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Allart van Everdingen |
Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar
In 1644, twenty-three-year-old Allart van Everdingen made a trip that would change his life. The painter left his home in Alkmaar and traveled to Norway, where he encountered landscapes of breathtaking waterfalls, mountainscapes with log cabins, and infinite spruce trees, completely unlike the flat countryside surrounding Alkmaar. After he returned home, he etched many works that amazed his contemporaries with their depiction of these unfamiliar, rough landscapes. The new painting genre became popular among Dutch art buyers who sought something exotic rather than the typical manicured Dutch landscapes that other artists had produced. In hindsight, Van Everdingen was the father of the arcadian landscape genre. However, to this day, he remains relatively unknown, and mostly as the younger brother of the painter Caesar van Everdingen (1616/17-1678).
With the upcoming exhibition that is likely to change. In honor of the painter’s 400th birthday, the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar holds an overview exhibition from 18 September until 16 January 2022. The show will feature many of the artist’s works, including some on loan from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Alte Pinakotek (München), the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam), the Mauritshuis (The Hague), and national and international private collections.
Whereas art historians believed Van Everdingen to capture landscapes like snapshot photos, the exhibition offers a great revelation. In a preliminary study for the exhibition in 2019, photographer Pascal Vossen and the curator of the exhibition, Christi Klinkert, traveled in the footsteps of Van Everdingen to Sweden and Norway. Here, they discovered the painter used his artistic freedom and embellished some of his landscape works. No doubt, the exhibition will bring the younger Van Everdingen the recognition that he is entitled to, even if it is four centuries later.
Allart van Everdingen (1621-1675): Arcadian Landscape 18 September 2021 - 16 January 2022 Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar
Benjamin Roberts
resto |
Foodhall |
Scheveningen
Around the world in Scheveningen
Sun- and beach-worshipping foodies can now indulge themselves at the Foodhall Scheveningen. On the renovated Noordboulevard you will find seventeen world cuisines under one roof. Besides well-known concepts such as De Ballenbar, Jabugo, The Sushibar, La Catrina, Churros & more, Pad Thai and Gyros Express, you will find local favourites such as Pazze e Pizze, Diego’s Burgers, Amier, W.T.F. (World Tempting Flavors) and the Resident, as well as exciting newcomers such as the Scheveningen Oyster Bar, Meat on a Stick, Saigon Streetfood, Frozen Sweets and Dim Sum at Wan Tsam. There is enough space to order a dish according to the current Covid guidelines. In addition, the ventilation system, with one hundred per cent outside air, ensures a continuous supply of fresh air. Picked something delicious? Find a spot inside or settle down on the spacious terrace and enjoy the sea view in the sun.
Respect |
Liesl Tommy
One of the great challenges for any actor is to accurately portray a popular musician. As well the obvious obstacle of musical talent, you have to make the audience believe they are watching a person they be very familiar with, drawing greater scrutiny. Actors like Joaquin Phoenix and Jamie Foxx have nailed it in the past, reaping the rewards for their effort. Others have been less successful.
Respect, the new biopic about the life of Aretha Franklin, has the daunting task of capturing the essence of a woman who made an indelible mark on music history. Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) plays Franklin, in a film that charts her rise from childhood choir singer to international sensation. We see the ups and downs as the performer tries to find her voice, and her position in a world that would see to suppress her light.
The Queen of Soul led a life filled with trauma and triumph, so much so that any film would have some difficultly keeping a balance. Too much trauma can overshadow the subject’s talent; too much triumph draws accusations of things being swept under the carpet. Stage director Liesl Tommy manages to keep things interesting on both levels. We see the ugliness of the abuse she suffered, the addiction that haunted her, and the men who stood in her way. The film has a lot to fit in, so while nothing is dwelled upon for too long, it isn’t ignored.
The almost two and a half hour running time begins to creak as the script leans on biopic tropes, but Tommy has a secret weapon in her star. Hudson was hand-picked by Franklin herself, prior to the singer’s 2018 death, and it’s clear to see why. There is something in the star that gets the character just right – the presence, the power, the defiance that made Aretha a household name. Capable of nailing it both on the stage and in the film’s heavier moments, it is a fine example of a biopic being elevated by perfect casting.
Films about artists can fall into many traps, the worst being a tribute that looks over the darker moments. Respect doesn’t dig as deep as many would like, but it is striking portrait of a woman whose influence on music is being felt to this very day. Another Oscar run seems likely for Hudson, which would be exactly the kind of respect this performance deserves.
