99The “Naschmarkt" in Vienna1894[Carl Moll]Carl MollOil on canvasVienna’s old Naschmarkt is a hive of activity. Stalls are tightly packed, the Baroque church of St. Charles rises into the cloudy sky behind. In addition to this idyllic image of everyday life, Carl Moll has sensitively captured the atmospheric light. The summer sun shimmers and glistens, casts dark shadows, and imbues the painting with its unique appeal. By combining French Impressionism with an endeavor to portray visible reality, Moll and his generation of artists breathed new life into Austrian painting in their day. Their path usually led them outdoors where they depicted all they saw in fleeting atmospheres of light, air, and weather. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/5950/rdfSea Idyll1887[Arnold Böcklin]Arnold BöcklinOil on woodThe merman has grabbed the seal firmly by the scruff of its neck. His child gawps in astonishment at the catch, while the mother only just keeps hold of a sleeping infant. Böcklin’s Sea Idyll can be interpreted as a bourgeois family, from whom the painter distances himself with subtle irony. Instead of a table, the family has gathered around a rock, while still assuming the classic gender roles: the man is the family’s breadwinner, the woman looks after the children. Yet this family is free from social norms and constraints. The nude merfolk move through their element, water, without shame, but also with no overt displays of eroticism.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/6157/rdfThe Evil Mothers1894[Giovanni Segantini]Giovanni SegantiniOil on canvasA young woman is in the midst of an icy landscape. A child is suckling from her breast and she is entangled in the branches of a tree. Her head turned to the side, her back arched, the mother is struggling against the infant with all her might. In this barren mountain world, Giovanni Segantini is showing us the fate of women who surrender themselves to desire but refuse to accept motherhood. As punishment these mothers had to endure “the castigations of purgatory,” as the painter himself put it when referring to his moralizing image. The women had no choice other than to accept their fate and thus find redemption. In the background these reformed mothers can be seen dancing with their children toward the mountains.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/6224/rdfThe Chef (Le Père Paul)1882[Claude Monet]Claude MonetOil on canvasThe light! The colors! Impressionist paintings seem to radiate light from within. Nuances of pink, blue, and green are juxtaposed. Close up, all one initially notices are dabs of paint. Only from the right distance do the chef’s hat and jacket, illuminated passages and shadows take shape. Like all Impressionists, Monet is not interested in neatly depicting real objects but rather in the fleeting perception of optical phenomena. The sitter is Paul Antoine Graff. He was a much-lauded chef and the owner of a small hotel in Pourville in northern France, where Monet stayed for several weeks in 1882.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/6289/rdfThe Kiss (Lovers)1908 (finished 1909)[Gustav Klimt, Ministerium für Kultus und Unterricht, Moderne Galerie]Gustav KlimtFigures: gold leaf, silver leaf, platinum leaf, resin oil colors on primed canvas (zinc paint). – Background: Composition gold (brass), glazed, flakes of metal leaf “The Kiss”, probably Klimt’s most famous work, was painted at the height of his Golden Period without a direct commission. It shows a couple, melting into one, at the edge of a meadow of flowers. Only the different patterning of the robes distinguishes their bodies that are enveloped in a shimmering golden halo. Klimt actually used real gold leaf, silver, and platinum in his picture. He presumably started work on it in 1907 and exhibited the painting at the Kunstschau in June the following year under the title “Lovers”. From this show, the Ministry of Art purchased it for the Modern Gallery—now the Belvedere—for a price that was high even then. In autumn 1909, a catalogue of this museum cited the work for the first time as “The Kiss”, the title by which it is world famous today.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/6678/rdfThe Plain of Auvers1890[Vincent van Gogh]Vincent van GoghOil on canvasAs if after a downpour, a narrow strip of greeny-blue sky hangs over the plain at Auvers. The landscape seems to be absorbing this color. Although red and orange flowers still blaze in the foreground, toward the horizon the shades gradually merge into a uniform array of hues. A sense of depth and the high horizon evoke the wide expanse of the scene while the rolling countryside is captured in turbulent brushwork. Van Gogh spent the last two months of his life here at Auvers-sur-Oise. After his brother Theo sent him some long-awaited canvases and paints, Vincent was swept into a creative frenzy, making dozens of pictures such as this work. The painter died soon after its completion.