Tate Britain Review

            Just a quick boat trip across the Thames from the Tate Modern, the Tate Britain is England's premier institution of British art from 1500 to the present day. The museum itself is massive yet easy to navigate. The architecture of the museum is especially impressive when you compare it to the minimalist qualities of its sister museum the Tate Modern. The doorways are shaped like large archways, and there is a haunting room lit dimly where impressive pillars loom as a video on screen whisks you through a tour of the museum, as if you were a ghost. This is just one grand room of many, where you will primarily encounter notable works of art by some of Britain's most famous artists, including works by William Blake, FrancisBacon, Thomas Gainsborough, , J M W Turner and Henry Moore. When you enter the museum I suggest you first walk through the BP Walk Through of British Art.

Tate Britain, London

            The BP Walk comprises a large section of the Tate Britain's first floor, and it is the best way to see a variety of art from the museum's vast collection. The Walk is designed to ensure that pieces from the collection's full historical range (1545 to the present) are always on display. The gallery is laid out like a circuit around the perimeter so that the galleries blend into one another, with no rooms leading to a dead end. The museum says the walk causes you to “experience a cross-section that is representative of what we know as 'British art', meeting both well-known and less-familiar works.” The dates on the floors indicate the period of art you are viewing, and there is a noticeable progression from the royal portraiture art style that was prominent during the 1500s, to the more experimental art of the late 1800-1900's, and to the modern art of today.

BP Walk, Tate Britain, London

            Some of the most interesting art from early English history are the portraits of monarchs and their various members of Court. The background details behind the pieces give them life, as you can see what the monarchs wanted to emphasize about themselves. For example, Nicholas Hilliard's portrait of Queen Elizabeth I was painted according to her wishes. Elizabeth wanted her portraits painted in a near shadowless style that served less to show a likeness of her, but rather to show a symbolic representation of herself, the Queen. The painting is dominated by the rich images of Elizabeth's clothing and jewelry, and a jewel above her hand takes the image of a phoenix. The phoenix is symbolic both of the city, London, that is always eternally reborn, and also of the unmarried Queen's virginity. Most of the paintings from this era are portraits, ones that exhibit numerous similarities in style. The subjects are painted in modest fashion against a dark background, with a focus on their clothing and accessories that accompany them. One painting that puts an interesting twist to the portrait style of the time is The Cholmondeley Ladies.

Queen Elizabeth I, Hilliard, Tate Britain, London

            The Cholmondeley Ladies, by an unknown English painter, is a painting filled with mystery. In addition to the unknown identity of the artist, no one knows for certain who these two women are, or if they are even members of the Cholmondeley family. The two women are said to have been born on the same day and married on the same day, and their children can be seen held in their arms. While the women appear to be identical twins, a closer inspection reveals that one has blue eyes while the other has brown eyes. In addition, their clothing also shows minor differences that award viewers who pay close attention. The attention to detail here is really impressive, and the piece stands as a hallmark of British portraits.

Cholmondeley Ladies, Tate Britain, London

            As you progress through the walk, you will continue to see more portraits of note. One aspect of the style that you should notice is how the portraits grow more varied in color, composition, and pose. The standard image of a person sitting and framed in front of a black background from the waist up is replaced by a livelier portrait. Thomas Gainsborough's Giovanni Baccelli serves as a prime example of this. The titular subject is painted in the costume, make-up, and pose from a ballerina she performed in that season. Gainsborough manages to capture the woman's grace and her vivacity shines through as well. The colorful background, a forest path, also adds to the calm and poise of a ballerina that is reflected in this portrait.

Giovanna Baccelli, Gainsborough, Tate Britain, London

            In addition to numerous portraits, the walk also offers some stunning landscape paintings that are sure to command your attention. My favorite would be the trio of paintings by John Martin known as the Judgement Series. The subjects are the end of days from the book of Revelation. The paintings all depict landscapes either torn asunder by the wrath of God, or separated by the powers of good and evil. All three of the paintings are impressive in scope, vivid in color, and epic in their romantic vision of the end. The Great Day of His Wrath shows an entire city being destroyed and thrown into an abyss, The Last Judgement illustrates the titular event where God is condemning those on the right to hell and welcoming the saved on the left to heaven, and lastly The Plains of Heaven depicts a serene image of good and evil separated by a giant chasm in the Earth.

