August 10th

Miracles of St. Ignatius of Loyola-Ruebens

Lamentation of Christ-Crayer

Portrait of a Couple-Sanfvoort

A Merry Company- Palamedesz

Today we toured the Kunsthistoriche Museum with Dr.O. It was a very expansive museum with great pieces of artwork that in one day, would be impossible to see. It was interesting to find out that Rudolf II was a prominent art collector and his efforts were responsible for the great collection there. There are great examples of Catholic art that hang in the Kunsthistoriche Museum. For example, Gaspar De Crayer’s Lamination of Christ is a strong emotionally charged piece that depicts the body of Christ being taken down from the cross and held by his mother, the Virgin Mary. The expression on Mary’s face is one of utter sadness and the presence of angels and saints only emphasizes the sorrow that follows the death of Christ. This is what is referred to as a pieta, and this clearly emphasized the central tenets of the catholic counter-reformation. This work was meant to emphasize the personal relationship each and every catholic has with the Son of God. His suffering is meant to increase the belief that the Protestants were heretics who were bound for eternal damnation and only through belief in the Holy Catholic Church; eternal salvation would be insured for all those who prescribed to the catholic tradition. Another piece of Catholic artwork is best illustrated in Peter Paul Rueben’s work entitled Miracles of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This work depicts the founder of the Jesuit order who had the divine powers to heal the mentally ill from their sicknesses. Yet again we have another emotionally charged painting with St. Ignatius healing the mentally ill with a wave of his hand. These two works of Catholic artwork puts emphasis on the Catholic Church’s desire to pay a pretty penny to artists who were willing to paint in the style that the Catholic Church wanted. These works were intended to give deep spiritual meaning to those who looked upon them. This was all about emphasizing the close bond that the Catholic Church had with god, unlike the Protestants who were in open rebellion against the church, as Catholics saw them. Unlike Catholic artwork, Protestant artwork did not put much emphasis on scenes from the bible or had intensely religious symbolism. Anthony Palamedesz painted A Merry Company in 1634. It is a group of Protestants gathered in a household enjoying each other’s company, listening to some music being played. One thing that characterized protestant artists was their desire to sell their paintings to patrons who could afford them. This in turn created an art market where supply and demand formulated their success, rather than relying on a central church to pay them to paint a certain way. They had the freedom to express themselves when compared to painters who were patronized by the Catholic Church who wanted a deliberate scene portrayed. The second work that illustrated the differences between catholic and protestant artwork was Dirck Sanfvoort’s 1639 portrait of a couple.  They were painted in a very puritan style with conservative black ensembles. This was painted for this couple who most likely put this in their home. Humility rather than power and spirituality, seemed to be the major difference between Catholic and Protestant artwork.

August 9th

Main Altar-Stephansdom

Master Pilgrim's pulpit

Madonna and Child

Today was my third trip to Stephansdom, but this trip was much more informative as Dr. O gave a great tour of the entire cathedral. The piece of sculpture that I really found beautiful was the Madonna and child, and was completed in 1330. It is more commonly referred to as the “servants Madonna”. It originally belonged to a wealthy woman who was very cruel to her servants. One day the rich woman lost her necklace and she blamed her servants for the lost necklace. One of the servants prayed to the Madonna, and in time the necklace was found. It was really interesting to see how the s curve was incorporated into the sculpture. It is unique in that the statue is standing in such a way that the curve is the most dominant feature at first and then it allows your eyes to flow upwards and enjoy the striking detail of the Madonna with Christ as a child, which according to Dr. O, is a continuous portrayal of Christ. She said as more modern art movements began to progress, Christ started to look more child like even when he was being depicted as a full grown adult.  I also thought it was interesting that the church was actually damaged in a fire during the closing days of World War II. I had read something online yesterday about a captain in the German army who refused orders from his commanding officer to totally destroy Stephansdom. I was totally surprised to see how the church was able to survive the great fire caused as a result of the war. I could see why the Viennese took buckets of water from their houses to try and douse the flames from spreading. It is one of the most beautiful cathedrals that I have been in since I have been in Europe. The three styles of architecture being gothic, new gothic, and Romanesque all blend together to create this majestic structure. I really admired the symbolic nature of the pulpit that was constructed by Master Pilgrim. The wheels with three spokes went upwards to symbolize the holy trinity being the holy spirit, the church, and Christ. The wheels with four spokes going down along the handrails of the pulpit symbolized the four seasons on earth. The pulpit was just so masterfully crafted and it is quite incredible how that beautiful piece was able to survive the fire that could have destroyed Stephansdom altogether.

