By Catherine Austin Fitts

On Friday I visited one of the great museums of the world – The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Rijksmuseum is listed as the #1 thing to do in Amsterdam by Trip Advisor.

Some of the most important attractions at the Rijksmuseum are paintings of Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Vemeer.  Perhaps the star attraction is Rembrandt The Night Watch

In my attempt to understand why one painting is so important, I watched the BBC documentary on The Night Watch from its series “The Private Life of a Masterpiece: Seventeenth Century Masters” and explored the popularity of the painting here in the Netherlands. Check out “Cultured Flashmob recreates Rembrandt’s Night Watch.”

Standing before the painting today, it was amazing to see the power of Rembrandt’s portrait. He had the gift to look into the heart of things. Or, as Wordsworth once wrote:

“While with an eye made quiet by the power

Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,

     We see into the life of things.”

I remember once touring a private showing of Cezanne paintings and realizing that the painting I was studying had captured a living intelligence. It was alive. Cezanne was no longer with us, but his intelligence continued in the intelligence in his paintings.

Near the Rembrandt collection were the paintings of Johannes Vemeer, including one of my favorite, The Milkmaid.

If you have not watched “Tim’s Vermeer“, a documentary about inventor Tim Jenison’s efforts to duplicate Vemeer’s painting technique, I recommend it. We reviewed it in Let’s Go to the Movies in 2014.

Having made my way to the museum by a bicycle taxi, I had the time to take the Canal Bus back to my hotel. The canals of Amsterdam are a marvel. Sailing through them on a return voyage was the perfect ending to my afternoon.

Once again I am reminded that beauty is no luxury – it is necessary for survival.

From the looks of the endless flow of people pouring into the Rijksmuseum, the people of the Netherlands know this well.