I think I'll have to split this post in two, there are so many photos. I seem to be having such difficulty in posting, I'm posting a few at a time - come back later if you can't see all 8!
This being Museum day, we did not make a very early start as Museums don't open until 10. First on our list was the Museum of Fine Arts, an extremely imposing baroque building. It was opened around 1891 at the same time as the Natural History Museum, by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary. The two museums have identical exteriors and face each other across Maria-Theresien-Platz. They were commissioned by the Emperor in order to find a suitable shelter for the Habsburgs' formidable art collection and to make it accessible to the general public.
Maria Theresien-Platz is the area of grass, trimmed shrubs, fountains and statues which you can see in my photo. The building is rectangular in shape, and topped with a dome that is 60 meters high. The inside of the building is lavishly decorated with marble, stucco ornamentations, gold-leaf, and paintings.
We had found our way there by public transport, so while Paul searched around to find the things he wanted to see, I went for a cup of coffee. The museum houses a big Egyptian section, a great many Greek and Roman Antiquities as well as a Picture Gallery with an impressive collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings which was what we wanted to see, so Paul ran about deciding where to go while I relaxed in the coffee shop.
I don't think there can be too many museum cafés where you drink your coffee in quite such grand surroundings.
The main staircase is pretty impressive too
Some of the paintings in the corners above the arches are by Klimt, but I'm afraid you can hardly see them - they're almost impossible to photograph.
We seemed to start at the wrong side, so we began with Caravaggio, of whose paintings the museum has a fine collection. The most famous one, the Madonna of the Rosary, did not photograph very well, but I preferred David with the head of Goliath anyway
I'm afraid my photo isn't as sharp as it might be, it's always difficult taking photos inside this museum. You were allowed to take photograph here, without flash, but it's still hard because the light isn't always right and you need to get out of the way quickly as other people want to look at the paintings.
One of the real jewels of the museum is this Raphael, The Madonna of the Meadow.
The whole room was devoted to Raphael, Bellini and Parmigiano and followers of Raphael, but I really preferred the one above.
There was also quite a collection of Titians, more than I'm accustomed to seeing elsewhere, but I can't post everything I liked!
This museum contains the world's largest collections of paintings by Peter Bruegel the Elder, so it was difficult to choose my favourite.
In the end I chose Hunters in the Snow to post here, but they also had other old favourites which everybody knows, like Peasant Wedding or Peasant Dance. The Museum favours The Tower of Babel, but I don't like it as much as some of others.
There was a wonderful Rembrandt self portrait, tucked away somewhere in a back room.
I chanced upon this quite by accident, and am surprised this museum doesn't make more of its Rembrandts.
There was just one Vermeer, again one which I think everybody knows, The Art of Painting.
I don't think I'll be able to post any more photos, but I have a great many more. So there's no room here for the van Dykes, the Rubens (I don't like Rubens anyway) the Holbeins or the Dürers.
We were quite tired after all of these paintings, so we went back to the imposing café for a humble sandwich before setting off for the second art gallery of the day.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment