After ten years of renovation, Holland's Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will reopen its doors on April 13, 2013. The national museum, built in 1885, is home to thousands of works from the 17th Century Golden Age of Dutch painting, including many renowned Rembrandts . But, according to Wim Pijbes, General-Director of the Rijksmuseum, their 21st century vision for the museum is to be modern.
To that end, they launched Rijksstudio, a groundbreaking online initiative featuring 125,000 high-resolution images available for download, printing, and manipulation for free. Knowing that unleashing this toolbox onto the public might overwhelm, they strategically partnered with (and linked to) innovative on-demand print companies like ixxi (wall art), eeeeFUN (electric scooters), colormyinterior (wallpaper), and designskins (smartphone skins).
And, to get the creative juices flowing, they asked leading international artists, designers, and architects to play around.
My favorite is this video (yes there's a dog in it)….
Inspired, I downloaded Binnenkamer met een moeder die het haar van haar kind reinigt, bekend als 'Moedertaak' by Pieter de Hooch.
Translation: Mother Task, Mom Picking Lice from her Child's Head.
It's a wonderful painting of Dutch domestic life. But perhaps a little dark, no?
And, I really liked that dog. What's he up to? Watching another child go off to school? Waiting for Dad to come home 'cause he's loose with the table scraps? Maybe, he just doesn't doesn't want head lice.
I made this…
It, too, is high resolution, available for framing, wallpaper, t-shirts, etc.
But, to me, what's really neat are the other images my new "painting" recalled…
I've decided Holland is the Oprah of countries, "YOU get a Rembrandt! And YOU get a Rembrandt! And YOU get a Rembrandt!"
Put another way, Rijksstudio is a Dutch treat.
Hat tip to reader Moniek Huizinga letting me know. Go make something.