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9/rdfAfter the Bath1876[Pierre Auguste Renoir]Pierre Auguste RenoirOil on canvasThe woman is staring dreamily into space. She appears to have paused while drying herself, feeling unobserved. Lively brushstrokes dance around her body, shimmering sunlight models her form. The artist does not define her location. The background—perhaps a shady bank—is composed of pure, abstract color. Renoir went down in history as one of the founders of Impressionism. Over the years, he repeatedly returned to the subject of bathers. In this work he has depicted his model in a fleeting, snapshot scene. She is Anna, a poor girl from Montmartre, who also appears in two further works by the painter.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/57/rdfMagdalena Plach1870[Hans Makart]Hans MakartOil on canvasMagdalena Plach, wife of the Viennese art dealer Georg Plach, has been portrayed in profile from quite a low angle. Her face is outlined against the background like a silhouette. The lavish fabric of her white dress adds volume to her figure and emphasizes her presence. Emperor Franz Joseph I had called Makart to Vienna in 1869. And it was this portrait that helped secure the young artist’s breakthrough one year later. Women from the aspirational bourgeoisie were particularly impressed and everyone wanted a portrait by Makart. His patrons were those entrepreneurs, merchants, and bankers who had made their fortunes through industrialization. Their residences are a defining characteristic of Vienna’s grand boulevard, the Ringstrasse. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/264/rdfStigmatisation des hl. Franziskusca 1502/1503[Lukas Cranach der Ältere]Lukas Cranach der ÄltereMalerei auf Fichtenholz Kneeling with his eyes wide open, Saint Francis receives the stigmata of Christ. The painting is an early work by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Hailing from Franconia in Germany, he spent a period in Vienna from around 1500; it was here that he created his first paintings. Cranach’s work from Vienna is characterized by expressive gestures and a pronounced interest in nature and landscape, light and color. On the right is an atmospheric view of a small castle, its form reflected in the water. Mountains are silhouetted behind this, rendered in delicate hues of blue.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/279/rdfEarly Spring in the Vienna Woods1861[Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller]Ferdinand Georg WaldmüllerOil on woodSnow is still on the ground, but violets and primroses are already in flower. Oversized and tantalizingly close, Waldmüller depicts them in the foreground. Some have been picked by the children. One girl bashfully offers her bunch to a boy. But this painting’s main motif is neither flowers nor children, but the landscape, captured by Waldmüller using only a few hues of blue, green, and brown—colors echoed in the children’s clothes. Light, which falls evenly on the figures and the landscape from the left, does not introduce accents but evokes atmosphere, and in this approach Waldmüller was well ahead of his times. His contemporaries responded with incomprehension or even harsh criticism.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/513/rdfFrom the Tuileries – Gray Day1883[Tina Blau]Tina BlauOil on woodTina Blau had achieved success. Her art was acclaimed not only in Vienna but even in Paris. Blau had made the most of her time in the French capital. She visited the Tuileries Garden and painted the park’s central avenue between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in various weather conditions. Here it is a gray and overcast day. Only a few darkly dressed people are out and about. The wooden panel is left partly visible, the paint has been applied in thick impasto using short brushstrokes. Just a few strokes suffice to render the wood planters, a cape, or the statues on their plinths. The painting belongs to a group of works that led to Blau’s recognition in Munich when she exhibited there in 1890.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/585/rdfAfternoon on Capric. 1829[Carl Blechen]Carl BlechenOil on canvasCapri. Monte Castiglione and the coastline by the Marina Grande are in dazzling sunlight. This bleaches the colors and heightens the contrast between the dark shadows and the “cool” blue of the sea. In this blazing heat a young fisherman sits on a wall and plays the zither for his lover. He is essential to the scene as fishermen epitomized the carefree, authentic life in—and this is important for our understanding of Blechen’s painting—an ancient cultural landscape that had already been settled by the Greeks, as the wall illustrates. Blechen was in Capri in 1829 and made numerous sketches, although he painted this picture in his Berlin studio.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/1034/rdfMen on the Seashore1908[Edvard Munch]Edvard MunchOil on canvasSummer 1907. Munch traveled to Warnemünde, a resort on the Baltic Sea, for a period of recovery. He rented a small fisherman’s house not far from the sea, where he discovered a new subject. For the first time the Norwegian artist focused his attention on the naked male body. The following year, he painted two men in a frontal pose, while the third plunges into the waves to join the rest of the group. A photo shows Munch working on a variation of the same motif. He is standing on the sandy beach, holding a palette and paintbrush, a naked model posing in the background. This version was intended for an exhibition at Kunstsalon Clematis in Hamburg, but it never left the gallery’s cellar: “Naked men are still unusual,” as the collector Gustav Schiefler wrote to Munch.