August 8th

Today was my first trip to the opera. I must commend the entire class for looking sharp in their attire for the opera. The title of the opera was Die Fledermaus and none other than Johann Strauss composed the music. I don’t really have a great knowledge about the great composers but I did stand in front of Strauss’ grave marker and if you are buried only feet away from the great Beethoven, your composition have given great influence to the musical arts. My impression of the opera was very positive though. The music was very beautiful and I especially was moved by the part in where Eisenstien must leave for prison and I could really feel her sorrow as she sang about the misery that would await her while her husband served his prison sentence. When the talented woman playing Rosaline sang about the noticeable absence of her husband at the breakfast table that really was moving for me. “ In the morning over coffee, when I want to pour some for you, and see the empty cup, no greeting can I wave to you, in misery shall I surely, drink it black and bitter!” The song was beautiful and yet expressed so much sorrow. I was quite moved by the end of that performance.  I really enjoyed the opera and it was really interesting to see how the music was able to play such a major roll within the opera while at times was cast into the background by the riveting performances made by the performers. Overall though the experience at the opera was very enjoyable though. At intermission I noticed how most people headed downstairs to enjoy a nice glass of wine and discuss the opera to that point. It was a very mixed crowd with younger kids, middle aged, and older people. I thought that really conveyed the importance of the opera within Vienna. My perspective on the opera though was that it is an important cultural as well as a social entity. 

August 7th

Fresco in Karlskirche

Private Crown of Rudolf II

Sudarium of St. Veronica

KarlsKirche

Main Altar of KarlsKirche

Today was a real rainy day here in Vienna. A small group of us however decided to head over and check out the Naschmarkt near Karlsplatz. There we saw the various merchants who had jewelry, vinyl albums, and clothing for sale. Ben, Sheena, Misha, and myself stopped at a falafel stand and purchased some great pita bread, humus, and the fried chickpeas that make up a falafel. The man at the stand was very nice and when Ben remarked how he spoke very good English, the man responded that he speaks great English because of all the 10 seasons of Friends he watched. After that we headed Karlskirche, one of the finest Baroque churches in Vienna. The church was constructed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and was completed in 1739. The church was exquisitely decorated and was very beautiful on the inside. The frescos on the ceiling were some of the most detailed works of art I have seen inside a church. Karlskirche really shows off the power that the Catholic Church has and with its grandeur, imposes itself on whoever enters into the sanctuary. The treasury in the Hofburg was an amazing museum. I really admired the crown of Rudolf II. This ornate crown was actually Rudolf II’s private crown. It was for his personal use and was the only crown in world history that depicted a ruler on the crown itself. It was from the year 1602 and had a massive sapphire on top, with giant red rubies, and diamonds set on gold plating. The sapphire was symbolic of the kingdom of heaven, the rubies symbolized the Holy Spirit, and the diamonds symbolized Christ. Altogether the symbolism of the holy trinity seemed fitting for the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. I also thought the Sudarium of St. Veronica was an interesting piece. She was one of the women who wept for Christ on his way to Calvalry while bearing his cross. She wiped his face with her cloth and folded it three times, which made an imprint of Christ’s face. It was interesting how the Catholic Church recognized it as one of three holy Sudariums. I thought that was a bold proclamation because what went in to actually identifying this as a piece of cloth that was actually used to wipe the face of Christ?

August 6th

Klosterneuburg 

Today was our trip to the monastery of Klosterneuburg, which was founded by Leopold in 1114 for secular cannons. In 1133, Leopold expelled these cannons and the Augustinian cannons that are there to this day were brought in. It was amazing to learn how Klosterneuburg is the oldest and largest wine producing monastery in all of Austria.  The highlight of the trip to Klosterneuburg was the Verdun Altar piece. It was crafted by Nicholas of Verdun and was completed in 1181, 11 years after he started. It was enameled metal, with gold-fired molding. It was originally thought to be part of a pulpit and is known as a triptych with three panels that illustrate scenes from the bible.  Another interesting fact about Klosterneuburg was the two spires that form the towers of the main church. They had two different colored stones on each tower. What happened was the tower that was purely made of white stone was because they had taken stones from one specific quarry. They underestimated how many stones they would need and ran out, so the tower on the left that has the yellowed out stones because of that miscalculation. Going into the Baroque church was amazing as well. It was awesome because Dom Ambrose unlocked the rod iron gate and we got to walk up to the main altar where as the people that were touring the monastery on their own were not so lucky. It was really awesome though that we were able to get up close to the main altar while others who were there to see the monastery were forced to stay behind the gate while we got a private tour through the grandiose church. It was cool to hear from Dom Ambrose on his desire to come and join the community in Klosterneuburg. He told us that in the states, priests have to live on their own in solitude, where as in Austria he could live in a community, similar to that of a family. Later on we went to a heuringen and had a great dinner as a class, and the cannons that had shown us around the monastery later joined us.  It was fun to try the blood sausage and to eat some traditional Austrian food. Really enjoyed the potato salad, I really like it better than potato salad in the states. 

