The National Maritime Museum

Visiting Het Scheepvaartmuseum, The National Maritime Museum, in Amsterdam was an incredible experience. My favorite part of the museum was the paintings gallery. I really enjoyed how the arrangement of the paintings created a unique and immersion environment for the viewer. Painted arrows on the wall with the text "Follow the horizon" emphasized how the horizon of every painting was aligned at the average viewer's eyelevel, allowing one to admire the paintings with the same natural pose as one might use when looking out a window. The paintings did not always lay flat against a wall; several paintings were displayed in the middle of rooms, with reflective black glass beneath them resembling a mysterious sea. I have never seen art displayed in such an interesting fashion, and I really enjoyed how the composition of the gallery made me feel a natural and intimate connection with all of the incredible art that was displayed.