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7860/rdfSt Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna1832[Rudolf von Alt]Rudolf von AltOil on canvasRudolf von Alt, the master of cityscapes, was meticulous in his attention to detail. His St. Stephen’s Square is a hive of activity. A procession is passing through, a store’s displays attract customers. Some people stand still in pious contemplation, while others crowd around the store regardless, and a carriage waits in the shade. All this takes place in front of the Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which Alt has depicted against a low sky. The cathedral looks like a backdrop on a stage and, as in a theater, pieces of scenery jut into the “set” on either side. On the left a steeply angled façade draws the viewer’s eyes into the pictorial depths, whereas the Baroque Lazansky House on the right positively blocks our line of sight.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7881/rdfNapoleon at the Great St. Bernard Pass1801[Jacques Louis David]Jacques Louis DavidOil on canvas In this aggrandizing propaganda image, Jacques Louis David depicts Napoleon as a mighty warrior leading the French troops across the Great St. Bernhard Pass in May 1800. The campaign aimed to reconquer Piedmont and Lombardy, a goal achieved when the French army was victorious at the Battle of Marengo. There are four versions of this work; this particular painting was intended for Milan. As part of the heroic presentation of the general, the artist replaced Napoleon’s mount—a mule—with a rearing horse. Marching onward beneath the steed’s hooves are Napoleon’s soldiers. Names carved into the rocks show the French ruler as following in the footsteps of Hannibal and Charlemagne. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7889/rdfSelf-Portrait as a Young Man1828[Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller]Ferdinand Georg WaldmüllerOil on canvas Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller presents himself in this self-portrait not in the classical artist’s pose in front of an easel with a brush and palette but as a fashionably dressed young man in a landscape setting. Right after completion, he showed the painting in 1828 at an exhibition at the Vienna academy, where he attracted considerable public attention. Although painted in a studio, the portrait convincingly simulates the open-air setting. Waldmüller succeeds in bathing the figure and landscape in the same light. Underneath his signature, which indicates that he was thirty-five years old at the time, is a peony, referring cleverly to his great skill as a flower painter. His versatility made him one of the most sought-after artists in Vienna.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7921/rdfSea Storm near the Arco di Miseno near Miliscola, Looking toward Nisida1819[Joseph Rebell]Joseph RebellOil on canvasRebell’s painting has absolutely nothing in common with the softly lit Italian landscapes that were popular in his day. His theme is nature in all its primal force. Light bursts dramatically through the dark blanket of clouds and a natural rock arch, the Arco di Miseno, near Naples. The muddy brown sea has been whipped up in the storm, the small fishing boat is a plaything of the waves. At any moment it could smash against the rocks and sink. Utterly “moved and terrified” was Dorothea Schlegel’s reaction to the painting, as she wrote in March 1820 to her husband, the philosopher Friedrich Schlegel. This and three further views from the Naples area were commissioned by Emperor Francis I. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7923/rdfGirl in Front of the Lottery1829[Peter Fendi]Peter FendiOil on canvas This depiction is one of the first genre pictures in 19th-century Austrian painting. The story woven around the girl is centered on the figure herself rather than a particular event. Whether the young woman is brooding about money already lost on the lottery or considering investing in the sweepstake for Linz announced on the sign, is left open to question. Peter Fendi did not choose this theme by chance but was referring to the boom in gambling, which made the lottery a hot topic of the time. When this picture was shown at the Vienna academy exhibition in 1830 it was highly acclaimed in the press. Emperor Francis I acquired it for his picture collection that same year.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7977/rdfThe Dead Saint Cecilia (Roman Version)1820–1821[Johann Evangelist Scheffer von Leonhardshoff]Johann Evangelist Scheffer von LeonhardshoffOil on canvasSaint Cecilia lies on the ground as if asleep. Two angels hover over her, one holding a palm frond as a symbol of her triumph over death. Only a small cut in the back of her neck indicates that she has been martyred, a fate she suffered as a Christian in Rome in the third century. Scheffer von Leonhardshoff joined the Nazarenes in 1815. Rejecting Neoclassicism, they regarded Raphael’s painting as their ideal. It was from Raphael that Scheffer adopted the triangular composition of his figures. The fingers of Cecilia’s right hand are conspicuous: they could allude to the Holy Trinity or to the organ that the martyr—the patron saint of church music—was often depicted playing.