Turner Collection, Tate Britain, London

            Overall, these beautiful works and many more can be seen in the Tate Britain. If you are especially interested in British art, then this is a museum you should definitely visit. It is easy to navigate, varied in art type and art from different time periods, and filled with masterpieces by the most skilled British artists.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, Visitmuseums.com

Hotels in London for your visit

Museo del Prado Review

            The Museo del Prado, located in Madrid, Spain, is one of the finest museums of European art in the entire world, and most assuredly the best museum of Spanish art. The museum features four floors of over 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, and 4,800 prints. This is a massive museum, and that is an understatement. If you do not have at least a few hours to spend here there is much that you will miss, and even then it would take multiple trips to see and appreciate all the fine art here. The museum actually recognizes this, and if you visit their website they offer three different guides that suggest what you should see for those who are planning to only spend one, two, or three hours there. I would recommend taking in a variety of different art that the museum stores, as it separates the art by nationality (Spanish, German, French, Flemish, Italian, British, and Dutch).

Prado Museum

            First and foremost, you have to see the museum's extensive collection of Spanish art (after all, you are in Spain). Two of the most notable Spanish painters are Diego Velázquez and Francisco deGoya, whose works are amongst the most represented of any artist in any museum around the world. Velázquez, who was noted for his baroque art style, produced two masterpieces that hang in the Prado titled The Adoration of the Magi and The Surrender of Breda. The Adoration of the Magi is noted for Velázquez's use of chiaroscuro, where strong contrasts between dark and light affect the whole composition (usually light subjects are composed against a black background). The painting depicts the  biblical story of the three magi showering the baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Velázquez's The Surrender of Breda shows the Spanish general Ambrosio Spinola receiving the keys to the Dutch city Breda after winning the battle and preventing Dutch independence. The only image of warfare is the smoky scene in the background, and Breda instead chooses to focus on the peace being initiated by the two cultures in the foreground. The painting is primarily colored in tones of blue and brown, in sharp contrast to Velázquez's other baroque work and the many paintings of Goya.

Adoration of the Magi, Velazquez, Prado Museum, Madrid

            Speaking of Goya, the man who has over 140 paintings housed in the Prado, his paintings can be seen in rooms 64 to 67 of floor 0. Perhaps his two most famous works, The Second of May 1808 and Third of May 1808 hang side by side in one of the rooms. The two paintings were commissioned by the council governing Spain after the country was victorious in the War of Independence against Napolean. The former depicts the popular riot of May 2, 1808, where the common people of Madrid attacked the Mamelukes (Turkish soldiers in Napolean's French Army) who were attempting to take away the former King Carlos IV's royal children to France. The common people attacked the Turkish moors with crude weapons like knives in an event that sparked the Spanish War for Independence. The latter painting from Goya is perhaps his most famous, as it is a startling depiction of the horrors of war and one of the first truly modern and revolutionary paintings. In the painting, a group of French soldiers with their backs to us are shown executing a group of rebellious Madrid commoners by firing squad. Whereas most paintings of war before this usually took a serious and realistic style in depicting war, The Third of May is highly stylized. The contrast of light between the executioners and the victims allows us to see the emotion in the doomed man's face, and the pose of his arms recalls the image of Christ hanging on the cross. Overall, these two are stunning and emotionally powerful pieces of art, and it is very common for large groups of people to stand here in awe of these paintings for quite some time.

