The De Ruijterkade in Amsterdam

The De Ruijterkade in Amsterdam (1885), at the Van Gogh Museum, was painted during Van Gogh's brief visit to Amsterdam in October 1885, where he went to visit the newly opened Rijksmuseum. The De Ruijterkade was the waterfront embankment along the IJ, then as now a busy working port area. Van Gogh painted it in twilight or evening conditions, attracted by the atmospheric effects of water, reflections, and the shapes of boats and buildings against the darkening sky. The visit to Amsterdam was a significant moment in his Dutch period, combining tourist attention to the great museum with his sustained observation of ordinary urban environments.

A waterfront in evening conditions gives Van Gogh the opportunity to explore atmospheric effects—the blurring of forms in low light, the reflection of lights on water, the silhouettes of masts and rigging against a dim sky. The palette for an evening subject is necessarily dark and restricted in hue, with the colour interest concentrated in reflected lights and the warm-cool contrasts of the darkening sky.