ART ART ART (#2)

     Schloss Belvedere

          The Belvedere is a MUST-SEE!

       The majestic, breathtaking palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy, the famous military hero who conqueored the Turks in 1718, is stunning -- both in its architectural design and interior collection. The palace is divided into two parts: the Upper and Lower Belvedere. Designed by Hildebrandt, the Belvedere is one of the finest baroque palaces in the world. Indeed, upon entering the palace, my attention was captured by the grandiose, three-story architecture and its reflection upon the water.
          "What a divine stretch of loveliness!" The dual reality, one of the actual palace and the other as reflected on the water, suggested an interplay on reality and illusion. The adrenaline rush, in my case, was like standing face to face with not only one, but two Dior Couture dresses!

      (image taken from wikipedia.org)

The Lower Belvedere was Prine Eugene's summer residence; while he entertained the courtesans in the Upper Belvedere, he prefered to stay in the more humble Lower Belvedere. 
The summer residence is connected to the orangery. 

(image: the long garden between the two Belvederes was laid out in classical French style)      

The most marvelous aspect of the Belvedere is its art collection. It is now the home of the Austrian Gallery. The first floor houses paintings from the turn of the 19th century; the second floor concentrates on 19th century paintings from the romantic, classical, and Biedermeier periods. The most important artists represented are Klimt and Schiele, both associated with the Art Nouveau school.

[note: Schiele is discussed in "Art Art Art #1]

•  Anton Romako

            Why was I intrigued by Romako's work? I don't really know. His   works, displayed in the gallery, consisted of portraits. This one is titled "An Italian Fisherboy". 
           There is something about the way the boy glances off to the side that renders the image rather vivid. If you look closely, the fishes in the basket shine with an intense lustre, and drip water droplets. The work is a brilliantly captured "in-the-moment" and I loved it!

• Vestimil Hofmann "Madonna"

            Hofmann's "Madonna" is a regal piece. The featured Madonna is not clothed in rich robes, nor is she removed from worldly sufferings. Here, she appears helpless, unable to save her children from poverty; the children are dressed in tattered linens and afflicted with hunger. the mother, in this case, is unable to offer anything except her love (as exemplified by her tender holding of the child), yet, it is this augmented notion of nothing-ness, the extreme poverty, that heightens the glory of maternal love.  

• Klimt 

            Klimt, one of the founders of the Secessionist Art Nouveau school, was known for his decorative art. His later paintins employ an ostentatious use of metallic gold and silver background color. The effect of the metallic luster is rather powerful and I highly recommend seeing a Klimt in person, the experience will change you. 

The Belvedere contains one of Klimt's best works, The Kiss (1908)

            Note the decorative symbols on the robes, squares and ovals, are indicative of gender. The gold background, which is of a more muted tone than the shimmering golden figures in the center, creates a sense of dream-like reality. The longer I stared at the painting, the more drawn in I was. The gold enveloped me and the color pigments seemed to float in the air... The colors, the shades of gold, infiltrated my space and I felt as if I was seeing, breathing, and dreaming gold... 
            It was a magnificent experience to see The Kiss. The man kisses, ever so lightly, on the woman's cheek. The gold that shrouds that two figures makes it rather difficult to separate the two (whose robe is whose), but maybe the point is to not separate the two, maybe their togetherness/oneness is fused together by the gold and sealed with the kiss. Sigh, so much's being said and expressed with "the kiss". 
            After The Kiss, that whole afternoon i was torn between feeling this light, golden bliss, and the desperate need to get kissed... a soft, gentle, kiss. 
[note: If you like Klimt's works or are interested in modernization/modernity, (a period known as the fin de siecle), then do visit the Secession. The Secession, otherwise known as the "Golden Cabbage", is an unmissable sight. The Secession house Klimt's famous Beethoven Frieze, a 34m-long work.]