The Second of May, Goya, Prado Museum. Madrid

   

         The other really notable collection of paintings for me was the Flemish school of art. Here, you can view works by legends such as Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, and Peter PaulRubens. Bosch's Table of the Mortal Sins is a wonderfully unique religious work. The four corners show the final stages of life: Death, Judgment, Hell, and Glory, while the inner ring features an image of Christ looking down upon the wheel, surrounded by depictions of the seven deadly sins. A similarly harrowing painting (albeit much more violent), Brueghel's The Triumph of Death depicts a plane of warfare, where the skeletal armies of Death have razed Earth and the people on it. The painting serves as an allegory for the inescapable grasp of Death. Here, everyone except the pair of lovers in the far right corner (although they too are doomed) is being violently killed by living skeletons. What is most interesting about this painting is the detail and variety with which Brueghel afforded it; you can see skeletons looting, pillaging, and murdering all the way to the background of the picture, and the different methods of violence the skeletons use is startling. On a brighter note, Rubens The Judgement of Paris depicts the ideal version of feminized beauty in the image of Paris deciding between Venus, Minerva, and Juno over who to choose as most beautiful. The elegance of the painting recalls the works of the Italian school of painting, and the detailed nude images of the goddesses gives us an idea of Ruben's vision of female beauty.

The Judgement of Paris, Rubens, Prado Museum

            I've only listed a few paintings here, but there is so much more to see in the Prado. This has to be one of the most in-depth and amazing museums I have visited so far. You walk around and there are masterpieces everywhere from all over Europe and from throughout the ages. Some of my other favorites include Goya's Saturn Devouring His Son, Titian's The Fall of Man, Claude Lorraine's Landscape with the Embarkment of Saint Paula Romana in Ostia, Antonio Joli's Carlos III Embarking in Naples, Corrado Giaquinto's The Birth of the Sun and the Triumph of Bacchus, and Giambattista Tiepolo's The Immaculate Conception. For any art fan (or fan of culture really) visiting Madrid, the Museo del Prado should be at the top of your to-do list.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com 

Hotels in Madrid for your visit

Museum of Childhood Review

            The V&A Museum of Childhood is both a historical collection of toys from the 18^th century to the present and a place that attempts to symbolize what it means to be a child. The first floor consists of a vast collection of toys, from optical illusions to dolls to puppets to pop culture toys and much more. The second floor looks at childhood over the centuries and how the concept has evolved through ideas regarding the home, baby care, clothing, and how children learn and play. This is an interesting museum as you will find all sorts of people coming here to explore childhood, whether it be the young kids coming to have fun with their parents, the young adults who come back to reflect on their recent days, or even groups of elderly people who come for the sense of nostalgia. One of my favorite recurring images from this museum is seeing kids running around playing with toys while their parents rest on the couch. When you arrive here you should start by exploring the first floor.

Museum of Childhood, London

            Although we now live in an age where moving pictures and cinema are more readily available than ever, it was only recently that this came to be. Some early examples of moving picture toys are the zoetrope (designed in 1870 by Milton Bradley) and the praxinoscope. To use the zoetrope you simply spin the drum and look through the slits. To use the praxinoscope you spin the drum and look at the mirrors. When spun the praxinoscope presents a humorous image of a guy jumping through a ring. The remainder of the section showcases early toys based around optical illusions, including lenses, kaleidoscopes, and panoramic slides. Some panoramic slides featured (from 1850-1880) show the same scene of a logger in the woods during the winter and spring seasons. Slides like this show how entertainment could be derived from images and illusions.

Zoetrope

            The next section worth visiting is the section devoted to clockwork, or more specifically toys designed to move through internal mechanical devices. One of the largest and most notable objects you will see is the Wave Machine from 1980. Powered by a motor that activates a turning rod attached to a series of cams, the machine creates the image of a rippling effect as the wooden waves rise and fall. Other types of clockwork toys, called “automatons,” featured in the museum include many animal inspired creations and other objects that were capable of complex movements. Despite the innocence of many of these toys (for example, one of my favorites is called “Monkey Musicians”), they were actually quite expensive to make and were made for wealthy adults to impress and entertain their friends, not for young children to play with. Other similar toys are toys based on friction movement. If you remember those mini Mattel cars then you will know what I am talking about. The wheels wind up and store energy that is released when you let the car go. The museum offers a large sample of these cars for you to view.

