March 30...cruising

Early morning mists as we pass through a lock while cruising down the river...it is strange to pass by farmlands where all you see are the roofs of the buildings as the land is several feet below the dikes and the water level of the river.

Everyone is becoming so relaxed and losing track of days...day four of the river cruise saw the morning spent  cruising, going through locks on our way to Arnhem.  The movie 'A Bridge Too Far' is based on the devastating battle that saw 7000 Brits drop in to secure the bridge at Arnhem, but only 700 made it to the bridge. ( By the way, if you see an occasional 'z' where a 'y' should be, read it as a 'y' as the keyboard layout is different and the z/y are reversed).

Farber piece of a hanging man made from tacks.

While half the people on board opted to tour the military museum, I joined the bus tour to the Kröller Müller Museum, which owes its existence to Helene Kroller-Muller.  She began collecting paintings after her daughter and her attended an art appreciation course with H.P. Bremmer, who became her personal art advisor.  Being a rich woman she collected almost 11,500 art works from 1907 to the 1920's when the economic downturn threatened the loss of her estate and art collection.  She sidestepped the economic crunch by donating the 13,000 acre estate-hunting reserve and art to the State on the condition a museum be built there to house the collection.
Her favorite artist was Vincent vanGogh who she believed to be one of the 'great spirits of our modern art'. Her collection includes numerous paintings and about 180 works on paper - one of the world's largest collections of van Gogh (with the exception of the family collection). Viewing the rooms with his works you can see the artist's mental ups and downs as he fought depression and stays in the mental asylum.
Despite the number of his works, they are only a small part of the collection on view.  Realism in Courbet, Daubiny and Idealism of Seurat, Cezanne, Picasso, Gris are few other names hanging about.  We also got to preview the soon to be opened Hortus/Corpus feature exhibition of Jan Fabre.  Some interesting pieces from sexually explicit to downright prickly...for example a man-size model of an astronaut and another of a man hanging covered completely with tacks and nails pointing out...or how about a hooded coat made from bugs?

Another Farber piece covered in bugs...strange but also strangely compelling.