Private Art Tours

30/10/2022

"Young Woman standing at a Virginal" by Vermeer, hanging in the National Gallery, London is a festive late work of circa 1670-72 with great luminosity, executed with precision. It shows a young woman standing upright in profile, playing a virginal with both hands. The raised lid of the harpsichord shows a landscape, which was recently recognised as a work by the Delft painter Groenewegen.

For more information on paintings by Vermeer or another painter, book a (digital) tour on Zoom now with Kees Kaldenbach - [email protected]

28/10/2022

'View of Delft' by Vermeer can be viewed in the Mauritshuis, The Hague, the Netherlands.
Moored at the shipyard at the far right are two herring ships, specifically designed and crafted for the profitable North Sea herring fishery. Here, the main masts of the herring ships have been lowered and hoisted away for repair. In those days a single herring was a big and nourishing fish, as long as a forearm.

Want to learn more? Contact me for a (digital) tour! Book an in-person tour, or a private lecture on Zoom. Kees Kaldenbach - [email protected]

21/10/2022

"The Music Lesson" by Vermeer, part of the Royal Collection Trust and is usually on view at Buckingham Palace (England).
The scene is situated in a large room, apparently shown in perfect perspective. A room of this size did not exist in Vermeer’s home. The harpsichord has a Latin inscription: "Musica Laetitiae Comes Medicina Dolor[um]" - Music, Companion of Joy, Balm for Sorrow.

Want to learn more? Contact me for a (digital) tour! Book an in-person tour, or a private lecture on Zoom. Kees Kaldenbach - [email protected]

18/10/2022

Vincent van Gogh painted this masterwork, "Almond Blossoms" to celebrate the birth of (his brother) Theo’s and Jo’s first born son. After a week of drying the canvas, it was rolled up with the paint on the outside, and transported by train to Theo in Paris for their master bedroom. The painting forms a celebration of new life and new hope.

Want to learn more? Contact me for a (digital) tour! Book an in-person tour, or a private lecture on Zoom. There are several classes waiting for you, want to learn something else? Please let me know!
https://johannesvermeer.info/liveartclasses

15/10/2022

Rembrandt, painted his version of Samson and Delilah as a grisaille* painting. Delilah has just found out that Samson's strength is located in his long flowing hair. She lets him sleep off his drunken stupor in her lap, and a soldier stealthily approaches from the back with scissors. The man will steal his powers. This stunning work is in the RIJKS, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Formerly attributed to Lievens, it is now accepted as a Rembrandt.

Want to learn more? Contact me for a (digital) tour! Book an in-person tour, or a private lecture on Zoom. Kees Kaldenbach - [email protected]

*Grisaille a method of painting in grey monochrome, typically to imitate sculpture

10/10/2022

08/10/2022

This is one of his best paintings called "Courtyard scene" by Pieter de H***h, a Delft master. It offers a lot: a paved courtyard, an old wall and a hallway with a view off the street. Above the arch a real natural stone text referring to the bible; this detail is historically accurate.
It can be viewed in the National Gallery in London, England.

Want to learn more? Contact me for a (digital) tour! Book an in-person tour, or a private lecture on Zoom. Kees Kaldenbach - [email protected]

04/10/2022

Most artists chose pretty colorful flowers of many kinds, but Vincent selected a common agricultural product. The sunflower and proclaimed it ready to shine on its own. Very few other Impressionists chose to go this way. Once again we see how Vincent’s mind worked in wonderful in different ways. This version of "Sunflowers" by van Gogh can be viewed in the Kunstmuseum Bern, in Bern, Germany.

This Sunflower version is in Bern, Switserland. We can visit this museum’s treasures digitally, through a private Zoom appointment.

Want to learn more? Contact me for a (digital) tour! Book an in-person tour, or a private lecture on Zoom. There are several classes waiting for you, want to learn something else? Please let me know!
https://johannesvermeer.info/liveartclasses

01/10/2022

William Holman Hunt crafted "The Light of the World" between 1851-6. This Pre-Raphaelite painter shows Christ passing through a narrow opening searching to save a human soul. Seeking super-truthfulness, Hunt painted much of this outside in the moonlight. In the art movement called Pre-Raphelites, they strove for simplicity and purity instead of the slick beauty of the Italian Renaissance, circa 1450-1500. Exhibited in the Manchester Art Gallery, in Manchester, England.

27/09/2022

In Vermeer's 'The Art of Painting' the black and white tiled marble floor in The Art of Painting is a complete invention by Vermeer. Delft houses in those days were never that richly decorated with marble. Vermeer took the visual idea from the Delft city hall.

Want to learn more? Contact me for a (digital) tour! Book an in-person tour, or a private lecture on Zoom. Kees Kaldenbach - [email protected]

The painting can be admired in person at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna in Austria.