Wave Machine

            Moving on you will see galleries featuring some of the most popular types of toys: rocking horses and marionettes. The earliest rocking horses were from 1600, and only three ones from that time period remain today. The earliest one in the museum's collection, a large unrealistic rocking horse from 1800-1850, is distinctively different from the rest in the museum that were designed to look like elegant real horses. From about 1700, rocking horses were traditionally carved from wood by expert craftsmen, and in addition were hand-painted and fitted with saddles and bridles made from real leather. Another type of toy with a long and storied history is the marionette. Puppetry is said to have originated in the far east, with drawings showing children playing with puppets coming from as far back as 1100. Some of the most fascinating puppets to view are the Japanese bunraku puppets and the Chinese shadow puppets. These puppets hail from a tradition of oral storytelling that was an important part of east asian culture. One of the most impressive objects in the museum's collection is the giant baroque puppet theatre from the 18^th century. Likely built in Vienna, the massive theatre was probably owned by a wealthy nobleman and used to entertain his family and guests. The theatre features two different backdrops and is incredibly impressive in its scope and size.

Bunraku

            The remainder of the museum offers much more to see, from galleries on video games to board games, famous sci-fi and fantasy toys (Star Wars and Lord of the Rings anyone?), and even impressive dollhouses and Chinese Rock Gardens. However, you should make sure you travel up to the second floor to see the galleries there. Here you can see the progression of children's fashion from the 1700s to the present day. While children's clothing was initially very formal and handmade, often consisting of dresses and multiple layers, the style eventually shifted to more mass produced clothes with the industrialization of the 1800s. Nowadays, children's clothing comes in a wide variety of styles with a focus more on brand names. The remainder of the second floor examines childhood by looking at the concepts of the home, baby care, and learning and playing and seeing how these concepts have changed over time. Last but not least, there is an in-depth exhibit on child war games that looks at gender differences, competitiveness, and dress up, among other things that question the controversy that surrounds children and war games.

            No matter your age, this museum will have something to offer you. If you have kids, bring them along and you will have free entertainment for them for the day. The museum offers lots of interactive exhibits and sections where children can play with toys, create their own drawings, or even learn how certain toys work. For adults, the museum brings back a lot of memories of days long past, and with it a warm sense of nostalgia. Although a smaller museum, this is one where you can still spend a good couple hours.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com

Hotels in London for your visit

Tate Modern Review

            The Tate Modern features Britain's most extensive collection of modern art, and in fact is the most visited modern art gallery in the world. The museum itself features a fitting modern design, with sleek white walls and long escalators to help you traverse the museum's four floors. At the Tate you can explore a vast collection of modern and temporary art dating from 1900 to the present. Whereas art from before this time period typically consisted of traditional paintings and sculptures, the Tate Modern features art that includes installations, artist rooms, and text-based art in addition to the aforementioned paintings and sculptures. These different forms of modern art are split into eight different exhibitions and displays titled “the Lawrence Weiner Rooms”, “the Joseph Beuys Rooms”, “Structure and Clarity”, “the Gerhard Richter Rooms”, “Skirt of the Black Mouth”, “Transformed Visions”, “Poetry and Dream”, and lastly “Energy and Process.”

            To get a feel for the type of art you will find yourself encountering at the Tate Modern, I suggest that you first visit the “Structure and Clarity” display. The art here focuses on a certain minimalist aesthetic that emerged in the early 1900's, one that later found its identity in the interwar period through geometrical expression and a break from any clear depiction of reality. Some of my favorites from this section include works by Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, and René Magritte. Mondrian, who was fascinated by the abstract quality of the line, demonstrated this in his piece Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red. The painting is incredibly simple but also pure in its depiction of lines and basic colors. Picasso has a number of notable works in this museum that include Seated Nude and Bowl of Fruit, Violin, and Bottle which can be found in this section. Seated Nude is especially interesting as a deconstructive and expressive view of the traditional nude painting. Here, the woman is an unrecognizable collection of geometric planes that leaves her looking cold and mechanical. However, she still retains the pose similar to a classical nude painting. René Magritte's The Anunciation is a beautifully expressive and colorful painting that shows a landscape populated with objects from everyday life, including a metal sheet with bells and a paper cut-out. The otherwise normal landscape painting is infused with a dreamlike and surreal quality. The art here gives a solid introduction to what you might typically define as modern art: abstract, surreal, and sometimes even confusing or hard to make sense of.

