Today we took the tram to Belvedere Palace, home to Prince Eugene, conquerer of the Ottomans. He got really rich with his military deeds and built this lavish crib. Because he had no heirs, the state got the property and established Austria’s first great public art gallery. It is located high in the city and offers sweeping views of the formal gardens and the Vienna skyline. The collection holds a healthy sampling of Austrian Secession works, prime among them are the works of Gustav Klimt. Promenently displayed a la The Mona Lisa is The Kiss. It is much larger and squarer than I envisioned it. But it is a hypnotic piece that fluctuates between flat, patterned shapes and modulated, interlocking forms, between flat, frontal space and deep, expressive space. Also in the room was Judith I. There were a few unfinished pieces that were fun to analyze and guess at Klimt’s approach to composition and application. Others works of note for me were: Makart, 5 Senses and Oscar Kokoshka, Muller, Egon Schiele, Oppenheimer
We went to lunch in another coffee house. These places are fabulous. I decided to have a sausage before leaving Vienna. And then chose a desert from a showcase of deserts. Yummy. Did I mention that all the waiters are men and wear white shirts with bow ties.
Our 5 days here were not adequate to do the city justice. We never saw the Lippenzer Stallions. Performances are only on Saturdays. All that was available was exercise times. Also, I would be interested in seeing the contribution Vienna made to Art Deco. There were at least 2 major museums we didn’t have time for, The Leopold and The Albertina.
If any of you come to Vienna, i would highly recommend our hotel, The Rathaus Wein and Design. They have been so very accomodating including doing our laundry today for 10 euro. Tonight we are staying in and watching The Third Man In closing, pictures
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