AMSTERDAM - City Docks - oil painting on canvas by Leonid Afremov

We would like to present hand painted oil on canvas painting (recreation) of Afremov's artwork mentioned in the title. This art piece made by Leonid Afremov Studio with the same amount of soul and emotion just like the first original painting. The piece is created with oil paint on artistic canvas using Afremov's unique technique of a palette knife. The artwork has a lot of texture, you can feel the strokes by touching this painting. By purchasing on our site, you are buying directly from Leonid Afremov Studio. We guarantee your satisfaction and the best customer experience.

The artwork is signed on the back and on the front. The certificate of authenticity will include the name of the owner who purchased the piece of artwork. The certificate is signed by Leonid Afremov Studio. If you are buying this painting as a gift, please provide us the name of the gift recipient for the certificate. We can also ship to the address of the recipient of your gift.

about this painting:

Amsterdam- City Docks

Cityscapes

This beautiful painting by the talented artist Leonid Afremov is called Amsterdam-City Docks. If you’re looking for a picture of a city painted on a canvas you can find plenty of them in our art gallery. Create your own collection of art combining breathtaking paintings of different cities. It won’t be difficult if you choose for them to be from our gallery as almost all of them are painted in one style and technique. A unique impasto technique that the artist uses gives his paintings a very bright and fresh look. Just go to Cityscapes-Urban category and enjoy Leonid Afremov’s outstanding cityscapes. Let’s learn some new information about Amsterdam and its canals.

Some history about Amsterdam canals

Water tours are one of the most popular entertainments among tourists. Every year millions of people take excursions by water bus along the canals which in total measures more than 75 km; however they are not used for the shipping industry. The wash of ships and speed boats produce strong waves against the banks of the city, that’s why their speed is highly restricted and they can be used only for touristic purposes. There are approximately one hundred and sixty canals and about one thousand five hundred bridges, which is even more than in Venice. 

In the 15^th-16^th centuries the population of Amsterdam started to grow rapidly which meant the city was becoming overpopulated. The government decided to expand its territory and dig out a canal around it. It was called Singel and was the first encircling canal of Amsterdam. New buildings as well as docks and dockyards for ships and boats were rapidly constructed on its banks. The next canal that was built in Amsterdam was the canal of breweries, or the Brouwers-gracht.     

Northern and Southern Canals 

The construction of canals began in the north of the city. In 1609, a simple builder Hendrik Stats, who didn’t know anything about complex construction drafts, developed a plan according to which the area for houses, warehouses and docks could be expanded up to three times. He offered to dig out three parallel canals around the city and use the soil to make embankments for building new buildings.  For almost 50 years Amsterdam looked like a giant construction site. Three major canals were built during that time:

• Herengrach or “Particials’ Canal”;
•  Keizersgracht or “Emperor’s Canal”;
• Prinsengracht or “Prince’s Canal” which is the longest of them.

That’s how a chain of canal with beautiful elegant houses along the sides, most of which we can still see now in Amsterdam, started.

The Southern chain of canals stretches from Roudhuisstaat Street to Amstel. Only such rich people as bankers and merchants could afford buying land for their houses there. That’s how a prestigious area with spacious mansions called Gouden Bocht started.  In general , the southern part of Amsterdam looks different from the northern part. It is more modern and diverse. There you can find elegant houses, antique shops, theatres, art galleries, churches and cathedrals, the university and hotels. Closer to Amstel, the look of the canals and residential areas changes. Here you can see elegant bridges and berthing barges and a breathtaking view which you won’t be able to observe in Gouden Bocht, for instant.

Berthing Barges in Amsterdam

After World War II, a serious problem arose with a lack of housing. Many people started living in ships and boats along the canals. In present time, more than two thousand five hundred berthing barges made of wood, metal and cement are used for living. They have all of the modern conveniences necessary for living.  Such “floating houses” are made of old cargo ships. Their exterior is almost never changed; however, inside they look different from what they used to be. Every single one of these “floating houses” has its own “address”. In general, such places are quite comfortable to live in. There are usually several rooms inside: a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. Some of them have an open terrace where the Dutch people like to set up a garden. You might think it could be cheap to own one of these “floating houses”; however, if it’s made of metal, for instance, it requires an inspection in order to check for rust once every three -four years and change some parts that are rusting. It also regularly needs to be cleaned from sea weed, shellfish and mussels which this can be very expensive.  If you also add the cost of insurance, all of the taxes and utilities, you’ll see that it’s much more expensive than living in an ordinary house.

In 2010, the canals of Amsterdam entered the List of the World Heritage of UNECSO. As well as wind-mills, tulips and wooden shoes they have become symbols of the city which give it its charm and uniqueness.    

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