            For some more beautiful modern paintings and sculptures, you should spend some time walking through the “Poetry and Dream” gallery on floor 2 and the “Transformed Visions” gallery on floor 3. “Poetry and Dream” focuses on surrealism and the art and ideologies that diverged and sprung from that field of art. Many of the paintings here deal with dream-like imagery. A couple of really interesting pieces from this section are Max Ernst's Celebes and Giorgio de Chirico's The Uncertainty of the Poet. Both pieces showcase odd juxtapositions, dark color tones, and seemingly random images drawn together to create a puzzle for you to solve. You can spend quite some time trying to extract meaning from these pieces, and your interpretation will almost certainly differ from the person next to you. In the “Transformed Visions” gallery you will experience different visions of traditional art subjects like figures and landscapes. For example, the paintings Water Lilies by Claude Monet and Yacht Approaching the Coast by Joseph Mallord William Turner both depict obscure visions of real world objects. We know what they are supposed to look like, but through the lens of these artists we get a different interpretation on their canvas.

Tate Modern Museum, London

            For a different type of gallery, you should see the “Energy and Process” exhibition on floor 4, which attempts to look at different artists' interest in transformation and natural forces. The work here features less paintings and more art that blurs the line between art and objects from day-to-day life through film, photography, and installations. Three interesting pieces from this section that are designed to make you think and hopefully provoke a response from you are Spacial Concept 'Waiting,' Violent Incident, and Untitled (Living Sculpture). The first piece is an unpainted canvas with a slash in the middle of it, the second is a series of videos aligned together depicting incidents of meaningless violence with different pairs of people, and the last is a work of aluminum hanging from the wall that recalls the image of a jellyfish. What do these all mean? That is for you to decide. But each piece will definitely cause you to think. Or you may just say “Is this even art?” and walk out (if so, then the artist has done their job though).

Energy and Process, Tate Modern

            If you are willing to expand your definition of art beyond traditional notions of beauty and what you find to normally be aesthetically pleasing, then you will find the Tate Modern to be an interesting and unique experience. You won't find art like this in another museum in London, so I recommend everyone at least give this museum a chance, and who knows you might end up liking what you see here.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent VisitMuseums.com

Hotels in London for your visit

Lichtenstein: A Retrospective, Exhibition Review

           Roy Lichtenstein was one of the most famous and influential figures of the American pop art movement, and you can see a large portion of his work at a special exhibition at the Tate Modern Museum. Lichtenstein defined the premise of pop art through his use of parody, which is reflected in his homages and recreations of famous art styles and paintings. He is perhaps most well known for his concept of painting inspired by comic strips, advertising, and mass/pop culture imagery. The exhibition is organized in a way that places the focus on Lichtenstein's art; the white walls and categorized rooms allow you to easily navigate his work and see his progression in style. Lichtenstein's paintings varied from his take on brushstrokes, to pop art featuring pop culture figures like Mickey Mouse, to black and white images, and to Chinese-inspired landscapes. This is a fascinating and surprisingly in-depth exhibition that is well worth the entry fee.

