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Archive for the ‘Reference’ Category

The magnificent national museum of the Netherlands possesses nearly seven million works of art, only a fraction of which is on display. It was established by King Louis Napoleon in 1808 in the Royal Palace on the Dam, moving later to the Trippenhuis on Kloveniersburgwal. In 1865, the architect P J H Cuypers designed a new home near the Vondelpark; the Rijksmuseum opened in 1885. The main building is being renovated (until 2008) and only the Philips Wing is open.

The museum’s dull self-service restaurant is by the right-hand front entrance hall. You might prefer to head for Indonesian Sama Sebo, on P. C. Hoofstraat, or Café Americain. Be prepared: this is a difficult museum to get to grips with in a single visit. To make matters worse, in late 2003, the main building closed for restoration, during which the Philips Wing will stay open, showing a selection of works. Until then, works of art are liable to move around.

Top 10 works in Rijksmuseum:

1 St Elizabeth’s Day Flood

2 The Night Watch

3 The Jewish Bride

4 The Milkmaid

5 Gallant Conversation

6 The Windmill at Wijk

7 Winter Landscape with Skaters

8 Delftware

9 Dolls House of Petronella Oortman

10 Portrait of Woman in Turkish Costume

There are three entrances, two at the front, either side of the central driveway which runs under the building, and one in the Philips Wing on Hobbemastraat. At peak visiting times, it’s quicker to use this entrance, housing Asiatic Art, European Paintings, Costume and Textiles and temporary exhibitions, then make your way through to the main building. The museum’s highlight collections – Dutch Paintings and Dutch 17th-century Sculpture and Decorative Arts – are on the first floor.

Ubud has long been known as the “village of painters”. In the 1930s, the encouragement of the puri (royal family) attracted foreign artists and intellectuals seeking the “real Bali”, and so the village’s international reputation was born. A peaceful hamlet until the 1980s, Ubud developed rapidly into a village of “cultural tourism”. Now it is a small town, packed with galleries, craft-shops, restaurants, bars and hotels. However, Ubud spends much of its new prosperity on ritual ceremonies and conservation of traditional art forms.

The Ubud Tourist Information Centre is a reliable source of information about tours, transport, dance performances, and current cultural events. It provides information about local ceremonies and encourages foreigners to observe dress etiquette when visiting temples or rituals. There is Seniwati Gallery Art by Women. This is the only gallery exhibiting women’s art in Asia. They work with 72 mostly Balinese artists, who paint in modern and traditional styles. Their library and bookshop, Pondok Pekak Library and Learning Centre, offer language and arts classes.

In other side, there is also Pura Taman Saraswati. This temple was built in the 1950s by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad at the command of Ubud’s prince, in honour of Saraswati, the deity of learning and the arts. It is set in a water garden, with a lotus pond as the centrepiece. The temple has fine carvings by Lempad: a 3-m (10-ft) statue of the demon Jero Gede Mecaling; and the padma – sana shrine in the northeast corner, dedicated to the Supreme God. The temple is normally closed, but admission may be gained via the adjacent Café Lotus.

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