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8044/rdfRudolf von Arthaber and his Children Rudolf, Emilie, and Gustav1837[Friedrich von Amerling]Friedrich von AmerlingOil on canvasFriedrich von Amerling chose an unusual arrangement for this group portrait of Rudolf von Arthaber (1795–1867) with his children. Arthaber had made his fortune from the manufacture and Europe-wide sales of his Viennese shawl, a popular fashion accessory from the period. Amerling depicts the successful businessman, collector, and art patron as a father, surrounded by his children in an elegant salon. A small picture that is said to depict their deceased wife and mother connects the family members in loving memory. Although the ambience of the setting appears to capture domestic culture in the early 19th century, the painting was in fact composed in the studio. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8045/rdfPhiloctetes (Wounded Warrior)1808/1809[Johann Nepomuk Schaller]Johann Nepomuk SchallerLeadA warrior, shown nude and bending forward. His weapons are amassed on the ground. He is Philoctetes, who was bitten by a snake on his way to Troy. His screams and the stench of his wound had become unbearable, causing the Greeks to abandon him. Philoctetes was left behind as the living dead. Schaller does not depict him in pain and anguish, however, but as a youthful and handsome hero. Even today, this small sculpture has the power to astonish. The artist created this major work of Neoclassicism when he was only thirty years old. He was adhering to the standards set by classical sculpture, most obviously the obligatory nudity and moderation—in other words the temperance of both positive and negative emotions.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8087/rdfStill Life with Mutton and Haycinth1910[Oskar Kokoschka]Oskar KokoschkaOil on canvasThe artist a “mangy creature,” his pictures “repugnant buboes reeking of a foul smell.” It was above all Kokoschka’s wild, expressive style of painting that prompted art critics to man the barricades. And they were also appalled by his crude scratches into the oil paint and his experimental approach to traditional and religious themes. This still life was painted following an Easter invitation to the house of Dr. Oskar Reichel, an internist and collector. It shows a dead sheep, a tortoise, a mouse, and an amphibian, and a mysteriously shining hyacinth, all found at the collector’s home. Kokoschka grouped them into a haphazard arrangement of novel symbols of transience and redemption.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8158/rdfThe Ship of Fools1923[Oskar Laske]Oskar LaskeTempera and gold leaf on canvasEin Schiff bahnt sich den Weg durch die stürmische See. An Deck herrscht ein unglaubliches Gewimmel. Zwischen den Masten sind eine Kirche und ein Prozessionszug zu erkennen. Rundherum wird gefeiert, marschiert, gemordet. Mit einem Wort: Die Welt ist aus den Fugen geraten. Es gibt keine Ordnung und keine Orientierung mehr, womit Laske das Lebensgefühl vieler Menschen nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg und dem Ende der Habsburgermonarchie zum Ausdruck bringt. Als literarische Grundlage diente Sebastian Brants Moralsatire Das Narrenschiff von 1494. Laske „übersetzte“ den historischen Text in seine Zeit und integrierte Persönlichkeiten des Wiener Kulturlebens, darunter Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele und Helene Funke.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8187/rdfJoseph Relating his Dreams1910[Emil Nolde]Emil NoldeOil on canvasIntensive Farben und bewegte Pinselstriche bestimmen diese Bibelszene des deutschen Malers Nolde. Sie zeigt Josef, der seinen Brüdern von nächtlichen Visionen berichtet und dafür nur Spott und Hohn erntet. Mit geschlossenen Augen konzentriert sich der schmale junge Mann auf innere Bilder, während die groben Gesichter der anderen Männer zu bedrohlichen Fratzen geraten. Auch der Einzelgänger Nolde mag sich als Außenseiter gefühlt haben. Seine charakteristische Bildsprache stieß auf wenig Verständnis. Ab den späten 1930er-Jahren galt sein Werk den Nationalsozialisten als Paradebeispiel „entarteter Kunst“. 1941 wurde er, trotz seiner Sympathie für das NS-Regime, mit einem Berufsverbot belegt.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8209/rdfStill Life with Chrysanthemums and Amaryllis1922[Lovis Corinth]Lovis CorinthOil on canvas Four years after the end of World War I, Lovis Corinth’s oil paintings radiated a sensory splendor and optimism that were completely at odds with the political and economic conditions of the time. The artist seems to immerse his boldly painted canvases into a sea of color. Still Life with Chrysanthemums and Amaryllis was purchased, together with a landscape, directly from the artist’s studio for the collection of the Österreichische Galerie, today’s Belvedere.