Lekker
Masthead Letter From the Editor
T
he Netherlands has a special place in my heart. I grew up with an American mother and a Dutch father. My mother’s heritage is a bit of a mystery, therefore I primarily identify my heritage as being Dutch. I find that being the daughter of an immigrant offers a different perspective on the world. I have immensely enjoyed the times I
have traveled to the Netherlands and like being part of a culture with a rich history. I created this magazine in order to share my family’s culture, as well I’d like to dedicate the magazine to my father. Sincerely,
Alyssa van Doorn
Table of Contents
06
Vincent van Gogh’s Life
08
Fashion is Art
16
The Story of Wooden Shoes
18
Museums In Holland
Starring Daphne Groeneveld
Lekker 6
incent van Gogh
V
incent van Gogh, one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland on March 30, 1853. The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional, lacked self-confidence and struggled with his identity and with direction. He believed that his true calling was to preach the gospel; however, it took years for him to discover his calling as an artist. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had already experienced two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage (a dreary mining district in Belgium) where he was dismissed for overzealousness. He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are somber-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is “The Potato Eaters” (1885).
Potato Eaters - Vincent van Gogh
In that year van Gogh went to Antwerp where he discovered the works of Rubens and purchased many Japanese prints. In 1886, he went to Paris to join his brother Théo, the manager of Goupil’s gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin. Having met the new Impressionist painters, he tried to imitate their techniques; he began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists’ style. Unable to successfully copy the style, he developed his own more bold and
unconventional style. In 1888, Van Gogh decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. At The Yellow House, van Gogh hoped like-minded artists could create together. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. Van Gogh’s nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. Near the end of 1888, an incident led Gauguin to ultimately leave Arles. Van Gogh pursued him with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his own earlobe off. Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint-Remy for treatment. In May of 1890, after a couple of years at the asylum, he seemed much better and went to live in Auverssur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Two months later, he died from what is believed to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound “for the good of all.” During his brief career, he did not experience much success, he sold only one painting, lived in poverty, malnourished and overworked. The money he had was supplied by his brother, Theo, and was used primarily for art supplies, coffee and cigarettes. Van Gogh’s finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brushstroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh’s inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature. In spite of his lack of success during his lifetime, van Gogh’s legacy lives on having left a lasting impact on the world of art. Van Gogh is now viewed as one of the most influential artists having helped lay the foundations of modern art.
Source: http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html
Lekker 8
Fash
hion Is Art Vivian Chen
Lekker 10
O
ften dubbed fashion’s Gilbert & George, Viktor&Rolf is known for pushing the boundaries between fashion and art. The Dutch duo of Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren took the concept even further in their latest haute couture presentation in July – their first since discontinuing their ready-to-wear business. Ever the showmen, the duo put themselves at the centre of the show – or rather an act of performance art, which called on a certain déjà vu of their previous collections as early as the 1999 Russian Doll series, where model Maggie Rizer stood on a revolving turntable. The haute couture collection, aptly titled “Wearable Art”, saw models donning deconstructed golden frames from which printed fabrics protruded. The designers unhinged the frames from the models and then hung the skirts-turned-paintings on a blank wall. The prints referenced works of art from the Dutch Golden Age in the 1650s, such as Jan Asselijn’s The Threatened Swan. “We are fashion artists. This season especially we wanted to showcase this in a literal way. We consider haute couture to be like a laboratory, with every collection posing its own set of unique technical challenges,” Horsting says.