         

ART ART ART (#1)

     Vienna is art heaven! At least for someone like me, who's slightly direction-challenged and thus am a not-so-good driver, the accessibility of the Viennese musuems (all within walking distance from the Ringstrasse) is such a relief! Imagine, culture and beauty, all walk-able! :)

MQ    

     The MQ, Museums Quartier Wien, or the Musuem Quarter is an area that contains several museums including: Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK), Vienna Architecture Centre (Architekturzentrum Wien), Art Hall (Kunsthalle Wien), Leopold Museum, and ZOOM (children's museum). If you find the MQ a delicious treasure, purchase the MQ Kombi Ticket and for 25 euro and you can visit all of the above museums except ZOOM. I visited MUMOK and the Leopold Museum.
     MUMOK
     I'm not a fan of the modern art, I often find the works too... unpleasing. It is rather painful to look at the literal translation of the disturbed psyche. However, I was intrigued by the exhibition  that was showing at the time. It was titled "Traum & Trauma", meaning "Dream & Trauma". The English translation fails to capture the word play of the original text; for dreams, as the product of the unconscious, often address fears or anxieties -- the negative emotions that are surpressed by the dominant superego. Here, the artists explore the various negative emotions by actualizing them into art works. It was a rather unsettling experience.
Upon entering the exhibition, I felt like an intruder stepping into someone's unconscious and probing into his or her private thoughts, which may very likely resemble the entangled red mess/web.
It was rather odd, when my presupposed notion, that individuals' fears and desires are isolated from my own, was overturned. At times, I find myself sharing similar anxieties such as the fear of violence or having animal-like nature (defecation). The artists pushed the unconscious, which resides in the background, into the foreground. The act forced the viewers to acknowledge trauma's unequivocal presence.

One of my favorite piece of work was the painting of the slice of cake (as shown on the left). The original painting was gigantic, bigger than me (a lot bigger)!  When staring into this perfect, glossy cake, with its delicate pink frosting, it was as if I was sinking into the canvas, into this sea of electrifying pink-ness, and I desperately wanted to take a bite of the cake. Yet, there was an underlying disquietude. The cake was just too perfect... and the pink too overwhelming. It screamed, Hansel and Gretel, a Brothers Grimm fairytale. If you know this cautionary tale well, then you know that beauty masks danger. For a cake this lovely, I am sure it has to be poisonous.
Leopold Musuem: Schiele

I absolutely must recommend the Leopold Musuem! The Leopold Museum started in 2001, based on the private collection of Rudolf and Elizabeth Leopold. It housed the world's larget collection of Schiele. This talented artist lived a brief life, dying at age 28. It was as if he knew he was going to die, for he produced prolific works. He is characterized by his intense, expressive lines. Indeed, Schiele is a master of lines, he never has to draw it twice. I saw his sketches, and was awed by his masterful control of his strokes -- perfection!
The above picture is titled "Death & the Maiden". The color palette is rather muted, composed of shades of brown and dense tones. The barren landscape, surrounding the two figures, seems to augment the overwhelming presence and inevitability of Death. I cannot really describe what it was like to view his paintings, but to experience a Schiele is to experience absolute isolation. His figures always feel alone. Even in his work, "The Family", in which he drew himself, his wife, and his unborn child, each figure remains utterly detached. There is no connection, not a touch, not even an eye contact. I remembered leaving the Leopold feeling blue, as if a pale melancholy enshrouded me, and I thought to myself, "in suffering we suffer alone... ultimately, we're alone..." 
[note: some of Schiele's works are displayed in the Belvedere]

Music in Vienna

     Vienna,  well-known for its music, boasts its numerous talents including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and the Strausses. Thus, a complete Viennese experience must include music. My friends, Laura and Tracy, and I succumbed to the persuasion of a Mozart look-alike peddler and bought tickets to a concert, which promised everything -- music, opera, ballet, and champagne!