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8246/rdfStill Life with Flowersc. 1834[Eugène Delacroix]Eugène DelacroixOil on canvasGeorge Sand wanted this floral still life to be always in view. It was for her, France’s most famous female writer of the nineteenth century, that Delacroix painted this work. Whether it is indeed the artist’s first painting of flowers is unknown. But this does not detract from its importance as a work of art. Delacroix worked entirely with color; there are no clearly defined shapes or lines. His motivation was not botanical precision but the interplay of the colors, which he applied as contrasts, in enhancing juxtapositions, or radiant in their own right. Delacroix was thus well ahead of his time; his flower paintings and those of the Viennese Biedermeier era are poles apart. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8255/rdfThe Mountains of Klostersc. 1923[Ernst Ludwig Kirchner]Ernst Ludwig KirchnerOil on canvasErnst Ludwig Kirchner is regarded as one of the main exponents of German Expressionism. The painter was also a leading figure in the artist group Brücke, which he co-founded in 1905. In 1917 Kirchner moved to Switzerland to recuperate after suffering a nervous breakdown during his military service. In the alpine landscape around Davos he discovered new motifs for his art. Kirchner painted dramatic mountain panoramas, views of deserted countryside, and majestic peaks. His energetic application of bold colors also serves to add rhythm to the composition. Forms from the towering mountains are thus echoed in the trees while the curves of the clouds recur in the foreground alpine pastures. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8275/rdfLaxenburg from the Pavilion on the Hana Meadow, Looking toward Mödling1758[Johann Christian Brand]Johann Christian BrandOil on canvasKeine Geringere als die Monarchin Maria Theresia soll vom Pavillon rechts im Vordergrund aus den Blick auf die Reiherbeize genießen. Heute nahezu nicht mehr bekannt, war dies einst eine höfische Jagdform mit Falken, der Brand gleich vier Gemälde gewidmet hat. Mit ihnen nimmt die Landschafsmalerei in Österreich eine entscheidende Wendung, denn statt Fantasiegebilden zeigt der Künstler zum ersten Mal die unverwechselbaren Eigenschaften der Gegend rund um Laxenburg südlich von Wien. Durch seine Tätigkeit als Professor an der Wiener Akademie wurde Brand so zum Begründer der naturnahen Landschaftsmalerei und zur prägenden Figur für die weitere Entwicklung im 19. Jahrhundert.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8377/rdfRocky Landscape in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains1822/1823[Caspar David Friedrich]Caspar David FriedrichOil on canvasThe rocks forming the gate to Neurathen Castle in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, southeast of Dresden, soar into the sky. Before them our gaze traverses a ravine with trees clinging to its steep slopes—some that are lush green, others that are dead. A mighty uprooted tree cuts through the picture space in a diagonal. It forms a break in the image, separating the view of the chasm from the lofty heights of the rock gate. All of this is symbolic: trees, ravine, and rocky pinnacle represent the genesis and demise of all that is earthly, are visual metaphors of both the divine and of death. When this was painted in the early 1820s there were already hiking trails in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and a footbridge leading to the gate of Neurathen rock castle, but these have not been depicted by Friedrich. The rocks forming the gate to Neurathen Castle in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, southeast of Dresden, soar into the sky. Before them our gaze traverses a ravine with trees clinging to its steep slopes—some that are lush green, others that are dead. A mighty uprooted tree cuts through the picture space in a diagonal. It forms a break in the image, separating the view of the chasm from the lofty heights of the rock gate. All of this is symbolic: trees, ravine, and rocky pinnacle represent the genesis and demise of all that is earthly, are visual metaphors of both the divine and of death. When this was painted in the early 1820s there were already hiking trails in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and a footbridge leading to the gate of Neurathen rock castle, but these have not been depicted by Friedrich. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8389/rdfThe Spreading Pine Tree in the Brühl Valley near Mödling1838[Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld]Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von CarolsfeldOil on canvas The ancient parasol-shaped pine close to Mödling near Vienna had long been a popular destination for day-trippers. In Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld’s painting, the giant tree towers above the rolling hills of the precisely recorded landscape. The artist has arranged the figures around this natural monument as if on a stage. An elegantly dressed couple in the foreground gives alms to a beggar, while a small group of peasants has paused for a rest. Schnorr had a close association with the Nazarenes, a group of artists interested in Romantic religious subjects. However, this depiction of the imposing pine tree reveals the growing preoccupation with an exact observation of nature. