This time Nieuw-Amsterdam does not mean the “old” name of New York but a small place in Drenthe. You can visit an old inn and explore the area to Discover Van Gogh’s Inspiration in Nieuw-Amsterdam, Drenthe.
History
Vincent van Gogh visited the area of Nieuw-Amsterdam and Veenoord in the Netherlands in the autumn of 1883. His time there was relatively short—about two months—but it was a period of intense artistic development and emotional struggle. This rural, isolated region in Drenthe, known for its desolate landscapes and humble peasant life, offered Van Gogh both inspiration and challenges.
Reasons for Visiting Drenthe
Van Gogh went to Drenthe seeking new inspiration, solitude, and to escape the difficulties he faced in other parts of his life. He was captivated by the landscape and the lifestyle of the working-class people, particularly the farmers and laborers. He hoped the isolation would provide him with the focus needed to grow as an artist. His brother, Theo, provided financial support for this trip, hoping that the change of scenery would positively impact Vincent’s mental health and artistic output.
Het Huis Van Gogh – The collection
During those two months in Drenthe, Van Gogh stayed in an inn of the Scholte family. This lodging (with extension) can be visited. You don’t go there to see Vincent’s paintings, but to learn more about the room in which Vincent painted (and you can visit it), about the people who played a role in his life, to see the taproom of the inn and to learn more about the area.
Practical
This heritage site is not yet a museum, but you can get a discount with the museum card.
Location: Van Goghstraat 1, 7844 NP Veenoord/Nieuw Amsterdam
Parking: along the King Willem Alexander Canal
Public Transport: Train station about 4 minutes’ walk from the station to the Van Gogh huis.
Access: different opening hours in winter and summer. Check here.
Work and Style
While in Drenthe, Van Gogh produced several drawings and paintings that reflect his fascination with the area’s stark beauty and the hard lives of its inhabitants. His works from this period feature dark color palettes and muted tones, capturing the rugged landscapes, muddy roads, and bleak skies. The paintings and sketches he produced here include somber depictions of the countryside, farmhouses, and people at work.
Experience the nature (that inspired Van Gogh) yourself
In combination with a visit to the Van Gogh house you can walk or bike in the landscape that inspired him.
The dark color of the soil gives a dramatic effect. A starting point could be Natural Park Moor Veenland. But this is closed from November 1st until the end of March. But there are 8 “Moorland gateways” There is a network of cycling and walking trails. Nature is stunning, the interaction -in the low-lying and water-logged areas- between the water (through the peat excavations), the trees and the vegetation is beautiful.
The experience in Drenthe, though brief and challenging, left a lasting impact on Van Gogh’s approach to depicting nature and rural people, themes that he would revisit throughout his career. One of the paintings inspired by Nieuw Amsterdam as an example of this landscape is in the collection of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, a painting called Women on the Peat Moor
Bonus Tips
- Veenpark, here you can get an idea of life in the sod huts around 1920. An open-air museum with a peat barge house, the school, a peat excavation with a boardwalk, etc.
- Tip of one of the kind volunteers’: take a step off the path to feel the marshy ground.
- The Hondsrug UNESCO Global Geopark, the ridges and valleys of the unique Hondsrug landscape were created in the ice ages. Prehistoric people left archaeological treasures behind. For thousands of years man has re-shaped this land, creating a landscape that reflects all ages. On the site you can find information about geology and cultural history, hiking, riding, biking, boating and so on.
- Another peat area can be found in the provinces of South Holland and Utrecht, between cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, lies the Green Heart. This is a well-known peat area with many polders and peat meadows.
Enjoy you visit and Discover Van Gogh’s Inspiration in Nieuw-Amsterdam!
