Chapter 46 Netherlands

Netherlands A Chinese who has never lived in Europe in summer, when he went to the northern country of Holland in the early summer, he felt that it was like a new autumn.The light sky, the lonely fields, the train is walking, as if no one cares about it.Occasionally, at the end of the sky, I saw a half windmill, motionless, like an iron hand stretched toward the sky.Walking in Switzerland is sometimes as quiet as this; but there is no silence here in Switzerland.Most of Switzerland is mountain roads, narrow and winding. Here is a vast plain, and the weather is naturally different.The train gradually approached the city, and a row of houses was seen.The red and yellow colors are more vivid and eye-catching on the gray background.The pointed roof was originally a triangular base, but the left and right sides were folded near the bottom, and two extra corners were formed; clever and honest, like a little fat man and a little old man.

The Dutch are famous for building houses.When talking about architecture in modern times, the Dutch are among the best.When approaching Rotterdam (Rotterdam), there is a factory and the houses are new.The house is divided into two parts, the near one is an inner curve, and two rows of glass windows reflect light of different intensity.The continuous section is a relatively flat eight-story building, and the windows are also arranged horizontally. The "stairwell" is full of glass, which looks good on the outside and is bright and easy to walk upstairs. It is much better than the old-fashioned gloomy stairwell with only small windows on the wall.The continuous row of horizontal windows is also a feature of modern architecture; it can only be done by relying on steel and concrete.There are two styles of horizontal windows in this factory, one is wide and narrow, and the other is wide and narrow.Some people say that this kind of wall and windows are like bread with ham; but they can't figure out whether it's bread or ham.Some people say that this kind of house seems to be fully supported on the glass, which makes people suspect that it will collapse.But I only think that the continuous horizontal lines have great strength, which is more than enough to support this big house, and it is very pleasant to look at at a glance.

Near the Peace Palace in The Hague, there are also many new-style houses, most of which are pavements, which are different from factories.The colors should be brighter, and the decoration style should be heavier, generally in a delicate and exquisite tone.The most exquisite is the "mansion", which is sublet to others.is an irregular geometry.Roughly in the center is a towering and transparent stairwell, bordered by small square grids of black steel.One side is a long strip, like an outstretched arm; the other side is square.There are railings on each floor, blue on the long side and white on the square side, against the pale yellow windows.People say that a new house in Holland is like a ship, which is true.These railings are what ships are made of.That ladder is the chimney.There is also a long and narrow pool in front of the building, shallow, with a statue at the end.Some flowers and plants were planted by the pool, and one or two chairs were scattered.There are no railings behind the house, but the simple geometric boundaries on the cement wall are very refreshing to look at.That area is very spacious and quiet. After noon, the building is full of sunlight, and some green trees are shaded by it, which makes people reluctant to leave.Amsterdam (AmsDterdam) has more new houses.The telegraph office near the palace looks smart, but the electric company obliquely opposite is blindly simple; it is interesting to compare the two.Nothing else seems to be as good as these two.However, there are still a large area of ​​new buildings in the "Xinkai District", so I don't know what to do if I don't have to see them.