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/1964/rdfDeath and Maiden1915[Egon Schiele]Egon SchieleOil on canvasMortality and death are existential themes that Schiele ventured to address time and again—here associated with a biographical event. It shows a couple, the young woman clinging with both arms to her lover. The man, a self-portrait of Schiele, stares into space. The fragile balance—the artist is alluding to this in the figures’ unstable poses—seems as if it could shatter at any moment. The girl is his long-term partner and model Wally Neuzil. He had split up with her to marry Edith Harms, who was from a middle-class family. After their separation, Neuzil trained as a nurse. In 1917 she died of scarlet fever during her wartime deployment.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/1968/rdfView from Mönchsberg Hill of the Hohensalzburg Fortressc. 1830[Friedrich Loos]Friedrich LoosOil on cardboardLoos did not choose the city itself or its most famous landmark, the Hohensalzburg Fortress, as his subject, but instead the Mönchsberg Hill, or more precisely its steeply sloping rock faces. Like a surgical incision, we see the interior of the mountain, its composition and geology, exposed. The silhouette of Salzburg in the distance serves merely to locate the subject. With his close-up view of the rock formations, Loos demonstrated his skills as an artist. Yet he was always on the lookout for new subjects that would appeal to buyers. He found these on his walks in Austria, and later on in Rome and Kiel. This left him with a large stock of drawings, which, often years later, he used as resources for his paintings.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/1978/rdfThe Bread Cutter1823[Moritz von Schwind]Moritz von SchwindOil on canvasWe see here a young nobleman who is in the service of a knight. Gazing into the distance, the squire is cutting a slice from his large loaf of bread. His sword is beside him; his clothes—especially the slashed doublet and his shoes—point to the sixteenth century. They are as “old German” as the landscape with the gently flowing river, the village, and the Gothic church in the distance. Schwind was a key exponent of the nineteenth-century vogue for the romance of knights and castles. Known primarily for his fairy-tale images, he often romanticized the “good old days.” The past thus became an idyllic retreat from the present and its rationalism, which the painter experienced as increasingly cold and inadequate. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/1992/rdfStill Life with Two Heads1932[Rudolf Wacker]Rudolf WackerOil on woodWacker has arranged four items for this still life: a bird suspended by a barely visible string, a child’s drawing on the wall, and, further down, on the table, a wig head and a vase containing a single flower. Each of the objects exists by itself, and yet their placement relative to one another suggests subtle interconnections between them. Wacker was concerned with the “world of the visible.” An exponent of the New Objectivity, he sought to show things as they are. His pictures exude an air of cool dispassion—of “objectivity”—yet they are also quite affecting. The wig head, in particular, makes for a piteous sight. The Berlin-based sculptor Lily Gräf, in 1934, found its flayed “skin” and splintered nose more than she could bear.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2084/rdfThe Steamer Station on the Danube at Kaisermühlenc. 1871/1872[Emil Jakob Schindler]Emil Jakob SchindlerOil on canvasSchindler named his style “Poetic Realism.” He championed painting in the open countryside, depicting weather and light conditions, a new simplicity in subject matter, and the unique atmosphere of the everyday. Brilliant sunlight illuminates this tranquil stretch of the Danube riverbank. State of the art at the time, the steamship dazzles in resplendent white, the cloud of soot and its dissipation masterfully rendered. Dabs of paint for walkers and the cropped composition capture the randomness of the moment. It is a peaceful coexistence of nature and technology, disclosing nothing of Schindler’s vehement criticism of the Danube’s regulation, which had just begun at the time. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2136/rdfFritza Riedler1906[Gustav Klimt, Fritza Riedler, Aloys Riedler, Emilie Barbara Langer, Österreichische Galerie]Gustav KlimtOil on canvas Dignified, reserved, and majestic, Fritza Riedler (1860–1927), the wife of a wealthy mechanical engineer, sits in a chair as if enthroned. The delicate features of her pale face stand in striking contrast to her dark hair. There is not a flicker of expression on her face, not the slightest stirring to provide a glimpse of the sitter’s inner self. Gustav Klimt combines the naturalistic depiction of his model with a background dissolved into ornamentation. Even the chair is transformed into an ornament composed of wavy lines and ancient Egyptian eye motifs. This interplay between depth and an emphasis on the picture plane characterizes Klimt’s work from his so-called Golden Period. