Another piece of art
August 24: Thursday
Two things were on the agenda today. The first of these was the last official "class" of the trip, and we had a lot to cover. As in, all the years from 1848 up to 1945, in terms of Austrian history. It was quite a rush. I guess the good thing about it is that the war years were topics that we already knew pretty well, so we didn't have to cover any general info.
The second thing we did was visit the Leopold Museum in the Museumquarter. Now, I'm gonna admit right now that I always assumed that the Leopold Museum was named after an old Holy Roman Emperor, and I was completely wrong. Its named after the 20th century private art collector Rudolf Leopold. Everything in the collection is owned by him - hundreds of millions of dollars worth of artwork.
The building itself was only opened in 2001. I'm so used to museums in Vienna being built into 500-year old castles that I was floored. It's a modernist, square white building that's deceptively large: it appears to be only three stories until you get inside and realize that it also stretches two stories underground!
Tale of Two Artists, and One War
So.... history. My favorite period of artwork has always been that of the turn of the 20th century - impressionists, expressionists, realists, symbolists, and modernists were all intermingling and creating art in some of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Vienna, of course, was one of these artistic epicenters.
The turn of the century, of course, isn't just important to me in terms of art, but in terms of the world around that art. This was a world of peace and stability and beauty and innovation and thought. Yet it was a world of movement: of workers' rights, of womens' rights... and of army plans.
For in 1914 the Great War would break out. On my visit to the Military History Museum (as well as in readings in various WWI books), I saw examples of the effects on art the Great War would make.
... But I'm getting ahead of myself. The tour focused on two artists in particular: Gustav Klimpt and his younger contemporary Egon Schiele. Both of them were prolific, controversial, and expressive. And both would die in the last year of the war: 1918.
At the Belvedere Museum (see August 22), I already saw some pieces of artwork from Gustav Klimt - including his most famous one, The Kiss. The Leopold Museum had no shortage of Klimpt's works either. However, the Museum is structured in such a way that art isn't just showcased - it's presented in story fashion.
Sometimes hidden symbols and abstractions are nice, but sometimes the horror of war can only be expressed directly. Klimpts painting of deceased World War I soldiers, already the color of the mud beneath them, is disturbing and beautiful.
Left: Egon Schiele may be most famous for his Self-Portrait and Portrait of Wally, especially given the historical story behind the latter, but after our guide explained this painting to me, I think I like it most of all.
The religious affair: cardinal and nun. What I think is brilliant, and what I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me, is their position. Take away the nun and what is the cardinal doing? He's praying - on his knees, arms clasped. Take away the cardinal and leave the nun, and it's the same thing.
I don't know why, but I just find that so, so good.
Right: A recreation of Klimpt's art studio.
Since we're nearing the end of this class trip, I'd just like to say that one thing I'm appreciating most from this trip is the artistic journey. Art history is so often seen as a nonsense-concept (and a money-less major) but the truth is that history is important, and art is important, and SO MUCH history can be seen through art.
I believe the artist sees the world through his or her own eyes, but the world always invades them, shapes them, slaps them and shakes them up and gives them their inspiration.
And thus history can be captured, if only from one point of view.
