My mother has come to visit - the weather's nice and it's Sunday. What better place to visit than the Belvedere. Just off Karlsplatz lies the Belvedere, which was built between 1721 and 1722. It was once inhabited by Prinz Eugen, but since 1919 it has housed a rather impressive art collection ranging from Medieval Art to Fin de Siécle. The main reason (I presume) that people visit the Belvedere is to catch a glimpse of "Der Kuss" by Gustav Klimt.
I have always admired Klimt's work - it manages to portray the Secession sentiment perfectly. "Der Kuss" is something that should indeed be seen with one's own eyes - no replica can ever do it justice. When I saw "La Jioconda" by da Vinci at the Louvre, I must say that I was rather disappointed - I had always imagined it to be a rather large painting, but infact it was the size of a postage stamp (from where I was standing). I believe the heaving masses surrounding the painting may have caused my displeasure, but in my mind, that particular painting will always be a disappointment. On the contrary, one could go up to "Der Kuss" and admire all its offerings. Indeed, I was impressed by the painting, but here are some others that caught my eye:
The afternoon was spent at Schloss Schönbrunn, the former imperial summer residence. Situated close to where we live, the gardens are a great place to spend lazy Sundays. Mother and I picked up our Korean audio guides and for an hour or so were overwhelmed by the splendour of the place (however, it is no match to Versailles...).
We learnt all about the Habsburg Dynasty, and even visited the room where Karl I signed his "Verzichtserklärung" on 11.11.1918.
Sissi (Elisabeth of Bavaria) spent very little time at the palace, or with her husband Franz Joseph it seems. While many tourists know of Sissi either because she was a fashion icon at the time or through the film starring Romy Schneider, her life was rather tragic. She was married off at the age of 16 - something she came to regret in later life and heavily critised by her mother-in-law.
Now back at home, I am off to enjoy strawberries, the Formula 1 AND the World Cup! What a treat!
No comments:
Post a Comment