I know this has little to do with London, but after visiting the national gallery and having our talk about museology I had a unique experience this past weekend at a museum in Amsterdam that was unlike any museum I have visited in the past. The Van Gogh Museum was probably the best museum I ever been in. It was very non-conventional, which I did not expect. The way the art was laid out and viewed was done so in a way that allowed the viewer to read each description and actually see how Van Gogh's work progressed through his various stages. Because of this lines formed around each piece of art, and it was like a carousel of people going from one piece to the next, carefully taking it all in. Very unlike the conventional art museums, where people see only what interests them. I think what I liked most about the museum, unlike many big city museums such as the National Gallery and the Metropolitan, was that it didn't feel intimidating or overwhelming. It was a very approachable display of work, that anyone would be able to understand. My favorite part of the museum was the part devoted to Van Gogh's contemporaries, particularly the art movement that erupted in Marmont, Paris during the late 1800s. It was interesting to see how these artists, all from the same period interacted amongst each other, from Toulouse Lautrec, to Claude Monet. Overall I found the museum to be fascinating and it inspired me as an artist to visit Paris, a place I always deemed as an overrated bed for tourism.
by JP