Look Mickey, Lichtenstein

            Lichtenstein was known for referencing other forms of art in his work and through his parodies almost deconstructing the art form itself. For example, his series of brushstroke paintings are seen as parodies of abstract expressionism that were popular in American art in the 1950's. Whereas other artists such as Jackson Pollock sought to present their brushstrokes as impulsive, Lichtenstein showed the brushstroke as the result of a carefully controlled act. His paintings in this series are also a prime example of how color and perspective can be used in abstract expressionism to create different images. Lichtenstein's early paintings in room 2 showcase his early foray into paintings' featuring cartoon imagery and a comic-book style aesthetic. His 1961 painting Look Mickey was an artistic breakthrough for him, as it set the precedent for his future pop art paintings. Lichtenstein would mimic popular art while applying his own aesthetic and formal order to his paintings. Writing of pop art and Lichtenstein, the critic Roland Barthes said “There are two voices, as in a fugue. One says 'This is not Art'; the other says, at the same time, 'I am Art.'” This quote serves as an accurate description of Lichtenstein's art, as at first glance it appears to be nothing more than homage and pop culture pastiche, but when you look closer you see that it also provokes emotion in you and reflects the Lichtenstein's own artistic sensibilities.

Brushstroke, Lichtenstein

            Lichtenstein's work on landscapes and seascapes are unique in how they bare down the elements of the sea and sky to a series of horizontal lines and pointillism inspired circles. The result is a series of almost abstract representations of landscapes. A couple of my favorites from this section include Sea Shore and Sunrise. Both paintings exhibit the features that would come to define his landscape work: bright, contrasting colors, many circles forming the background, and a comic-book aesthetic. This comic-book look would apply to the rest of his art styles, and you can see how he mixes his style with the artists of the past he admires. Lichtenstein himself stated that “the things that I have apparently parodied I actually admire.” His appreciation for these works is seen in his interpretations of famous works, where he applies his pop aesthetic to traditionally high-art pieces, challenging views of what is art and what is simply “low-art” parody. For example, Lichtenstein's 1963 painting Femme d'Alger transforms Picasso's 1955 painting Women of Algiers into an abstract piece of pop art. The original qualities that made Picasso's piece so unique remain intact, yet Lichtenstein is also able to give the painting new life through his take on the piece. This parody of traditional art forms is also seen in Lichtenstein's interpretations of the nude. His painting Blue Nude shows how he applies a pulpy, erotic appeal to what is traditionally seen as a noble art form. At the same time, the piece remains a beautiful painting as well. The starkness of the woman's features such as her bright green eyes, blonde hair, and red lips contrast with the dullness of her pale, white body. The final room features perhaps the biggest departure in Lichtenstein's traditional style, as he chose to spend his final years painting Chinese landscapes which were inspired by the simplicity of Chinese art. Paintings such as Landscape with Philosopher and Landscape with Boat retain his pointillism inspired backgrounds while introducing images that recall traditional Chinese calligraphy and floral imagery. By the end of the exhibition, you will have seen a wide variety of art that reflects the artist Lichtenstein, whose singular passion for art is represented by all the images you will see.

Lichtenstein Exhibition, Tate Modern

            Although pop art incites a decisive reaction amongst people, the Lichtenstein exhibition is truly a defining series of paintings that showcases the pinnacle of achievement in the field. Asking people around the exhibition, I got responses from “this is fascinating” and “thought-provoking” to less enthusiastic ones where people relayed an inability to connect to the art or feel anything from it. However, I think if you spend some time here you will see that this art does provoke a response in you, and the exhibition features some of the most interesting art you will see at the Tate Modern.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com

Hotels in London for your Visit

Van Gogh Museum Review, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Van Gogh Museum Review, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

            Located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of paintings and drawings by Vincent Van Gogh in the entire world. The museum, which first opened in 1973, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Amsterdam and is the most visited museum in all of the Netherlands. Two buildings comprise the museum: the Rietveld building and the Kurokawa wing (both are named after the architects who designed them). The Rietveld building is the main building that you should visit, as it exhibits the permanent collection, while the Kurokawa wing is used for major temporary exhibitions. When you first enter the Rietveld building, you will see a modern building, painted in almost all white and separated by three distinct floors that you can reach by a main staircase. The first floor houses Van Gogh's work in chronological order, the second floor features exhibits on the restoration of his paintings, and the third floor features work by Van Gogh's contemporaries that relate to the man himself.

