficult that even within his confinement, he continued to find beauty in what he saw through his window and captured it in his paintings. What especially moved me is the story of “Almond Blossoms”, which he painted for his nephew from the emotion of finding out that he had been born, while he was confined in a hospital.
In the museum, you can also see the last painting he was working on when he shot himself in the chest, which led to his death two days later.
The woman who immortalized him
Throughout the collection, his family history stands out, especially his relationship with his brother Theo, who supported him morally and financially for many years. But there was one figure that really needs to be applauded, which was his sister-in-law Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, who was responsible for letting the world know who Vincent van Gogh was.
Jo, as she was called, was widowed young when her son Vincent was still very young, since Theo died six months after his brother. She was very committed in order that Vincent’s work was not lost and was recognized worldwide. She arranged for both brothers to be buried together. She was also a feminist who got involved in women’s rights movements.
I would have loved to find books about her in the museum’s bookstore, but I didn’t, although I did find out that a biography about her was recently written by Hans Luitjen, a museum researcher, but it’s only available in Dutch. A pity that the woman who immortalized him is not recognized more.
I understand that when you visit a city as beautiful as Amsterdam for just one day, it is normal that you want to walk its streets, see its architecture, experience its lifestyle, before investing several hours in a museum. But don’t make the same mistakes as I did: 1. Not staying more than one day. 2. Not visiting at least one or two museums.
I say goodbye telling you a little secret: I still haven’t visited the Rijksmuseum! But I did write it down for my next trip…
If you want to travel to the Netherlands and would like me to organize your trip 100% customized through our travel agency Tripdreaming, please contact me at silvia.lucero@tripdreaming.com.
