December '22

Vienna, Austria

Taking a trip to Vienna has always been at the top of my list (mostly for symbolism and the session!) Pulled in by the never ending golden threads painted by Klimt and the expressive figures of Schiele. Last December I finally did. Delve into a dream in the dark of a December in Vienna with me.

The City

The architecture of Vienna is breathtaking, especially in winter. Be prepared for a lot of walking and be sure to wrap up warm! The metro is straightforward to navigate but simply walking around the city has it's charms; spotting the little details inlaid throughout, coveted jewels in the city's fabric. One of the most striking and considered buildings has to be The Secession.

Vienna Secession

2,500-3,000 gilded iron laurel leaves cradle together to form a hollow dome above the white structure, created as a sanctuary for art. A glinting temple, you follow up the steps and look above the threshold, greeted by the three gorgons, serpentine hair enticing you in.

The Vienna secession, formed towards the end of the 19th century sort to shelve the classical standards that had come before and establish new, modern approaches to embrace the unity of painting, architecture and decorative arts. The Beethoven frieze was part of a wider exhibition that celebrated just that; architecture, sculpture, music and visual art, created in celebration of 75th anniversary of composer Ludwig van Beethoven's death. The angelic, symphonic frieze wraps around the top of the room to envelop you in symbolic scenes influenced by Beethoven's ninth symphony.

(below) Right wall, Paradise Choir

Susanna and the Elders, Tintoretto, 1555/1556

The Kunsthistorisches Museum

One of our first stops in Vienna was a visit to the Kunsthistorisches. Every inch of the museum is adorned in grandeur, gilded or decorated with stucco ornamentation and sweeping murals.

The picture gallery has an extensive collection of Venetian, Flemish, Old Netherlandish and Old German works; Pieter Brugel the elder, Velaquez, Vermeer, Durer and Caravaggio to name a few. I really enjoyed the collection of antiquities too, full of illuminated busts. You could easily spend a whole morning or afternoon inside the golden maze and I'd highly recommend.

Winter, Acrimboldo, 1573

The Belvedere Museum

The Belvedere was the second gallery we visited. Split into 3 different sections: the upper belvedere (OB) featuring 800 years worth of art including works by Klimt, Schiele and Funke, the lower belvedere (UB) containing lots of different periods and belvedere 21 holding the contemporary collection. The upper and lower collection were by far my favourite!

(left) Nude between Two Rocks, Koloman Moser, c.1915. (right) Mother with Two Children, Gustav Klimt, 1909/1910.

(right) Woman in prayer, Ivan Meštrović, 1917

(directly below)

(far left) Salome, Erich Mallina,1905

(far right) Dance of the elves, Josef Maria Auchentaller.

The Leopold Museum

Saving the best till last: The Leopold Museum. This was such a gem! The collection encompasses late 19th century through to modernism and has a huge collection of Austrian artworks and movements such as the Austrian Biedermeier, Viennese Secession, Jugendstil, impressionism, expressionism and symbolism. I knew to expect certain names such as Schiele, Klimt, Gerstl, Moser but was captured by so many new names which is one of the many reasons I love exploring galleries.

If I ever visit Vienna again, I will most definitely be returning to the Leopold!