Kunsthistoriches Museum (and Butterfly House)
Day 7
"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."
~ Thomas Merton
Despite its old world appearance, the Kunsthistoriches Museum was only built in the late 1800s, by Emperor Franz Joseph I.
The mural on the ceiling at the top of the grand staircase is filled with images of great artists and philosophers, and is designed to make the museum visitor feel like they are ascending the stairs into an intellectual heaven.
"Madonna of the Meadow," Raphael
"The Four Rivers of Paradise," Peter Paul Rubens
"The Art of Painting," Johannes Vermeer
"The Miracle of Saint Ignatius Loyola", Peter Paul Rubens
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This one was particularly interesting because it was an example of the Rubens process. The smaller painting on the left is what Rubens actually painted. The massive work on the right, which we think of as "the Rubens", is actually the work of all his employees and apprentices in his studio.
"Water" from "The Four Elements" and "Winter" from "The Four Seasons", Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Gerhard concluded the scheduled portion of our museum tour by lunchtime, and we had the rest of the afternoon on our own. My parents and husband and I enjoyed a snack and coffee. They wanted to continue exploring the museum, but I was "arted out," so...
I snuck off to Das Schmetterlinghaus, or Butterfly House. It is in the Burggarten, the royal garden of the Hofburg Palace. It's a magical little oasis, and also a nice way to get warm when the weather is a little more gloomy.
The evening ended with a final dinner with the group, and an hours-long conversation with everyone about all the things we saw and did.
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I may not ever talk with any of these people again. And years from now, I may not remember all their names. But I will always remember how the variety and perspectives of the other people on the tour helped to make my own experiences richer. I will remember Mary Lou helping us to make strudel, and how Shelley looked at everything with an artist's eye. I will remember how Scott started out reluctant, seeming only to be there because his wife made him, and ended up being willing to try anything. And I will remember how Jackie's Jewish faith gave this part of the world some extra melancholic poignancy.
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Travel is not just about where you go; it's about what you learn and how you grow. I may lack the eloquence to write my own quotes, but I know that exposure to both new places and new people are among the best learning experiences we can ever hope to have.
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If any of my tour companions are seeing this now, thank you.