Upper Belvedere Art Museum

The best way to understand a culture is through their art.  At the Upper Belvedere museum in Vienna, Austria, there is an impressive amount for artists from the region on display.  The first exhibit was from Medieval to Renaissance.  

Much of the subject of the art work from that time was religious.  It was interesting to see the details of the clothing in the paintings, as well as the style of clothes worn in the region.  I have seen more artwork from Medieval to Renaissance from Italian artists, and therefore the clothing represented has followed the Italian style.  

A Royal Saint represented in Sudtiroler Bildschnitzer's wood carving (c. 1500).

Panel paintings from an Our Lady altarpiece, probably from Hall parish church, by Marx Reichlich (Salzburg).

As the artwork moved into the Baroque period, artists began to paint more portraits rather than religious art that showed the subjects social status and wealth.  It was important to demonstrate their influence through art.

Price Eugene of Savoy, part of the Habsburg dynasty (1718).

The museum itself is a representation of the opulence and power of the Baroque period as well.  These rooms were once inhabited by Price Eugene himself.

Portrait by Martin van Meytens d. J.
"Double Portrait" (1740)

As the Baroque period progressed, portraits and self-portraits began to show more and more the subjects character or state of mind.  This was interesting to see the progression or change of philosophy in the paintings.  The subjects began to show more human qualities or personality.  This was not something that I had noticed previously in art, but it became obvious as I walked through the exhibit.

Portrait of a Boy (1749) by Christian Seybold (Vienna). 
This portrait begins to show more of the boys personality and the lighting in the painting isn't typical of previous eras.  The lighting is more moody and almost obscures the boys face.

The Lacemaker (undated) by E.K. Lautter
This painting is interesting how the woman looks right into the viewers eyes.  To me she has a bit of a critical look on her face, perhaps to criticize how the younger girls are making the lace.

The Imperial Count Moritz Christian Fries with his Wife Princess Maria Theresia Josepha and his Son Moritz (c. 1805) by François Pascal Simon Gérard.

What is interesting about this painting is that it is showing a more private side of the royalty of the time rather than a very formal portrait.  The family is more casual in how they are sitting and choosing to represent themselves.  What I like about this painting is attention to detail in the clothing that the artist included.

Farmer's wife from Ramsau at the Spinning Wheel (c. 1836) by Franz Eybl (Vienna) 
The painting has incredible detail in the fabrics and clothing of the farmer's wife.  The painting begins to show how portraits began to capture elements of everyday life, and the subjects no longer represented to upper classes.

Another example of an artist breaking the mold during the Baroque period was in the Character Heads of Franz Xaver Masserschmidt.  These sculptures showed character studies of various expressions that were uncharacteristic of the late Baroque period.  Messerschmidt created about sixty portrait busts with these unique facial expressions.  

In another wing of the Belvedere Museum were representations of Modernism (late 1800s-early 1900s).  This wing housed several paintings by Gustav Klimt who was born in Vienna, Austria. His earlier work is typical of the period, but as he developed his style the paintings become more deconstructed and more abstract with textures.

Portrait of a Woman (1893/1894) by Gustav Klimt

Fritza Riedler (1906) by Gustav Klimt
The portrait of the woman is still realistic by the background of the painting becomes more abstract.

The Kiss (Lovers) (1908) by Gustav Klimt
Perhaps one of his most famous paintings during Klimt's "Golden Period".  He used gold leaf, gold powder, silver and platinum to create the gold effect in the painting.  

Johanna Staude (1917/1918) by Gustav Klimt

Bride (1917/1918) by Gustav Klimt

This painting has elements of the textures and patterns from previous paintings.  It is more about the symbolism and the abstraction of the forms, rather than accurately representing the subjects.

Amalie Zuckerkandl (1917/1918) by Gustav Klimt
This painting is interesting when looking at the progression of the paintings that came before it.  The woman is painted in a realistic manner but her clothing and arms are more abstracted, and the painting looks almost "unfinished".