Diergaarde Blijdorp, Rivièrahal

 

New months keep coming and it's time for the August challenge of 'Goed Gezien - Goed Bekeken' which is about Monuments.

Of course I can go looking for castles and that kind of buildings, but I have some favourite monuments that are not the obvious choice.

In Diergaarde Blijdorp (Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam) are 21 listed monuments and the Rivièrahal is one of them. During a visit to the Zoo my husband made some nice reference pictures for me and I decided to paint this scene, the back entrance with on the right the entrance to the indoor accommodations of the black rhinoceroses.

To keep the monumental atmosphere I painted a monochromatic Sepia watercolour. The round shapes of the buildings are still a challenge in itself, but I am happy with the overall result.

The information about the materials I have used, the size of this watercolour and its availability can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam - the 'Rivièrahal' in charcoal

The Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam is one of those places I visit at least once a year. Every time it is different compared to the visit before:  new buildings or new animals are to be seen in the garden. 
It is always crowded at the animal shelters, so there is not much 'peace and quiet' to draw the lions, tigers, birds, elephants, wolves, giraffes and other animals I might like to sketch. 

So I decided to try and show the buildings of Blijdorp Zoo that were designed by the architect Sybolt van Ravesteyn,which are monuments since the year 2007.
First of them is the Rivièrahal - or a part of it. 
This hall used to be a tropical greenhouse, but it is not well isolated. Being a National Monument, it was not allowed to make changes to the construction of the building, so new buildings have been constructed to take over that function and the Rivièrahal is now used for educational projects and an indoor playground.

The zoo is also a botanical garden, so lots of trees and bushes are everywhere to be found. 

More information about this drawing (underpainting used etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com