Avenue of Poplars in Autumn, Vincent van Gogh

            Floor one is separated by the different periods that defined Van Gogh's life and work: his early work to 1886, his time in Paris from 1886 to 1888, his time in Arles from 1888-89, his time at Saint-Rémy in 1889-90, and his final days at Auver in 1890. Compared to the vibrancy of much of his later work, Van Gogh's work before Paris is much more muted in color and tone. The color palette of these paintings is dark and filled with shades of gray and black, and many of the images are of people painted in grotesque and unflattering fashion. Some of his paintings like Head of a Woman and Head of a Man exemplify this style, as Van Gogh used peasants as his models and sought to highlight their rough features. Three paintings I recommend you check out from this era are Avenue of Poplars in Autumn, The Potato Eaters, and Skull of a Skeleton With Burning Cigarette. The first painting is notable for its symmetrical qualities and distinct use of color, while the last painting is a humorous image of exactly what the title describes. The Potato Eaters, one of Van Gogh's most famous paintings, depicts a group of peasants eating the potatoes they tilled from the ground themselves. You can see the coarseness and ugliness of the models, which was a deliberate attempt by Van Gogh to show the reality of the peasants who lived this lifestyle. His paintings from his time in Paris show his shift in style as Van Gogh's work erred more to the impressionist style. Here, the color of his paintings are brighter and his portraits are more traditionally beautiful and impressionist in style. From this era, Wheatfield With a Lark is a good representation of Van Gogh's transitioning style. As he moved to Arles, France, Van Gogh would continue to produce some of his most notable works.

Wheatfield with a Lark, Vincent van Gogh

            Bedroom in Arles, Gauguin's Chair, and The Yellow House are three paintings from Van Gogh's time in Arles that you should pay attention to. All three paintings are images from Van Gogh's time at the Yellow House, where he stayed in Arles. The Bedroom is an image of Van Gogh's own room that is remarkable for the use of color and composition. The whole room appears slightly askew, and the contrast in color between the bright yellow and blue creates an image that will hold your eyes. Gauguin's Chair is an example of Van Gogh's still life work, and the way in which he captures the light and shadows reflected by the candle is unique to Van Gogh's artistry. The Yellow House is a simple couple of works that showcase Van Gogh's eye for capturing the same image in multiple ways, as you can see both a watercolor and a painting of the house. As you move on, you will see paintings from the last periods of Van Gogh's life, when he committed himself to a mental-health clinic in Saint-Rémy and later moved out to Auver to be near his personal physician and his brother Theo. His paintings from this time period are characterized as his most impressionistic, and he often painted images of the views he had from where he was staying (The Garden of St. Paul's Hospital and View of Auvers as examples). There are few images of people, and many of his works from this time period are of landscapes and nature. Some of my favorites include the Almond Blossoms series, Wheatfield with a Reaper, and Wheatfield with Crows (I'm a fan of wheatfields obviously). His Almond Blossoms paintings are beautiful depictions of floral imagery and color, while the wheatfield paintings show a contrast in his representation of the fields: one is bright and sunny while the other is dark and gloomy. Wheatfield with Crows was painted in the final weeks of Van Gogh's life, and some consider it to be his final work and a reflection of his coming end. Although there is a nightmarish quality to the painting (Van Gogh wanted to express sadness and extreme loneliness) it also retains a magical quality that is evident in his other famous works such as Starry Night. Overall, the first floor is laid out in the perfect way for you to explore the gradual shifts in Van Gogh's style as his career progressed.

Bedroom in Arles, Vincent van Gogh

            The second and third floor are also worth visiting as they relate to Van Gogh and also show his influence on art in his lifetime. On the second floor you can see how restoration keeps a painting vibrant and in excellent condition, and you can learn how the restoration process attempts to keep the original impact of the painting largely intact. The third floor contains many works by some of Van Gogh's contemporaries, including Paul Gauguin, Manet, Monet, and Paul Signac. These range from impressionist and post-impressionist art, to paintings depicting Van Gogh himself. For those who love art and find themselves endlessly fascinated by Van Gogh's work, a trip here is a must on your visit to Amsterdam.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com

Hotels in Amsterdam for your visit 

Churchill War Rooms Review, London

Churchill War Rooms Review, London

            Seeping with history and echoes of life, the Churchill War Rooms is a museum where you can walk the same halls that Churchill and many other unsung heroes walked in the midst of WWII. The Museum is split into two different sections: the Cabinet War Rooms, an underground complex that housed a British command center led by WinstonChurchill, and the Churchill Museum, a place dedicated to telling the whole life of the famed leader. To enter the museum you have to take some steps underground, where you will get a glimpse of what life was like for those who once worked here.

