This morning we woke up later than yesterday, as we had returned from our film around midnight. We went to breakfast, where Hal again displayed his fervor for peeling boiled eggs (there is a technique, which, once perfected, will astound and amaze one’s friends). We then went to the Rijks Museum. The museum is currently largely closed to the public for renovation, but a couple of floors full of the paintings of Dutch masters of the 17th century are still open. We went in with very little knowledge of what to expect. Few of us know anything about Dutch history, but, as it soon became apparent, the Dutch Republic was one of the major world forces after the Spanish naval power began its decline. Yes, that’s right-- Republic. The United Provinces had no monarch in the Dutch sea-trade heyday. It was, of course, still controlled by the rich (one Orange family in particular had a very monarch-like status). The first wing was filled mainly with portraits of famous Dutch merchants, pictures of naval battles, and lavishly decorated dollhouses.
Upstairs was a collection of the finer landscapes and still-life paintings. Van Goyen, Rembrandt and Frans Hals, among others, contributed to the movement in Dutch art that took place in the 1600s. Since the region was Protestant, the Church was not powerful enough to commission paintings on a regular basis, so artists had to look to merchants for work. 
As a result, non-religious genres became popular, and the Dutch became some of the first to explore themes such as peasant life and, often, food. The approach in some cases was very realistic: light was researched and different techniques experimented with to give the most photographic effects. Vermeer especially seemed to have mastered the tricks of the art. He used small points of light paint to represent reflected light, giving a startlingly sharp, real look to the works. It is an interesting point (pardon the pun) that this style of painting light was picked up again by the Pointillists in the late nineteenth century, and that Vermeer could be partially responsible for the Impressionist obsession with light.
As a result, non-religious genres became popular, and the Dutch became some of the first to explore themes such as peasant life and, often, food. The approach in some cases was very realistic: light was researched and different techniques experimented with to give the most photographic effects. Vermeer especially seemed to have mastered the tricks of the art. He used small points of light paint to represent reflected light, giving a startlingly sharp, real look to the works. It is an interesting point (pardon the pun) that this style of painting light was picked up again by the Pointillists in the late nineteenth century, and that Vermeer could be partially responsible for the Impressionist obsession with light. We left the museum after Courtney bought an overpriced item (a glass bird) from the gift shop, and then drank tea and coffee on the deck of a boat on the canal and listened to the church bells of Westerkerk for half an hour. Westerkerk is very close to Anne Frank’s house, and in her book Anne writes of the bells’ calming effect on her. We looked in at the church-- white and imperial, it was plainer but brighter than many churches we’ve seen.
We argued about lunch for a time, and then ate various morsels while listening to a hippy and her guitarist sing folk songs on Rembrandt Square. Since it was now later in the day, Courtney and Anna took a tram back to the hotel. Garin and Hal walked back through the park. Since then, none of us have left except for Garin’s short excursion for vittles -- a delicious homecooked meal of veggie spaghetti.
Now Anna is watching English television with Dutch subtitles (“Jonas” or something on Disney channel) and the rest of us are lying around like bums.
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