“We are fashion artists” – Horsting
The duo’s decision to end their ready-to-wear collections was announced in February. The label’s majority shareholder, Renzo Rosso – whose company OTB also owns Maison Martin Margiela, Marni and more – calls it a strategic decision to position the Viktor&Rolf brand in the highest luxury segment of fashion. The Viktor&Rolf autumn/ winter 2008-2009 ready-to wear collection featured words rendered in 3D. For the duo, the notion of luxury is in sync with their ideal muse who they strive to capture in their creations – individuality. “Luxury is synonymous with self-evident rarity and quality,” Horsting says. “We are attracted to women who possess a unique mindset – women who are intelligent and stylish.” Now focusing solely on their haute couture and fragrance businesses, the duo have found their anchor in creativity. “We now have much more time to create. It feels like a breath of fresh air,” Horsting says. By presenting only two collections a year instead of up to 10, the duo can now take their time on the design and execution
the craftsmen in their own atelier. “It’s very different from working with a factory, even though we’ve worked with the best,” Snoeren says. Their efforts in pushing the boundary between fashion and art have been consistent since the start of their career in the 1990s.
“We have always used fashion as a primary means of artistic creation,” – Snoeren
Their works are featured as much as in galleries and museums as they are in high-end boutiques and select shops. Groninger Museum in the Netherlands, for instance, features Viktor&Rolf designs in a permanent collection. The launch of Le Parfum in 1996 – a bottle of perfume with a lid that’s designed to be impossible to open – probably better illustrates their commitment to the merging of fashion and art. The perfume, as the duo describe, “can neither evaporate nor give off its scent, and will forever be a potential-pure promise”. Theatrical productions are often seen at Viktor&Rolf shows that evoke emotions and inspire ideas, using ultraviolet lights that make white objects glow or models with their faces painted in fierce red. They collaborated with theatre director and visual artist Robert Wilson in 2009 to design costumes for the German opera Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber. The two designers used almost 1 million crystallised Swarovski elements to create ultracolourful and flamboyant costumes that looked like flower bombs. “We have always used fashion as a primary means of artistic creation,” – Snoeren The synergy between the two since the very beginning has set the foundation for their creations. Growing up as best pals in the Netherlands, they started collaborating after graduating from the Netherlands’ Arnhem Academy. They showed their first collection in 1993 at a competition called Salon European des Jeunes Stylistes, and it wasn’t until the late 1990s that they started showing regularly in Paris. The duo have been working alongside each other for more than 20 years now and say that meeting each other was their biggest career breakthrough. “As teenagers, independent of each other, we were both inspired by perfume advertisements,” Horsting says. “We enjoyed the glamour and mystery these images convey. For us, this fascination served as an entry into the fashionworld.”
Lekker 12
Snoeren says their collaboration has been a continuing conversation. “Our friendship forms the base of our creative relationship,” he says. “It’s a relationship that allows us to create as one. There’s really no difference as to who does what. Also, there is not much separation between life and work in the sense that we communicate daily about everything.” Their bond also holds the key to the duo’s longevity in fashion. “We just really enjoy coming up with ideas together,” Snoeren adds. “Fashion itself is very inspiring – its possibilities and impossibilities allow us to create the unexpected.” Now focusing on their haute couture collection, the duo are optimistic about their future prospects.
“Fashion itself is very inspiring – its possibilities and impossibilities allow us to create the unexpected.” – Snoeren
“In this day and age, where we live by visuals, the craftsmanship involved in the creation of haute couture is more relevant than ever,” Snoeren says. “It is like a beacon, reminding the world that a dress does not come out of a computer, but is made by human hands. Couture is the ultimate expression thereof, and the world needs this awareness.” Source:http://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/ article/1885879/design-duo-viktor-horsting-androlf-snoeren-fashion-artistic-tool
Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren dressing model during their Fall 2015 Haute Couture Show.
Delftware Amsterdam
Lekker 16
Walk a Mile I Why walk on wooden shoes?
Have you ever wondered why someone would intentionally want to walk around in shoes that could give you a splinter? Nowadays wooden clogs are largely sold in the Netherlands as tourist souvenirs, only a few farmers will walk them regularly. A clog is a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Clogs are used worldwide and although the form may vary by culture, within a culture the form often remained unchanged for centuries.
