Today was our tour of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The building itself is neo-Renaissance and meant to be a sort of temple for the arts. It is positioned directly across from the Naturhistorisches Museum. These two museums mark the entry into the Museumsquartier, a collection of several museums to which we get free entry. The Museumsquartier is considered a trendy place to go, and is very different from museums in the US. It even has its own shopping area. The Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) has its own café, where you can order sweets and drinks. I enjoyed a Sachertorte before going into the museum.
At the beginning of the museum is a statue of Theseus killing a centaur. This is in the neo-classical style (after the Baroque period). This statue was made for Napoleon to glorify his victories, but when it was finished Napoleon had already lost power and never picked it up. Luckily, Francis I of Austria—Napoleon’s father-in-law, bought it.
Our first artist we saw was Albrecht Duerer, the so-called “Leonardo of the North.” Apparently, he was a jack-of-all-trades like Leonardo. He was trained in medieval paintin methods of mysticism, but was also a Renaissance man. Many of his paintings show his mastery at painting the human body contorted—not just idly standing or praying to god. In his Martyrdom of 10,000 Christians, for example, he depicts individuals being killed in a number of different ways, demonstrating his skill and knowledge of anatomy. His Allerheiligenbild is an example of a Gesamtkunstwerk—a work of art that extends beyond the boundaries of the canvas. In this case, the frame was designed by Duerer as well, but when Rudolf II—the commissioner—dispatched his servants to get the painting, he told them to carry it by hand so the painting wouldn’t be damaged by the jostling cart. When they arrived to pick up the work, however, they had to leave behind the frame because it was too heavy to carry.
Next on the list was Pieter Bruegel, or “Peasant Bruegel.” He would disguise himself as a peasant, go into the village, and observe the peasants in their everyday life. He was a genre painter, painting everyday life, and a moralist as well. His Carnival vs. Lent depicts a battle-like scene between the penance of Lent and the gluttony and debauchery of Carnival. His Kinderspiele shows many groups of kids in a village playing rough “games” like fighting, pulling each other’s hair, seeing who can take the biggest crap (seriously), and other similar games. The countryside, by comparison, is quiet and peaceful.
We saw works from several other artists, for example Peter Paul Rubens, from the Netherlands. In the early 17th century he set up a workshop for artists that greatly influenced the direction of art in the area. Jan Vermeer’s The Art of Painting shows the subtlety of painting. Jan Steen’s die Verkehrte Welt depicts a party scene at the second before drinks are spilled, people trip and fall, and the shit basically hits the fan. We also saw paintings by Velasquez of several Habsburgs, which all looked sickly and victims of inbreeding.
After our tour, several friends and I went to a coffeshop and tried to blog. There we experienced something rare in Vienna: good service. We ended up eating dinner there, and headed back home full and a little less behind on our blogs.
Deutsches Wort des Tages: Autobahn. In English 'Highway.' Auf den deutschen Autobahns kann mann wohl sehr schnell fahren
No comments:
Post a Comment