On a Wednesday night the three of us went to the Haus am Beethovenplatz for the concert. It was rather enjoyable. The program definitely catered to the tourists; each performance never exceeded five minutes, which is just the right amount of time before attention starts to wane. For a music lover, the program would not suffice. However, we had a good time and at least I can inform my parents that my Vienna journey was not in vain, there was "culture" :P. My favorite is Johann Strauss' 'The Blue Danube'. It is considered Vienna's unofficial anthem; as the waltz began and the delightful notes started to permeate the concert hall, I felt my spirit lifted by the cheerful tune. I believe that 'The Blue Danube' epitomizes Vienna. Whenever I hear the waltz, I see the Danube, in its regal blueness, glittering under the sun like a satin ribbon. Each of the two quicker beats (out of the 3-beat waltz pattern) marks the heartbeat of the river,,, to me, the Danube and Vienna share one heartbeat.
     In addition to attending the concert, we visited Haus der Musik (House of Music). It was a charming museum that was both educational and interactive. The first floor exhibited the historical archives of the Vienna Philharmonic. The second floor dealt with sound itself; it addressed the mechanics of sound. I liked the "sound wall" where I get to listen to the sampled sounds such as 'baby's crying', etc. The third floor covered Vienna's composers, which included: Josef Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss, and Gustav Mahler. My favorite was Strauss' room. It showcased the waltz era and had artifacts such as the dainty laced gloves, the delicatedly printed invitation cards, and lovely fans. On the floor, there were footprint stickers and if you follow them, you can Viennese Waltz across the floor! You could even conduct a full orchestra; I tried, and I failed (the experiment affirmed my suspicion that  I am highly uncoordinated).



(image to the right: an ink painting of Mozart)

Ringstrasse and Nearby Architecture

     In Vienna's center, there's a beautifully paved road lined with monumental architectures and rows of green trees known as the Ringstrasse, or the Ring. This circular road marks Vienna's center and the rest of the city grows from that point, ring after ring. The reason why the city's urban planning follows the RIng traces back to 1848 when Franz Josef I, the newly crowned emperor who was at the peak of his power, decided to overhaul the medieval city and reconstruct the city. Although defining the effort as an act of modernization, the buildings on the Ring are either of the High Renaissance or neo-blank (e.g. neogothic, neobaroque, and neorococo) style; it wasn't until the rise of the Jugendstil and the Secession did true "modern" style, a new style that is removed from traditional arts and addresses the new, collective psyche,  develop. 

1. Votivkirche: Votive Church, finished in 1879, Gothic style.
2. Rathaus: The City Hall is constructed in 1872, neo-Gothic style. During my summer stay, there was the Musikfilm Festival (July & August), which featured operas, operettas, and concerts in the Rathausplatz (the square in front of the City Hall). In addition to the good music that began after dusk, there were booths serving food and drinks. Although we didn't understand German, the nightly outings were great fun. In addition to the mundane options of either stay at home or go clubbing, we can opt for the novel alternative of attending an outdoor concert (something cultural) with good companies (hehe, meaning both my friends + delicious snacks + wine). 
3. Parlament: Across from the City Hall is the Parlament (neo-classical). The Grecian architecture and the statue of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, are perfect (since Greece is the home of democracy).
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Naturhistorisches Museum & Kunsthirstorisches Museum: The museums, both in neo-Renaissance style, are situated across from each other. The identical exteriors exude a sense of majestic grandeur. I highly recommend visiting the National Art Museum; it showcases an extensive collection of arts that ranges from Egyptian to Renaissance paintings and sculptures.
   
   
   
5. Majolkahaus: On the way to the Naschmarkt, the local market, you will run into two apartments designed by Otto Wagner in 1899. The buildings are decorated in the Art Noveau style, a trend that is also known as Jugendstil, or 'Young Style', and is characterized by organic motif such as curling plant tendrils or flowing hair. The image on the left shows the facade decorated in pink floral motif whereas the right one displays gilded leaves and flowers.      
6. Karlskriche: The church, built in 1713, is in Baroque style. I love the play on dual-reality; for in front of the church there's a pond that reflects the church and thus creating a mirroring double. It is a grand piece of work, divinely beautiful! When visiting the church, you can pay a small fee to climb up the ladder and see the frescoes that are under restoration. It was quite an amazing experience, having an almost one-one closed-up moment with these religious arts.
   
   
   
7. Karlsplatz Pavilions: Another work of Otto Wagner, the station is an important work. It marks the shift into modernity through its use of new materials such as glass and steel. This work demonstrates that although modernity, with its industrial and technological advances, results in a loss of refined craftsmanship, artistic values do not need to be compromised. The station manages to combine beauty and functionality.