NETHERLANDS: ART AND LITERATURE

When it comes to Dutch art, one form dominates them all: painting. A few Dutch painters have become such familiar names that some of their art is now worth millions. 

Vermeer, "The Milkmaid"

Dutch art pretty much started with the Dutch Golden Age. In the 1620s, the Dutch painters grew out of the Baroque period. The Flemish/Dutch painter Rubens brought forth the realistic style of the Baroque. 

Frans Hals, "Willem Heythuijsen"

One of the key characteristics of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age is that artists tended to evoke intimacy and emotion from the viewer. If you were going to make it as a painter during this time and you had a good amount of talent, it was behooving to hook up with wealthy families who commissioned portraits. Portrait painting was the thing and many of them paid well.

Rembrandt, "The Night Watch"

Starting out as a portrait painter, Rembrandt was one of the more famous painters to work during this period. His realistic-style paintings often depicted the suffering in his own life. His most famous painting is probably “The Night Watch.”

 

Vermeer, "The Girl with the Pearl Earring"

Johannes Vermeer is well known for his work with light and shadows. (Perhaps lessons inspired by the chiaroscuro styles of Italy?) He is most famous for his painting “Girl with the Pearl Window.” 

Van Gogh, "Starry Night"

During the 19^th century, the Hague School brought Dutch painting to the forefront of the art world at that time. Impressionism also made its way into Amsterdam art studios. Vincent van Gogh, one of the world’s most well-known artists, represented the post-Impressionist period. His unique use of impressionist brush strokes with bright colors and defined edges creates a very eye-catching scene. Today, many of the paintings of Vincent van Gogh have sold between $50-100 million.

example of pointillism by painter Jan Toorop

In the first decade of the 20^th century, Dutch painters saw a rise of pointillism style of painting, and not long after, other art movements like cubism and expressionism that were on the rise other places in Europe became popular among Dutch artists as well. As the 20^th century rolled on, artists excelled at other mediums: sculpture, design, and public art. 

Dutch-language literature actually encompasses the literature from a number of countries, namely Netherlands, Belgium, Netherlands Antilles (Caribbean Netherlands), and Suriname as well as countries where the Dutch have spent a considerable time, such as Indonesia (or Dutch East Indies as it was called then), South Africa, and French Flanders. The Dutch spoken in South Africa and Namibia actually developed into its own language called Afrikaans, which is a mix of 17^th century Dutch with local African languages.

Early on, about the 11^—13^th centuries, the earliest form of literature was poetry. Most of this was about heroic stories of noblemen. Anna Bijns was an important Belgian poet who carried an important message in Dutch-speaking countries: she was quite the 15^th century feminist. Translations of the Bible into Dutch were among first books to be printed. After the Netherlands gained its independence, literary topics started to expand. Suddenly, works on government, history, philosophy, religion, culture, and humanities began to emerge. Drama written in Dutch became a thing during the 18^thcentury.

As the Netherlands saw a period of political changes and social upheaval, poetry once again rose to the forefront of literature. Probably the most famous writer during this time was Willem Bilderdijk, an intellectual poet. Later on, many poets writing in the style of romantic nationalism introduced works that touched on Dutch culture as well as give a push to Flemish literature. By the late 1800s, a movement by a few Dutch authors called Tachtigers started to show some homage to foreign authors, like Percy Bysshe Shelley as well as influence others like Oscar Wilde.  Poetry and drama were still going strong. WWI and WWII would change things. During WWII, many writers either moved (if they were fortunate) or went underground. One of the most popular required reading selections in schools around the world is the Diary of Anne Frank, a young girl living in Amsterdam who wrote about her life hiding during the war. She later died in a concentration camp in 1943. Today, there are many authors who write in every genre.

Up next: music and dance

NAMIBIA: ART AND LITERATURE

Namibian art goes back to the earliest days of antiquity. Rock art has been found in caves and shelters that were close to where these nomadic tribes had set up temporary settlements. Evidence of early stone tools and weapons has also been found in these locations as well. Many of these rock drawings depict their everyday life, their hunting expeditions, and their spiritual beliefs. Their paints were made from materials that were readily available to them in the desert, and paintbrushes were made from animal or human hair. Sharpened stones were used for carving. 

 

However, rock art wasn’t the only art Namibians produced. They were also skilled at creating art out of everyday utensils and tools. Items such as baskets and pots were woven, molded, and painted in a variety of subtle geometric designs. Belts, bracelets, and leather pouches were decorated with beads, ivory, and stones. Even musical instruments such as drums, rattles, and thumb pianos (mbira) are also decorated with carved designs. Textile arts were also a necessity: embroidery, weaving, and appliqué were used for wall coverings, clothing, tablecloths, rugs, and a number of other items.

As Europeans moved into the land and took it over, they also introduced a variety of styles of European painting. Landscapes were quite a popular thing to paint as was the abundant African wildlife. Namibian artists as well as European and foreign artists flocked to the rural areas to paint the view.

Even after independence, Namibian artists continued to utilize these European artistic styles and techniques. They merged their own culture into their art, and it became an expression of their identity, a means to tell a story, and to depict their life and their struggles. It’s hard to say if there’s a unifying theme or style among artists because each is unique. Perhaps the land and the people remain the unifying element.

Technically speaking, the first pieces of literature were probably those rock drawings. But the Owambo tradition is considered one of the earliest forms of literature in Namibia. As Europeans ventured into the area as explorers and missionaries, they wrote about what they saw. However, they wrote from their point of view, not necessarily about the people or their history or way of life. For the people who lived here, oral traditions were at the heart of their storytelling for many of the early times. 

