Most museums in Antwerp are closed today, it being Monday, but there is one that is open, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp or KMSKA, so that's where we went. KMSKA is about a fifteen minute walk from our apartment. A trolley would do it too.
KMSKA proved a good choice. KMSKA offers a good selection of both old and contemporary art, mostly paintings, and all of it encased in a beautiful old building in an area chock a block attractive buildings.
One of the stand out features of the exhibit is the quality of the text accompanying each art piece. It is written in plain English, with no pretentious arty phrasing, and it often ends with a question for the viewer, a challenge, or an interesting observation. Well done.
Jan Breughel II
Antwerpen 1601 - Antwerpen 1678
Flowers in a Vase
There is something about this life-like bouquet that doesn't quite add up. These flowers bloom in different seasons. But Breughel's brush allows us to enjoy them here, together in all their glory. The flower-piece draws our attention to a fact of life. Nature burgeons, blossoms and dies. But painted flowers? They stand the test of time.
Jan Breughel II
Antwerpen 1601 - Antwerpen 1678
Flowers in a Vase
There is something about this life-like bouquet that doesn't quite add up. These flowers bloom in different seasons. But Breughel's brush allows us to enjoy them here, together in all their glory. The flower-piece draws our attention to a fact of life. Nature burgeons, blossoms and dies. But painted flowers? They stand the test of time.
Jan Breughel II
Antwerpen 1601 - Antwerpen 1678
Flowers in a Vase
There is something about this life-like bouquet that doesn't quite add up. These flowers bloom in different seasons. But Breughel's brush allows us to enjoy them here, together in all their glory. The flower-piece draws our attention to a fact of life. Nature burgeons, blossoms and dies. But painted flowers? They stand the test of time.
The Wedding Dance
ca. 1566
Pieter Bruegel I
Breugel (Breda) 1526/1530-Brussel 1569
Cheerful peasants prance around among the trees, dancing exuberantly to the sound of the bagpipes. On the other hand the bourgeoisie were obliged to dance in a more refined manner and according to the rules. Red and white blocks of colour set the rhythm. Can you see the bride dressed in a blue-grey dress, her hair loose?
The Wedding Dance
ca. 1566
Pieter Bruegel I
Breugel (Breda) 1526/1530-Brussel 1569
Cheerful peasants prance around among the trees, dancing exuberantly to the sound of the bagpipes. On the other hand the bourgeoisie were obliged to dance in a more refined manner and according to the rules. Red and white blocks of colour set the rhythm. Can you see the bride dressed in a blue-grey dress, her hair loose?
The Wedding Dance
ca. 1566
Pieter Bruegel I
Breugel (Breda) 1526/1530-Brussel 1569
Cheerful peasants prance around among the trees, dancing exuberantly to the sound of the bagpipes. On the other hand the bourgeoisie were obliged to dance in a more refined manner and according to the rules. Red and white blocks of colour set the rhythm. Can you see the bride dressed in a blue-grey dress, her hair loose?