August 5th

Roof of Stephansdom with Imperial symbol of the Hapsburgs

View from atop Stephansdom

Stephansdom by night

Beethoven's Resting place

Jewish Burial grounds

Today after class, a group of us went to St Stephen’s cathedral, also known as Stephansdom. The church was an astounding piece of architecture that utilizes both the Romanesque and Gothic styles. You can see the Romanesque style reflected in the massive Giant’s Door, that has a massive pointed archway and the two smaller towers of the cathedral. According to Steven Beller in his book entitled A Concise history of Austria, the construction of the cathedral was made possible by inceasing revenue from trade. Austria in 1192 acquired the province of Styria, traded frequently with Venetian contacts, and had one of the richest iron mines in Erzberg.  Under the direction of Rudolf IV, construction of St. Stephen’s began in 1230 on top a site in Stephansplatz where other earlier churches once stood. This put this in the center of the city. The south tower, which takes 342 steps to get to, the top, stands at 445 feet tall (136 meters) and offered me some fantastic views of surrounding Vienna. One of the most interesting aspects of Saint Stephens Cathedral for me however, was the multi-colored roof. The impressive design and the striking Imperial Eagle on the roof astounded me with its intricate detail. Later on in the day it was really impressive to walk through the graveyard and see the rich sculptures that adorned the final resting places of prominent Viennese. To be standing in front of Beethoven’s grave was quite amazing. This was a man who composed some of the most famous works of music and I was able to go and pay my respects to him. His tombstone was a rich white marble obelisk, adorned with gold trim and was quite beautiful as far as grave markers go. You have the magnificence of the marble gravestones in much of the graveyard, however when one enters into the Jewish section of the graveyard, it looks unattended and forgotten. Most of the grave stones are dilapidated, and are overgrown with greenery. This seems to reflect the rampant anti-semitsim that was wide spread through Europe from the early 20th century through to the period of Nazi occupation that saw the attempted destruction of the Jewish population in Europe. Although i am not Jewish, I laid some pebbles and small stones on the grave-markers to pay my respects to those who lie in rest within that graveyard. 

August 4th

After class today I headed over to the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum where the history of the Austrian military was on display. What I found to be the most interesting piece on display on the upper floor was a tent of a Grand Vizier of the Turkish army. It was quite interesting to find out that Eugene of Savoy actually captured the Turkish tent and had used it as shade for himself and the members of his hunting party. I thought about how in the summer time at the Belvedere Palace, Eugene would have let his friends take shelter under that very tent that he had taken as a trophy during his campaign to save the city upon the Danube. Seeing the car that Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated in was really chilling. I sat and reflected on how the lives of those two individuals led to the destruction of millions of lives in the First World War. It is truly sad that Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were murdered in Sarajevo but for me its just hard to wrap my head around the disastrous consequences those murders brought to the world. It was interesting to see Nazi propaganda that tried to show the Austrians that incorporation into Hitler's Third Reich would be necessary to secure a vast German empire. The sign shown here indicates that with the addition of Austria, 75 million German speakers would make for more Lebensraum or living space for the German aryan race. This sign strongly points out the aggressive expansionism of Adolf Hitler leading up to the Second World War. Through appeasement, Hitler was able to just take lands unchecked and with Austria and Germany having a common language, made for an easy acquisition for Hitler in 1938. After touring the Museum, I hoped back on the bus and in a matter of minutes was back at the Sudtiroler Platz U-Bahn station. The public transportation in Vienna is incredible. The Viennese are very lucky because in a matter of minutes, they can literally traverse the entire city. It makes day-to-day travel around the city much easier. It is amazing to me when I think about public transportation in the states that is just so far behind. The infrastructure in Vienna just outshines America’s. Also you can have a yearlong pass that is good for streetcars, buses, and subways. In the states you would need to have a pass for each of those methods of transportation independently. Even though the United States is much younger than Austria, our infrastructure looks ancient when compared to the modern public transportation of Vienna.