Early History
The Dutch have been wearing wooden shoes, or clogs, or “Klompen� since medieval times. Originally, they were made with a wooden sole and a leather top or strap tacked to the wood. Eventually, the shoes began to be made entirely from wood to protect the whole foot. Originally, alder, willow and poplar woods were used. The first guild of clog makers dates back to around 1570 in Holland. Wooden shoe wearers claim the shoes are warm in winter, cool in summer and provide support for good posture. The wood also absorbs perspiration so that the foot can breathe.
Workers Footwear
In Holland, wooden shoes are worn by farmers, fishermen, factory workers, artisans and others to protect their feet. Nails, fishing hooks and sharp implements that might pierce a regular boot will not go through a wooden shoe. On boats and docks and in muddy fields, wooden shoes also keep feet dry. For every profession the wooden shoe would be shaped differently. Fishermen had a sharp point on the nose, so the clogs could help sort out the fishing nets. If your work was to dig out peat, the bottom of the clog was
In Our Shoes a large square. This way your weight was better spread offer the soggy soil. The square was also the perfect size for digging out the peat blocks.
Design
The working clogs where just blank, nothing special about them. For wear around house, church, weddings etcetera clogs were painted or carved. A regular painting would be yellow with some red and black on the top. Wooden clogs were poor man shoes. To make them look like the fancy leather shoes with laces the design on top often featured the laces and the lace holes. Each clog maker had is own design, it was his signature.Wooden shoes, as icons of Dutch culture, appear in customs such as the practice of young Dutch men presenting their fiancĂŠes with a pair of carved wooden shoes.
Making clogs
Every town or suburb used to have his own clog maker in The Netherlands. It would take 3-4 hours to make one pair of wooden shoes by hand. First with a pull saw you had to slice the tree trunk. Then the slice needed to be split and given the rough shape with a special small axe. With a sharp knife the clog maker would smooth the shape of the clog on the outside before scooping out the wood from the inside. Clog makers always work with wet wood as they have to make a lot of curves (dry wood would splinter). Drying of the carved clogs takes about 3 weeks and is done by the wind. Nowadays there are only 12 clog makers left in the whole of The Netherlands. Machines are used to speed up to process. Clogs are still worn by a few people when working in the gardens or on farms. Source:https://hollandvsnetherlands.wordpress. com/2012/11/21/why-walk-on-wooden-shoes/
6 Lekker 18
M USEUMS TO VISIT IN HOLLAND
Van Gogh Museum Vincent van Gogh was a 19th century Dutch post-impressionist painter. His works were of great influence on 20th century art. During his life he was little appreciated. He only sold one work of art. Today the Van Gogh Museum attracts around 1,5 million visitors a year.
‘The more, the better’ seems to be the slogan at Kunsthal Rotterdam. Every year the Kunsthal stages 25 new exhibitions, which cover all kinds of cultural expressions. Visit the Kunsthal and you’re in for a surprise.
Kunsthal Rotterdam
Lekker 20
Anne Frank House The Anne Frank House is a museum with a story. It’s situated in the center of Amsterdam and holds the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary during World War II. Anne Frank was a normal girl in exceptional circumstances. For more than two years she described the events of her daily life in hiding in her diary.
‘Het Mauritshuis’ is located next to the political heart of Holland in the city center of The Hague. It has a marvelous collection of art from the old masters of the 17th and 18th century. The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer is the stunning highlight of the museum. There is a reason why it is known as the Dutch Mona Lisa.
Het Mauritshuis
Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum is the principal national museum in Holland. It illustrates the art and history of Holland from the Middle Ages to the present. World-famous highlights from the Dutch Golden Age, including Rembrandt van Rijn’s Night Watch and Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, can be admired at the Rijksmuseum
Hermitage Amsterdam is the biggest satellite museum of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. It is located in a beautiful building, ‘Amstelhof ’, along the Amstel river. The bountiful collection of well over three million objects in the parent museum guarantee fabulous exhibitions with amazing works of art.
Hermitage Amsterdam
ROTTERDAM