Aug 20 - Day 20 in Vienna

Today I ventured off on my own to the Albertina Museum. Of course, one of the joys of having your own schedule is that it is easily changed on personal whim. While I aimed to just go to the Albertina, after wandering on the top balcony overlooking the Oper and enjoying the beautiful city view (the view from there was featured prominently in one of my favorite films, Before Sunrise, which is completely set in Vienna), I decided to detour and see what was behind the museum. I cannot believe that after a few weeks of classes just a couple steps away I have not found the lovely park (part of the Hofburg complex, I think) sitting in the middle of the city. It also has one of the most fun places I have been to in Vienna so far – the SchmetterlingHaus (Butterfly House). I definitely did not expect to find a greenhouse filled with butterflies in the middle of the Innere Stadt, so of course I had to go in!

One thing about traveling in Europe I have discovered is that I am continuously surprised and inspired. On my first trip to Europe my ideas about art were changed forever, and so far, on this trip, I have only been further stirred by all the amazing art I have encountered, like Bruegel’s paintings or the architecture of Otto Wagner. I did not expect to fall in love with butterflies and act like a crazy kid for an hour chasing them over the greenhouse. I truly believe Vienna offers everything a person could want in the world – great food, every type of cultural experience possible, and endless and inventive sources of fun. The SchmetterlingHaus is a greenhouse in Jugendstil style, so I justified the visit by examining the structure, but truly, it was just an incredibly fun random event.

After the excitement of running around with butterflies, I was definitely in the mood for cruising around the Albertina museum. I have been seeing advertisements all over town for its exhibits on photography and “Die Brücke” (a German expressionist art movement – The Bridge – that I knew nothing about prior to today) and I was very excited to see another of Vienna’s amazing museums. Luckily for me, I’m still 19, so I got in for the reduced price. Otherwise, it’s quite expensive, but most definitely worth it. It’s collections of drawings is seriously impressive. The building is stunning in its own right as well. The Habsburg State Rooms section also functions as part of the art museum, holding drawings by Michelangelo, Dürer, Rubens and Schiele. The state rooms, which are exquisitely decorated, were constructed by the man who founded the Albertina, Duke Albert von Sachsen-Teschen, from 1801 - 1807. I also saw the exhibit on Australian Aboriginal Art, something I have never viewed before in person. They are filled with dots and colors, symbolizing the secret “tjukurrpa”, or stories of their ancestors.

The exhibit on the “Die Brücke” artistic group surprised me. I had never heard of the movement, nor am I at all familiar with German art, so it was certainly a fascinating few hours looking at the massive collection. The group was formed in Dresden in 1905 and disbanded in 1913 after artistic tensions led the artists to dissolve the group. They were influenced by Van Gogh, but created their own unique style. One of the main innovations of the group was the “Fifteen Minute Nudes”, in which the artists sought to reject the academicism of art school by drawing nudes fast without precision or thought of anatomy. They also brought back woodcuts, which the audio guide informed me reached the pinnacle with Dürer hundreds of years earlier. I loved that I had just seen examples of his works and could now be looking at the new innovations in woodcut, which included color blocks and designs that were made directly onto the woodcut without prior design. My favorite painting was by Schmidt-Rottluff, called Woman Reading (Else Lasker-Schüler). It has cubist elements and features a woman that the audio guide informed me was a poet who wrote in the German expressionistic style. Her work sounded insane, off the cuff, and definitely avant-garde. I definitely enjoyed the exhibit.

The other highlight of the Albertina for me was the exhibit on photography, In Passing – From 1930 to Today. I could not believe the amazing collection the museum has. I definitely gasped when I came across Cartier-Bresson’s Valencia, Spain, which I spent a great deal of time studying in my history of photography class. There was his most famous ‘decisive moment’ photograph, right in front of me! The museum also included works by Frank, Friedlander, Winogrand, etc. – essentially, all the big photographers of the past seventy years. I just love how in Vienna whatever I’ve studied I can come across with in person. Coming into contact with history or art literally happens everyday here.

After my wonderful museum tour it began to rain. I love Vienna in the rain. After traveling so much over the past week I have just come to realize how much I love Vienna no matter what and wherever I am, whether in the middle of nowhere or in the heart of the city center. A few of us explored more of Simmering and went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner.

After that, three of my classmates and I went to the Café Museum, which I think serves the best mélange in the city that I’ve had so far. We had a classic Viennese experience, sipping coffee and talking about history, literature, and philosophy.