Nazi Propaganda emphasizing the importance of Austria entering into the Third Reich

Franz Ferdinand's car from Sarajevo

A tent of a Turkish Grand Vizer captured in 1683 by Prince Eugene of Savoy

August 3rd

Memorial to Victims of War and Fascism 

Memorial to Jews of Europe

Today’s walking tour started out at the memorial site to those individuals that were killed in an apartment building during the Second World War. It was a fitting memorial and encapsulated the suffering that was brought about during this time period. The sculpture made of beautiful white marble conveyed to me the terrors that numerous innocents suffered while in these Nazi camps during the Second World War. Next to that marble sculpture was a sculpture that tried to amend the wrongs that had been done to the Jewish community. It was a man scrubbing the ground with barbed wire sitting atop of him. Although I believe Ruth Kluger would disagree with the portrayal of Jewish suffering. She feels as though concentration camps should not be used as memorials because so much death and suffering took place there, and that its unfair to portray a collective experience when so many individuals suffered. She felt as though the magnitude of the atrocities committed lose the desired affect when all individuals are just lumped together into one memorial. She feels that it is not appropriate to allow the camps to stand, so that tourists may photograph them as they please. It allowed me to reflect on the terrible, and unnecessary treatment directed toward the Jews of Europe. There is nothing glorious about war, yet it seems as though societies tend to focus on heroic actions and put war up on a pedestal. For me, when I see sculptures that memorialize those who were lost, I can’t help but feel saddened and disgusted. After being in Vienna a few days and traveling through Germany, I find that Vienna with this memorial, has acknowledged their troubled past and has acknowledged their participation in collaborated with Hitler and his Nazi party in 1938 when Hitler announced the Anchluss with Austria. I am torn on how to feel about Austria’s collaboration with the Nazi party. Professor Stuart made a great point when she said how dictators usually gain support by utilizing performances. When Hitler gave his speech from a balcony atop the Hofburg, people were overjoyed. Though not all of them supported the Nazi party, a lot of individuals were swept up in the hysteria that Hitler needed to gain support for his “Third Reich” and his aggressive expansionism. It showed that if the Viennese opposed the polices of the National Socialist party, how were they going to go against the popular majority and the Nazis who now had Austrians under their collective boot heels. 

August 2nd

Graben 

Stephansdom

PetersKirche

Today I received my first real taste of what the city of Vienna has to offer. For lunch my roommate Misha and I grabbed a Kasekrainer at a local sausage stand located by our classroom in the America Institute. The sausage was grilled, and had melted cheese on the inside. It was something that I had never really had before and when I saw that locals were going there as well, I took that as an indication that the quality of the food must be good and that it was something that the Viennese enjoyed. In the afternoon I got my first real exposure to the intricacies of Viennese architecture. I laid eyes upon the Hofburg and noticed how amazing and intricate the architecture is.  I was standing inside the Michael Cupula and just was totally taken back when I looked up into the ceiling. The light shines in through several of the windows and illuminates each individual etching that was painstakingly put into place. It truly amazed me to think that this building was older than the United States and people were able to create such a magnificent entryway with hand tools. This evening I went to Stephansdom, otherwise known as St. Stephen’s Cathedral. I went inside and found that the high alter depicted the stoning of Saint Stephen and had an amazing sculpture depicting the burial of Christ. I was so moved by the sculpture because I truly felt the sadness that was portrayed. The detail was exquisite and the whole inside of the church was truly intricate and beautiful. I found that St. Stephen’s Cathedral has the largest bell in all of Austria and weighs almost 21 tons, and the casing of the bell was somewhat damaged in World War II when the roof caught on fire, but was left that way to ensure that peace would reign after the war. As I walked through Stephanplatz, I noticed that the Viennese were eating a lot of ice cream. I feel as though the people tend to gravitate towards enjoying an ice cream in Europe as compared to the United States. Its different in the States because there are just stores where you go and get an occasional ice cream. In Vienna, and greater Europe though, there are an abundance of stands set up all across the city and people tend to walk around more and enjoy their ice cream on the go as opposed to people in the states who commonly get into their cars and go drive to pick up an ice cream. I meandered down the Graben, which I found was the place to shop in Vienna. Although I cannot afford most of the items I see in the shops. It seemed like a nice area to shop though sense you have big windows set out front and from there you can just meander down the street, stopping at shops that peak your interest, have a look and just continue on your way. Its amazing to me though how you can just walk from street to street not really sure of where you are going and just stumble upon another fantastic piece of architecture.