As Christianity moved through the land, it influenced their literature in many ways. For one, there were cases where they downplayed the local cultures in lieu of European ways. However, in many areas, the church was responsible for education and the teaching of written language. Much of the early literature was in the form of poetry, short stories, and traditional tales that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Literature from colonization to today is mainly written in English, Afrikaans, or German. Many Namibian writers have had their works published and have made significant contributions to modern African literature. Common themes include women’s rights, the rise to independence and the shedding away of colonialism, the struggles of oppression, and cultural identity. One writer, Neshani Andreas, writes about women’s issues in her novel The Purple Violet of Oshaantu. Giselher W. Hoffman is an example of a Namibian writer who has produced several novels written in German.

Up next: music and dance

NAMIBIA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

There’s a corner of Africa where deserts blow across ancient roads. Trod on only by a few, much of this land is as it has been for centuries: untouched. Ancient languages intertwine with languages that were brought there. In a way, it’s the story of Africa in general. But what makes Namibia different? Plenty. 

Namibia is named after one of the world’s oldest deserts, the Namid Desert. This desert runs along the coast from Angola, across Namibia, and into South Africa. When the Germans occupied the area, it was known as German South-West Africa, or later as South-West Africa.

Located in southern Africa, Namibia is surrounded by Angola to the north, Zambia to the northeast, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. Namibia actually is only a hop, skip, and a jump (almost literally, although it might be a few hops, skips, and jumps) from Zimbabwe along the Zambezi River. It also borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Generally, the climate is arid to semi-arid considering that the country is pretty much variations of desert. A particular current in the Atlantic Ocean—the Benguela current­­—is responsible for the lower precipitation among other weather patterns. Inland winds also affect their climate, and they also experience a rainy and dry season.

The international face of a grandmother with a baby (taken of the San tribe). Some things are universal.

Even before the Bantu migration into southern Africa, the San, Nama, and Damara tribes lived in and around what is now known as Namibia. Several centuries later, the Oorlam peoples, a mixed race tribe who are related to the Nama, also began to establish their place in Namibia. Not everyone was cool with them moving into the area, and there were skirmishes and battles over it. Technically speaking, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in this area. However, the Portuguese didn’t really stay in the area long nor did they claim it for Portugal. The first Europeans to come in and claim it as theirs were the Germans when they stepped in to quash the tribal fighting during the early 1880s. The Germans renamed it German South-West Africa (how original). Even though, the British took the port of Walvis Bay as an exclave of South Africa, which they were administering at that time. A few of the tribes decided they had enough of the Germans and fought against them. Of course, the Germans didn’t take that too well and came back like gangbusters: they killed off half of the Namaqua tribe and over three-quarters of the Herero tribe. After WWI, the Germans handed over Namibia to South Africa to do with what they wanted. It became more or less a “fifth province” for them, and apartheid was extended into Namibia as well. During the 1950s and 1960s, there was quite a bit of talk of Namibia declaring its independence from South Africa, especially since many African nations were breaking their colonial ties during this time period. It wouldn’t be until 1988 when they finally broke free, even though South Africa would hold onto Walvis Bay until 1994. For the most part, life after independence hasn’t been too bad, with the exception of a few key events (like the refugees from Angolan Civil War spilling over the border and a few dissenting political groups here and there).

Namibia’s capital, Windhoek (pronounced something like VINT-hook), is almost right in the geographic middle of the country in the Khomas Highlands. Before colonization, the city was known by its Herero name “Otjomuise” and its Khoekhoe name “ǀAiǁGams.” (Just a heads up-- Khoekhoe is one of the several dialects of what colloquially known as “click languages.” They utilize symbols like | and ! to indicate different kinds of clicks.) Both of these names refer to its hot springs. The city began to grow and expand during the mid-1800s, and today stands as the center of government, commerce, media, education, entertainment, sports, and culture. Even as the country’s largest city, it only has about 326,000 people. 

Because of Namibia’s historical and cultural ties with South Africa, their economy also remains tied with the country. The largest economic drivers are manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and tourism. Bloomberg has named Namibia as one of the Top Emerging Markets, even though the cost of living tends to be higher due to the fact that much of their food supplies and goods need to be imported in.

The vast majority of Namibians are Christian, and of those, about three-quarters are Protestant (and half of those are Lutheran). However, like in many areas of Africa, there are many who adhere to their indigenous beliefs at the same time. A number of Christian denominations are represented in Namibia, along with a very small Jewish community.

Before 1990, there were three official languages: English, German, and Afrikaans. But then in true sibling fashion, they thought they couldn’t be the same as South Africa. In the end, now English is the only official language (even though, like, 3% of the people speak it at home). Far more people speak German or Afrikaans at home. These languages and ten other commonly spoken languages are listed as Recognized Regional Languages. 

Even in the wild, no cat can resist the sound of a can opener.

For those who love ecotourism and the great outdoors, Namibia is your place. Its population density is one of the lowest in the world (second only behind Mongolia); it’s great for people who hate neighbors. It’s also practically free of malaria and has over 300 days of sunshine per year. Namibia has several national parks and protected areas that promote conservation for both flora and fauna. They’re especially known for their animal preserves, especially for elephants and cheetahs. From canyons to dunes, Namibia’s landscape has a lot to offer. So, let’s see what their people and culture is about.

Up next: art and literature