Blog Post 1

Of the sites we have visited thus far, one of my favorites was the painting exhibit in the National Maritime Museum. I found the paintings to be extraordinarily detailed and realistic. Also, for something that was so heavily discussed at the time, I thought all of the paintings displayed an incredible amount of detail and depth. I was expecting flatter images with less perspective, especially in the older paintings.

I noticed that several of the paintings utilized slanted horizon lines. Up until that point I had only ever seen paintings with perfectly horizontal horizon lines. I think the use of these slanted horizons gave the paintings a more off-kilter and dynamic feel to the artwork.

I was also intrigued by the medium used. Initially I was surprised that almost all of the paintings were oil paintings. However after remembering the details on how artists made and stored their paint from our book, it would make more sense to use oil paints. For those not acquainted with art, this is because oil paints take a much longer time to dry (sometimes a week for a small painting) and they may have been easier to make and work with.

Outside of structure and composition I thought that the early depictions of whales and other sea creatures were not only amusing, but also insightful as to the views the Dutch held towards the sea and its inhabitants.

My favorite painting was called "The Elder" by an artist whose name currently escapes me. (It was the first painting that the tour guide showed us.)