The Dutch are also famous for drawing.In the seventeenth century, the Netherlands broke away from Spain and gradually prospered, with more and more well-to-do families.They have enough food and clothing, so they naturally think of some elegant things.Those large mythological paintings and religious paintings were originally used to decorate palace chapels.They are Xinguo, so they don't need these.They only need a small head portrait of the local scenery.Whether it's portraits, customs, or scenery, as long as they are "Dutch" they will do.In these pictures they saw themselves dearly, joe.As demand abounds, supply will of course follow.Paintings were on the market at that time, and the prices were similar to those of leather shoes and vegetables.Among them, genre painting (GenrepicDture) is the most popular.Until now, when Dutch painters are mentioned, people always think of this kind of painting.The subject matter of this kind of painting is extremely ordinary daily life; and it is limited to indoors, and the light used is often gloomy.The life of this material in Joche is flavorful or comically gratifying.A shop selling wild game can make a painting, and a meal can also make a painting.Some of it is so funny that it borders on bad taste.For example, the "Five Senses" painted by Molenaer in the Mauritshuis Academy of Painting in The Hague. A piece of "Sense of Smell" depicts a woman holding a child, and he is pulling arrows. "The Sense of Touch" is even more strange. It draws a woman sitting, and a man reaches into the bottom of her clothes; the woman lifts up a shoe and wants to hit him on the head.There are so many famous paintings in this painting academy.Dou's "Young Housewife" is drawn trivially, and there is no part that is not pressed.Potter was so well-worked that he didn't miss a single fly on his body, but he was so alive that the cow was about to walk slowly off the wall; and the layout was so simple.Vermeer painted a landscape of his hometown Delft, which fully expresses the taste of tranquility.He is a small landscape painter, known for his good at distinguishing light and shadow and good at layout.Landscape paintings have a variety of materials, and it is not easy to arrange them properly.Dutch portraits, Hals is the master.But all his good things are in his hometown of Harlem (Haorlem), which cannot be seen anywhere else.The Ryks Museum (Ryks Museum) in Amsterdam has one of his "Haiyuu", which is a person playing a pipa with a lot of air.These are painters of the seventeenth century.

But the greatest Dutch painter of the seventeenth century was Rembrandt.Different from ordinary people, he created the art of individuality; he put his own thoughts, feelings, and himself into his paintings.He no longer serves others when he paints, and even when he paints portraits and religious subjects, he still clearly sees himself.The romantic movement in nineteenth-century art only recognized the value of works that express the artist's personality, and it was his influence.He appreciates the mysterious place in spiritual life, and has deep emotions.I like to use a piece of black as the background most; but that black is alive and not dead.Gradually a yellow light glowed from the darkness, like a suppressed flame; in this light he arranged his characters.The contrast of light and shadow like this is his unique skill; his mystery and profundity can also be seen from this.This is not just a flashy fantasy, but an apt observation; dream and reality are mixed together in his work.Some people say that he realized the principles of painting from the smoke and clouds in the northern country, and that may be true.He will see the dense bottom to go.His portraits can best express people's psychology, which is why.

Mao Liqiusi has his famous works "Anatomy Class" and "The West is in the Temple".The previous one depicts the calm and unhurried appearance of the doctor standing and talking.A group of students surrounded the dissecting table, some were sitting, some were standing;Their heads are either bowed or raised, or tilted or straight, and no two people are the same.Their eyes looked at the dead body, at the doctor who spoke, or they had nothing to do with it, but they were all focused and obedient.Write the scene of concentration, lifelike.The latter depicts the majesty of the temple, and the holiness and kindness of the participants. A reverent atmosphere permeates the picture, making people feel calm after watching it.Another masterpiece of his, The Night Watch, is in the Lex Museum.There is a large group of warriors here, all armed with weapons, watching the enemy.A lord stood in the middle of the front row, giving instructions to the guards next to him; others were watching, pointing, and talking in a low-level manner, and there was a drummer on the right. It was half exposed; he seemed anxious to knock the mallet down.A man on the left is also busy stretching his right hand to adjust the muzzle of his gun.A child emerged from under his left arm with a frightened face.The arrangement of characters alternately uses density and light and shade; it is not symmetrical at first glance, but it is not symmetrical when you look closely.The use of light in this painting is the most ingenious; those places where the shades are mixed are the spirit of the whole painting.Ram Bojan was from Leyden and lived in Amsterdam in his later years.His house is still there, and his sculptures and pen and brush paintings are displayed in it.He is a master craftsman for engraving on copper with potion; he is also good at pen and brush painting.There is also a bronze statue of him here, in the square bearing his name.

