Ten years after WW II, Rotterdam presented itself as a reborn city. The 1955 National Energy Manifestation took place at three locations: the Ahoy hall, The Park and the newly built Energy Hall next to the Boijmans – Van Beuningen Museum. Queen Juliana opened the exhibition, which was dominated by lust for life, willpower and […]
Art & Culture
Eurovision vibes in Southern Rotterdam
In my hometown, the Eurovision Song Contest has become an unavoidable event. Houses and squares in the centre of Rotterdam have been decorated with colourful song texts from ‘Hallelujah’ to ‘Loving You is a Losing Game’. Curious about the atmosphere in the Southern part of the city, I cycle through the newly restored Maastunnel. Charlois […]
Johan Bakker | | Art & Culture, Blog, Music | A Bigger Splash, Abba, Ahoy, Anky van Grunsven, Bonfire, Cliff Richard, David Hockney, Dick Bruna, ESC, Eurovisie Songfestival, Eurovision, Eurovision Song Contest, Fleetwood Mac, Hallelujah, Herman Brood, Hollywood, Hollywood Star Boulevard, Jeangu Macrooy, Johnny Cash, Lionel Richie, Miffy, Olympic Games, Rise Like A Phoenix, Rotterdam-Zuid, Sranantongo, Tymon de Laat, Walk Of Fame, Waterloo | 0 Comments
Karel Appel was born one hundred years ago
Wherever in the world you walk into a modern art museum, standing face-to-face with a work by Karel Appel (1921- 2006) is always a moment of joy. The paintings and sculptures of the Dutch artist, born in the Amsterdam Dapperstraat one hundred years ago, are vital, explosive, colourful and they are sparkling with life. His […]
Johan Bakker | | Art & Culture, Blog | Amsterdam, Brussels, Cobra, Copenhagen, Entartete Kunst, expressionist, jazz, Karel Appel, modern art, New York, North Sea Jazz, Rembrandt, Tuscane, Vincent van Gogh, Willem de Kooning | 0 Comments
The White Tiger drilled into perpetual servitude
Balram Halwai is not a sympathetic protagonist. Yet the narrative voice of The White Tiger is so powerful that you continue to read with fascination. Aravind Adiga’s debut novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. Thanks to a recent film adaptation, the book is now once again in the spotlight. Author Adiga has Indian […]
Johan Bakker | | Art & Culture, literature, Reviews | Aravind Adiga, cinema, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Film, India, literature, Man Booker Prize, Netflix, The Bonfire of the Vanities, The Great Gatsby, The White Tiger, Tom Wolfe | 0 Comments
Vincent van Gogh, a rolling stone avant-la-lettre
In 1990, one hundred years after the painter’s death, I saw a retrospective of much of Vincent van Gogh’s (1853-1890) work. The Kröller-Müller Museum showed his etchings and drawings, the Van Gogh museum displayed the paintings. Seeing the oeuvre of the Dutch painter develop from day tot day I had the idea of understanding him […]
Johan Bakker | | Art & Culture | Amsterdam, art, Auvers-sur-Oise, France, Impressionism, painter, Paul Gauguin, Theo van Gogh, Van Gogh museum, Vincent van Gogh | 0 Comments
The Ghent Altarpiece
Standing eye to eye with the restored Ghent Altarpiece (or the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, 1432) is an awesome experience. The Mystic Lamb is small, but its human eyes seem to notice everything. That those eyes remained hidden for many centuries is one of the mysteries connected to this intriguing work of art. Behind […]
Johan Bakker | | Art & Culture | Ghent, Hubert van Eyck, Jan van Eyck, The adoration of the Mystic Lamb | 0 Comments