Last week I mentioned that delightful cultural good we all know and love about the Netherlands – the tulip. This week, in my little quest to paint a brighter, sunnier and less sensational picture of this idyllic, I will touch upon another popular aspect of this country – the art scene. That's right. As all ardent art lovers will tell you, this tulip-mad nation is renowned for producing some of the world's most famous artists. Of course, the country has countless contemporary artists that it is proud of but for the purpose of this article, I'm simply going to mention three of the most well-known Dutch artists from the past. Photo source: FaceMePLs via Flickr

Rembrandt

We've all heard of Rembrandt. Not only was he one of the most prominent painters of the 17th century. He created a number of famous portraits as well as a variety of etchings in his lifetime. One of his most famous paintings is called the Nachtwacht (The Night Watch) and you can even find references to this in a lot of popular culture today.

So you like Rembrandt or you wish to learn more about him. Where would you go?

Rijksmueum: This museum houses a number of fantastic items and one of them happens to be Rembrandt's work. There are close to 20 of his work displayed here and of course, the Night Watch takes pride of place here. Even if you miss everything else, you have to check out this impressive painting. There are also a few of his religiously-themed etchings like Flight to Egypt. It is quite mind-blowing to browse over the work of a genius such as this and discover the thoughts and feelings behind masterpieces.

Rembrant House Museum: Alright, so you can check out a particular artist's work in many different countries. After all, most them did travel around a bit. But where else would you go to catch a glimpse of his everyday life? How he lived, what tools he used? That's where the appeal of this attraction comes in. As it is, we all want to see the working area of our favorite digital artist...or is that just me?

Van Gogh

Van Gogh is something of a rockstar in the art circles, isn't he? I mean, everyone talks about him. Admittedly, this is usually in reference to that supposedly romantic moment involving his ear. Then there are the countless pop culture references to him (e.g. just how many ads have you seen that draw on him and possibly the ear moment?).

So we've heard of him but what do we really know of him? And where else would you find out about the real Van Gogh? Given the hype, you would think that speaking of him outside this context would be mellow and somewhat dull. Far from it. Van Gogh lived a turbulent life which seems to be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride for him. This is reflected in his paintings; the colorful thoughts, the liveliness of a perfect moment and of course, the occasional dark and gloomy moods.

Van Gogh Museum: Alright, so this renowned painter has an entire museum dedicated to his work. That in itself counts as a day trip, isn't it? Of course, if you are one of those die-hard art lovers, you'll never get bored of a spot like this. And thus, you will find self-portraits, beautiful landscape paintings (e.g. The Yellow House) as well as still life depictions (like the famous sunflower painting).

Vermeer

Johan Vermeer is fast becoming another big name in pop culture, isn't he? That's partly due to the popularity of the 2003 Webber flick. Yes, I am talking about Girl with a Pearl Earing, which was a fictional take on the movie's namesake – Vermeer's famous 'Dutch Mona Lisa' painting. Well, Vermeer was a somewhat prominent artist in his field and was also one of the popular painters to come out of Delft. Having said that, I should point out that he didn't produce as many works as others and many also note that he is one of the most underrated artists of his time.

So where can the eager traveler uncover more about this fantastic painter?

Vermeercentrum: This charming museum in Delft, Netherlands, is devoted to the life and works of this beloved painter. Here you will come across a lot of his paintings, which I must admit were rather romantic depictions of life. At least, this was how I imagined poets and such would beautify even the most mundane part of life into something fantastical. Vermeer's most famous painting – View of Delft – is of course there. And you get to see a little bit of how the man behind the masterpieces worked.

Mauritshuis: This well-known museum in the Hague has done a bit research into his life and work. This much can be seen from the number of interesting books they have written about or related to Vermeer. Furthermore, they also feature a number of exhibitions devoted especially to his work. And so, in addition being a great source to check out some of his best work, this is a great spot for fans to learn a bit more about this talented artist.

That's it for this week. A little bit about the rich artistic history of Netherlands. There are a lot more I could name here but I just wanted this article to be a sneak peek at what this country is all about. Hopefully this piqued everyone's interest in learning a bit more about Netherlands.