If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve probably come across some of the posts and tweets I’ve shared about Merijn van der Vliet, AKA Donker Utrecht. His photographs of Utrecht taken at dusk or dark capture the beauty, history, and vibrancy of the city.
For the past month, an exhibit of his work has been on display in the upper level of the Stadhuis. The collection is mesmerizing and it’s easy to get lost in each and every photo, studying the details and the colors that are so richly visible, despite the time of day at which the photos are taken. Equally arresting are the viewpoints from which many of the photos are taken, such as the one above of the top of the Domtoren.
The exhibit at the Stadhuis has been one of the most popular they’ve ever had, with record numbers of visitors. If you’re in the area, you’ve got one more day to see the exhibit (February 28 is the last day). If you can’t make it to the Stadhuis, you can find postcards and other sizes of his work at the VVV offices at Domplein 9, and you can certainly find more pictures in multiple sizes for sale at Werk aan de Muur. I pretty much want them all. Time to start playing the lottery, I guess! Oh, and if you’ve ever admired the official photos for Trajectum Lumen, then it will probably come as no surprise that he’s the photographer behind those, as well.
We discussed Merijn van der Vliet’s work in my photography class, so I’m definitely going to check the exhibition out. His work is wonderful, often taking his photographs during what is called “het blauwe kwartiertje” (the blue quarter (of an hour)). that small window between sunset and darkness.
That’s fantastic that his work was discussed in the class! Het blauwe kwartiertje is such a great way of describing the brief time, too. Enjoy the exhibit!
o no, I completely missed that the exhibition ended February 28th! That’s a real shame, I thought there was more time to go and see it 😦 Should have read your post more carefully…
I really like the first image. The light and the perceptive are great.