Winston Churchill

            When you first enter you will see the War Cabinet Room, where Churchill and his associates plotted their plan of action during the war. This is the room where Churchill made his most important decisions regarding wartime strategy, and in total 115 meetings occurred here from 1940 to 1945. The rooms here have been left exactly how everything looked when Churchill worked here; the tables are lined with papers and figures of workers sit and stand over the tables. The bunker itself is a labyrinth of tight corridors and rooms where everyone worked under stressful conditions and threat of bombings. The bunker serves as a reminder that even the men and women who were leading Britain during the war didn't live in luxurious conditions; the living quarters are small and the beds look like little more than small cots. Some other rooms of note include the Transatlantic Telephone Room and the Map Room.

Cabinet War Rooms

            In the Telephone Room, Churchill and Roosevelt made top secret phone calls to discuss the war. The phone was encrypted with a top level speech security system that prevented Axis powers or spies from intercepting the calls. The Map Room was the most important hub of information in the entire building. The map room is filled with color-coded telephones and important documents, and wax figures are displayed working here. The Map Room was always manned by military officers, who collected the daily information and sent updates to Churchill, the King, and Military Chiefs of Staff. Right next to the Map Room, you can see Churchill's personal quarters, although it is noted that he rarely slept there. Churchill regularly worked 17 hour days and preferred to sleep above ground. The personal quarters you can see here are fascinating to observe for their simplicity and minimalist quality. The people working here were dedicated to the war-time cause and this is reflected in their working quarters.

Churchill Museum

            The other popular exhibit that separates the Cabinet Rooms and the Churchill Museum illustrates the lives of those who worked under Churchill. The room features written stories, personal objects, and video interviews of former employees (taken from the present day) to tell the story of life in the bunker. The multiple perspectives on Churchill tell a similar story: he was intense and demanding, but ultimately he inspired loyalty and admiration in his colleagues. Some of the objects tell interesting stories as well; for example you can view a sun lamp box that was designed to give workers compulsory daylight exposure, since they spent most of their days underground. This section of the museum really exemplifies the human spirit that went into the war effort. The sense of camaraderie and  purpose that guided the men and women here is evident in the stories you will read. I highly recommend spending some time here reading their accounts and watching some of the interviews.

Cabinet War Rooms Entrance

            The last section of the museum is dedicated to the life of Winston Churchill. There are objects from his personal life, writings, and interactive exhibits that detail his life from his birth and upbringing, to his early political career and time as Prime Minister, to his later days as a distinguished statesmen. This is the best place to learn all about Churchill, for you will learn about his upbringing and early political tribulations that forged him into the man who led Britain through the war. Churchill was born to an aristocratic family in Blenheim Palace, but his parents spent most of his childhood on the fringe of his life. Later on, his political ambitions were tempered in the abdication crisis of Edward VIII, where he chose to support Edward's desire to marry the twice divorced Wallis Simpson. However, Churchill brought himself back up by tackling Hitler and the war head on, in direct contrast with his predecessor Neville Chamberlain. The amount of information here is startling; one interactive touch screen exhibit lists correspondences and events from his political and personal life throughout history. The depth of the information in this section of the museum is extensive, and for Churchill scholars this is one place you can't miss on your visit to London.

            The museum captures the mood of the time incredibly well. Part of the experience being here is walking the same halls that Churchill once walked. It is an undeniable thrill to walk the halls of Britain's former wartime leader. Overall, the museum offers a unique experience of life during wartime, and the trials of the people working here.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com

London Hotels for your visit