Japanese Prints

'A summer long in Abu Dhabi' was my initial thought at the start of summer break 2016. The heat had already begun to make it impossible to enjoy myself outdoors so an everlasting indoor summer threatened to arrive accompanied by the words of wisdom by Alice Munro. Nevertheless, my parents surprised me with a trip to my home country, The Netherlands, which I entirely spent walking around the streets of Amsterdam. The 'Rijksmuseum' was one of my visits that left an impressive and inspirational memory to cherish forever. A dear friend of my family and myself exposed a broad collection of rare Japanese prints from the modernist time period (19th and 20th century) portraying the female human figure in a liberal and defiant manner fighting old Japanese customs. This subject, unintentionally, brought to my attention our gender stereotype unit. Japanese advertising posters projected the Japanese woman as independent and free often shown through Western clothing and the exposure of naked skin. Besides the fact that my mind connected this collection to the content of our English classes, I gained some great ideas for woodblock cuttings for future artworks. The fine lines and precision the Japanese control in their work is brilliant to observe and learn from.

The 'Rijksmuseum' also revealed the two very important artworks 'Marten en Oopjen'. Dutch art historians have recently highlighted the special features of the two portrait paintings created by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn. The couple painted on two separate canvases showcases the a beautiful contrast of light and dark, as most of Rembrandt's work tends to embrace. Both figures are dressed in black and positioned against a black background. The way Rembrandt has differentiated them is fantastic. Through a light source coming from the left the black in the background is slightly more intense than the clothing and contrasts beautifully with the white lace circling the ends of the sleeves. Depth is an important factor in his works and requires thorough observation to create the wanted affect.

Visiting such collections and pieces of art has made me realize in greater certainty that my direction of study after Raha is the arts industry.
- Coco