The Hague is the capital of the Netherlands. It is small but quiet.Walking on the street, in the weak sunlight, I feel like I can forget everything.This is especially true in the north of the city.Here is the new Peace Palace, a house donated by one man for the International Court of Justice.There are not many houses, and the interior is well decorated.The guide pointed out the treasures and told tourists that these decorations were donated by countries all over the world.There is a large conference hall in the middle of the upper floor, which they call the Japan Hall; because Japanese tapestry with large spokes is hung on the three walls, and these few things are used by Japan. Made it for this Peace Palace.These paintings are all flowers and birds, with bright colors and delicate weaving; the unique and beautiful painting style of Japan is fully displayed.Two pairs of large cloisonne pots (pots of ancient ritual vessels) sent by China are also placed in this hall.In the middle of the hall is the conference seat, and each chair has a satin cover on the back, embroidered with the national flag of a country; the representatives of that country sit here when they hold meetings.Behind the house on the left is a garden; pavilions, water fountains, statues, flowers and trees, etc., are intricately dotted, bright and deep.It's not very big, but it always seems to be endless.Going north from the Peace Palace, the tram goes through sparse woods.The car is full of greenery, and the mottled sunlight is jumping past the car and underground.We will be at the beach in a short time.The seaside is very lively, and there is a constant flow of people playing.The long stretch of sand is lined with rattan baskets—actually rattan chairs in the shape of palanquins, for sitting and basking in the sun after taking a bath.The top of this kind of rattan basket is like a gourd, round and fat, so clumsy.There are also many changing cabins.Probably the weather was still cold, only a few scattered people were seen on the beach.The sea water of the North Sea spreads freely, without any waves, like a very obedient child.

Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands, located in the northeast of The Hague.Naturally, it is not as quiet as The Hague.However, there are many rivers, almost every street has a river. It is a water town in the northern country; therefore, it is called "Northern Venice".There are also three hundred and forty-five bridges, almost the same as in Venice.The river is wide and clean, but it is better than Venice; standing on the bridge and looking along the river, the water and trees are often clear, leading you to the farthest and farthest place you have always wanted to see.There is a small island in the northeast of Amsterdam called Mackeng

(Marken) Island is a small village.The folk costumes over there are so weird that you will feel like you are back in the Middle Ages as soon as you step on the shore.Go by tram and pass two or three villages along the way.It was a cloudy day.The indifferent wind and smoke, the red and yellow wooden houses, and the sedan chair that is rotating to let the boat pass, all give people a refreshing experience.When I arrived at a place, I got off the car in the middle of the street, and was directed by someone to find the small steamship.In the open sea, a large windmill is slowly turning in the distance.The boat sailed in the slanting wind and drizzle, and gradually saw Maceng Island from the haze.This island is really "full of eyes", surrounded by a low-grade embankment.It is said that the island is only a few feet above the surface of the sea, and it is because of this little embankment that the vast sea is blocked.There are no more than 20 or 30 houses on the island, all of which are wooden houses with pointed roofs; they all have shelves underneath because they are too close to the water.The wooden houses are red, yellow and black, which is the same in every house.There are not many men on the island, maybe they have gone fishing; the women wear red, yellow, white, blue and black clothes to match their houses.All in all, once we arrived on the island, even though we were in the gloomy North Sea, our eyes lit up.Every family on the island has prepared a lot of souvenirs, vying to let tourists in; there is also a big wicker basket, holding a child in one hand, and holding the basket in the other hand to sell on the road.Of course it was women who did these things.Some souvenirs are not bad: such as small wooden shoes, which look like our fur nest; such as a long bamboo cigarette bag, with a pair of small wooden shoes hanging around the neck of the cigarette pot, which are made of Liguala; such as handkerchiefs. , one corner is embroidered with women on the island, with a big windmill on their heads.

The way back is another way, the tram passes through another small village called Edam.The cheese here is famous all over the world, but the one next to the elevated suspension bridge spanning a small river is even more delicious.Looking at the past, there are twenty or thirty of them, and the shelves are like the gate circle of a city; they sway slightly when they walk up.The river is straight and narrow, there are not many houses on both sides of the river, and there are few people on the road, so it seems that only the string of bridges is gently swinging in the wind.At this time, I really feel that I have gone back to the Middle Ages.

Made on November 17, 1932. (Originally published in "Middle School Students" No. 30 on December 1, 1932)