Kunst

While it is nice to enjoy a week's holiday lounging around at home, doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that; it is also rather nice to go out for the day.

And so with that in mind we sallied forth taking the tram in to Dusseldorf.

It was cold of course, and snowing but blue skies were confidently predicted for the afternoon...

We had an important mission in mind: To visit the Museum Kunstpalast:

The Palace of Art. 

Way way back in the 1700s Johann Wilhelm, the Elector Palatine (and a native of Dusseldorf) gave exhibitions of his collection of art works at the royal palace.  The palace is long gone and the art collection was whisked away to Munich but in the 1840s the people of Dusseldorf elected to create their own Art Collection and this formed the nucleus of the collection housed at the Kunstpalast today

I took this photograph as we left at the end of our visit and as you can see, blue skies did indeed eventuate!  At first glance it is not the most handsome of buildings, looking more like a hospital to our eyes:

However this building is one of the fruits of the short-lived Weimar Republic.  Built to plans by the architect Wilhelm Kreis who also built the Concert Hall a short distance away, it showcased the 1925 exhibition entitled: 'Großen Ausstellung für Gesundheitspflege, Soziale Fürsorge und Leibesübungen' (Great Exhibition of Health Care, Social Welfare and Physical Exercise).

A few years later and the Art collection moved in from the old Kunstpalast which is now the Art Academy.

Here is the Kunstpalast all shiny and new in 1926:

This photograph comes from the Museum website:   http://www.smkp.de/en/about/history-and-architecture.html

Upon entering, the first thing you see is the huge stained glass windows by the famous Dutch artist, Jan Thorn Prikker:

I found this window to be soothing.  With its jazz-age overtones I think that it compliments the building perfectly.

Here are a few highlights from the kunstpalast that I thought I would share with you but I should warn you that some of the photographs may be a little blurred because naturally, no flash photography was allowed inside.

Look at the beauty to be found in the wonderful hymnal.  I liked the little attention to detail in the birds:

These sixteenth century prancing, capering angels are wonderful!  I had never seen them carved with a covering of feathers before.  I really like them:

There is a large collection of Japanese netsuke (toggles) on display as well.  I like this one of the half mouse (?) half man.  Next to him was a kimono wearing cat person:

 This painting of 'Jonah and the Whale' could quite happily live in our apartment:

 Painted by Pieter Lastinan it shows the whale literally spitting Jonah out of its mouth.  Jonah goes flying through the air although his robe always remains strategically placed.  I particularly like the velvety look to the body of the 'whale' and its unusual eye!

Although I seriously blurred this photograph of a fifteenth century carving of Our Lady, together with the Infant Jesus and her parents, I wanted to show it because of the wonderful attention to detail, and skill used by the carver:

Just look at that hand turning the page of the book.

And speaking of attention to detail, look at this wonderful painting by Adrien van der Spelt:

UPon entry we were told that parts of the Art Gallery were closed but we didn't mind because it gave us longer to visit the Hentrich Glass Museum which is in the same building.  It is one of the largest glass museums in Europe and has glassware dating back over 2,000 years...

Roman and Egyptian glassware:

These 19th Century vases are beautiful:

This 16th Century vase is made to look like cracked ice:

This very pretty, hand painted vase is rather small but the detail is wonderful:

Isn't this 16th Century glass plate magnificent?

Here is a sixteenth century novelty jug in the shape of a soldier (without head):

There was a large collection of modern glass creations as well:

But could they match this 17th century glass teapot from the Netherlands?  It would fit very well into my own collection!:


Finally,  I'm not sure but that blurred, ghost like person walking down the stairs in front of me could be AGA...