Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter during the Golden Age. It’s almost like history’s repeating itself, because during the 16th and 17th centuries a lot of Dutch painters were asked to paint portraits of English monarchs, but of course during that time Belgium was no longer part of the Netherlands, since 1585 when Philip II blocked the harbour of Antwerp. Later we were part of the Netherlands again, but that was also ended in 1830.
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I like the NIght Watch by Rembrandt. I once went to Amsterdam and I visited ‘het Rijksmuseum’ and I started watching it and I couldn’t keep my eyes of it. So, beautiful!
So, NN, no cubism and Picasso for you then 
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I actually prefer Picasso and cubism to Van Gogh - barely.
As far as cubism, I don’t care for it as art, but it still has an appeal to me. I’m a square kind of guy. I enjoyed drafting from a young age. I can’t draw freehand worth a crap, but I can do OK with straight edges, T-squares, triangles and compasses. I had gone though my dad’s engineering graphics book by 10-11 years old. But take the instruments away from me and I’m utterly worthless at drawing.
I don’t know much about art. It’s not something I can talk about intelligently. But when I see something, I know if I like it or not. Or if I don’t like it, I can still appreciate the talent (sometimes).
Back to straight lines and angles. I like stuff like M.C. Escher. Not as art, but for the geometry of it.
As for Holland/Netherlands. I learned in elementary school the country of Holland (probably from a historical perspective). Then later it was Netherlands, which I always thought of as the modern country. But when the Internet came around, it seems like everyone from there says they are from Holland. I assume it’s the most populated region. But people saying they are from Holland tells me that they relate to Holland more than they relate to Netherlands.
Anyway, I need to get to bed before it gets light.
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May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.
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Hi Lawrence,
I did not intend to be hifalutin! I was merely trying to distinguish between the noun and the adjective. ‘Contemporary thinkers’ for me can be either philosophers of the same era in any historical sense or those thinkers of today. I hope I have understood your question.
Alan
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This discussion reminds me that I need to get back to the art museums.
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Yes, Alan. You have.
Thank you for introducing a new word (hifalutin) to me, which, I think, will be useful to me.
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You see Anglophile, the poor man has done nothing wrong 
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Yes, please do so. Museums, oh my, they are absolutely very interesting.
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Me too.
The last time I went to the local art institute where I live was when I was a kid. I’ve lived a lot of places since then. I always say, “I should go to… while I live here.” But I don’t. Then I move and lose my chance. I’m not getting any younger. I need to kick myself in the ass and do it.
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Pre-Covid I would go to the museums about once a month. The Manets, Vermeers, Renoirs and the Leonardo were like old friends I would go to visit.
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Hi NN and Arinker,
Do you also like statues besides paintings? If so here’s one for you.
Source: Wikipedia.
It’s ‘Manneke Pis’ van Brussel which is Dutch for ‘Little Pissing Man of Brussels’. As you know, Brussels is the capital of Belgium. I admit that he has an enormous exhibitionist streak, but it’s actually one of our most important tourist attractions. Enjoy it.
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I’ve seen him!
He was dressed up appropriately for the season when I was there.
I love sculptures. I have replicas of Rodin’s The Kiss and The Cathedral and Degas’ Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. The Rodin Museum in Paris is one of my favorites.
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I have to admit that I’m not making plans to fly to Belgium to see the little pissing man. Maybe if I happen to be in the area, I might stop by to see if he’s relieved himself of all that coffee yet.
Manneke - so a diminutive suffix rather than a separate word like in English.
This made me think of the word mannequin. I had never considered before that the root might be “man”. I looked it up, and mannequin comes from French, which in turn comes from Flemish manneken.
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I think similar fun can be seen elsewhere as well.
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Yes, but the medieval Dutch or Flemish word for man was also ‘mannequin’, for example, ‘Hallo, schone mannequin’, means ‘Hello, handsome man’!
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True, they usually dress him in winter too. Or when a Head of State comes to Brussels.
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Hi Anglophile,
Can you tell me where?
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I remember having seen it somewhere in India.
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Since this question, I’ve really noticed the word contemporary, and realized how often and how broadly it’s used. It’s usually used in a historical sense, but I’ve also seen reference to contemporaries of people who are currently in their teens or early twenties.
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