The man's gaze is upwards. He looks puzzled. Why is he hanging here now? Here, in Amsterdam? He comes from Spain, doesn't he? Then he hung in St Petersburg for years. This room, as deep red and imposing in size as the ''Spanish Hall'' in the Hermitage, by the way, looks an awful lot like the room where it hung for so long. Incidentally, he is alone. Only in the frame. The rest of the painting has been lost. And how that can be, no one knows. We do know that Diego Velazquez de Silva painted it, in 1616/1617. That yes, that great Spanish master. Who now hangs with other Spanish masters in the exhibition of the same name in Amsterdam. For the first time. Spanish masters were rarely on show in Amsterdam.
The man is now on posters all over town. And looks equally amazed at the names written above his head on the left: El Greco, Ribera, Zurbaran, Velázquez, Murillo, Goya & Picasso. Those resounding names have finally come down to the Netherlands. Finally, because the museums here have few paintings by these Spaniards. The Louvre in Paris has a fine collection, but the Hermitage in St Petersburg has the largest collection of Spanish art outside Spain's borders. The Hermitage has 160 masterpieces and a quarter of them have left the museum for six months. So the Dutch public can get to know that other Golden Age: of Spain. Here are seven more reasons to visit this exhibition:
1. The other audio tour
This time, no voice explaining what you see. No names, years or art-historical facts, but a mix of Spanish music, which gives the canvases an extra dimension. Classical music DJ Von Rosenthal put this one together. He plays sacred music at Ribalta's crucifixion and puts guitar music to Murillo. That pasf perfectly. So he has selected music for a lot of canvases, which makes them come to life even more.
2. The great hall
Here you imagine yourself in the Hermitage. Complete with the frieze just below the ceiling. Here you immediately feel and see how Spanish art was created in the Golden Age. It was made for the court, churches, monasteries and palaces. For the glorification of the emperor, the church, the faith. In the Golden Age, when Spain became immensely rich thanks to the conquest of overseas territories, Spanish kings such as Charles V and his son Philip II commissioned many works of art.
Philip II had a huge palace built just outside Madrid, 'El Escorial', which was abbey, church, mausoleum, library and a seminary all in one. The kings commissioned the mainly religious scenes and had their rules on how they were to be painted. The Spanish really liked the chiaroscuro (the contrasts between light and dark) they had seen in their Italian counterparts and applied it a lot. Here hangs the top: Ribalta, Ribera, Zurbarán, Murillo. ''The Apostles Peter and Paul'' by El Greco was already on display in a small room before the Great Hall. Although he created beautiful work for churches in Toledo, he had fallen out of favour with the court for not complying with the commission and going his own way.
3. The horrors
Once you have admired the overwhelming works and make your way to the first floor, you will see prints from the early nineteenth century by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, Goya for short. They hang here for three months and are then exchanged for other prints because of their fragility. They are horrific events from the Spanish War of Independence, which the artist witnessed. And sadly, it seems that very little has changed in those few centuries, in terms of human barbarity.
4. The eyes
And then you suddenly find yourself face to face with Antonia Zárate. An actress whose portrait Goya did in 1810-1811. There is something about those eyes. One eye still looks hopeful, the other not. But the closed mouth speaks volumes. The actress died not long after. Tuberculosis. A little further on, intriguing eyes again, this time of a more distant lady. It is a portrait of Princess Maria Ilyinichna Golitsyna, from 1857. You think you vaguely know those eyes from somewhere, and yes, the maker, Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz was apprenticed to Dominique Ingres in Paris.
5. The unexpected
As so often with exhibitions at the Hermitage, it is the lesser-known works that suddenly draw attention. Antonio Pereda's ''Still Life with Cabinet'' from 1652 is already a fine canvas. As is the mysterious ''Sunset in the Pontine Marshes'' from 1901 by Enrique Serra y Augué. A peaceful landscape, with clear blue water, sunset and in the foreground a little chapel with a light. Especially fine is ''Pendant in the shape of a caravel'', a small ornament made of emerald, gold and enamel. One of the most interesting objects in the Hermitage, which travelled with the paintings.
6. The Spanish atmosphere
The words are already dropping in the exhibition: passion, temperament and pride. Of course, those characterisations are reflected in the paintings. As are bullfights. There is a huge bullring by an unknown artist, as well as etchings from Goya's ''La Tauromaquia'' series. But the other side of the bullfight is also depicted, with ''Farewell to the torero'' by José Villegas y Cordero from 1888. He has painted the costumes in exquisite detail. And the look in the woman's eyes as she says goodbye to her torero speaks volumes.
7. The open gaze
The audio tour already invites you to look more open-mindedly, differently. This is reinforced by children, who take part in ''The Hermitage for Children'' and follow an educational programme or a talent class. Pupils of these have given their reactions to the paintings and these can be read on the signs next to the usual text signs. They are disarming and original additions, which in turn make you look at art with different eyes. For instance, they also point out the loneliness of Picasso's ''Boy with Dog'' (1905), together with an early still life by this Spanish genius, the closing piece of the exhibition.
''Spanish masters'' at The Hermitage Amsterdam. 28 November 2015 to 29 May 2016. Catalogue 29.95 euro. More information: www.hermitage.nl
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