Atlantica - 01.09.2004, Síða 29
with at least a dozen awestruck patrons
before most works, are a shocking testa-
ment to the power of one artist’s complete
dedication. If, like me, you are a fan of the
1956 Kirk Douglas Van Gogh biopic Lust
for Life, the quotes written on the walls at
each stairway will definitely make you
smile. (Imagine Kirk Douglas hamming
through “The creative power cannot be
repressed, one must give vent to what one
feels.”)
Van Gogh is a painter that particularly
benefits from close inspection. For me,
as businessmen prefer staying closer to
Centraal Square.
The designer shops of PC Hoofts are
handsome, and shop owners are remark-
ably considerate in refraining from flinch-
ing as I thumb through suits and shirts that
cost more than my used Citroen. (In the
case of one mauve sports jacket that I try
on in a game of mock the bourgeoisie, two
Citroens.)
A couple of hours at these shops is the
perfect preparation to a day at the Van
Gogh Museum – and the best use of time,
as an employee at the Van Gogh Museum
had warned me about excessive morning
lines that ease up at noon. The line is still
long, but it moves quickly, and I join a
mass of people to admire the famous suf-
fering Dutchman.
One appeal of Van Gogh, that of the
underdog starving painter, somehow fades
upon entering the exultant structure dedi-
cated to him, especially on viewing the gift
shop, which I wish weren’t so apparent on
entry. However, the three stories of Van
Gogh, arranged chronologically, typically
A T L A N T I C A 27
A TEMPORARY SCULPTURE GARDEN IN FRONT OF THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE IN THE HAGUE.
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