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2177/rdfThe Return of the Herd1844[Michael Neder]Michael NederOil on wood The tightly packed herd is heading back to the farm. Flat bodies fill the picture’s narrow, stage-like space. By arranging the animals in parallel to the picture plane, Michael Neder dispenses with space-creating perspective. In this respect, the artist was already defying the prevailing ideas about art in his day. While his artist colleagues were always striving to surpass themselves with their superlative colors and sophisticated compositions, Neder confined his color scheme to only a few hues. His art left his contemporaries baffled. The painter Friedrich Gauermann was one of the few to recognize and foster Neder’s talent. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2462/rdfCottage Garden with Sunflowers1906[Gustav Klimt, Karl Wittgenstein, Hermine Wittgenstein, Österreichische Galerie, Galerie Sanct Lucas]Gustav KlimtOil on canvas Sunflowers and dahlias, marigolds, asters, and flame flowers. In this work, Klimt more than lives up to his reputation as the “artist of eternal flowering.” Against a backdrop of verdant green, he has filled the picture plane with a vibrant sea of flowers. This abundant, vivid array stirs memories of a radiant summer day. It transports us to a dream world beyond space and time, where flowers and leaves never wilt. One typical characteristic of Klimt’s landscape paintings is their square format. In order to find the perfect section of a scene, the painter used a viewfinder. “This is a hole cut into a piece of cardboard,” he explained in a letter to his lover Mizzi Zimmermann.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2483/rdfLady in a Furc. 1880[Édouard Manet]Édouard ManetPastel on canvasShe gazes self-confidently out of the picture. Her hair has been carefully styled, her fur draped casually over her shoulders. The young woman seems about to go out, were it not for the flimsy blouse barely concealing her breast. Titian and Peter Paul Rubens both painted famous portraits of women clad only in a fur wrap. But Manet’s interpretation is completely different from his famous predecessors. Rather than an elevated or detached image, this appears to be an authentic snapshot of Parisian life at the time. The impression of spontaneity is further heightened by the artist’s chosen medium of pastel. He applied the pastel crayon both roughly and with great delicacy, an impression that is simultaneously sketchy and subtle.Drawing arthttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2661/rdfPath in Monet's Garden in Giverny1902[Claude Monet]Claude MonetOil on canvasIt is late summer. The leaves and flowers seem positively to shimmer, the painting a tapestry of juxtaposed dabs of paint. Solid shapes are nowhere to be seen—everything is color. The herbaceous borders of nasturtiums, asters, and dahlias and the sandy path leading to a house all shine brightly. Dappled shadows dissolve into an array of dark hues. In spring 1883 Monet moved to a house in Giverny, northwest of Paris. He immediately started designing the garden; a water-lily pond was a later addition. In 1872 the little-known painter had unwittingly given Impressionism its name when he exhibited Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise). His water-lily paintings and images of this avenue in his garden represent the climax and culmination of this style.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2683/rdfSelf-Portrait, Laughing1908[Richard Gerstl]Richard GerstlOil on canvas In his short artistic career, Richard Gerstl remained an outsider. A passionate music lover and student at the Vienna academy, he refused to exhibit his works in public and had little contact with colleagues. Independently from the various artist groups in Vienna, from 1905 onward he started developing a radically modern expressiveness that seems ahead of its time and was probably inspired by the works of Edvard Munch. When he died at the young age of twenty-five, he left behind around eighty works, which did not become known to a wider public until several decades later. They include numerous selfportraits, mostly with a serious expression. Even the laugh captured with wild brushstrokes in this portrait is more menacing than cheerful.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2829/rdfThe Family of Count Nikolaus Pálffy von Erdödc. 1760[Martin van Meytens d. J.]Martin van Meytens d. J.Oil on canvasThe Hungarian court chancellor, Count Nikolaus Pálffy VIII, appears proud in the midst of his family. Rather than an idyllic gathering in nature, the focus of this portrait is dynastic prestige. The cascade of red fabric draped within the tree emphasizes the family’s high social status. While the young son poses with a hunting rifle, one of the daughters feeds a lamb—thus highlighting the different gender roles. Emulating the portraiture of the French court, Martin van Meytens has rendered the sumptuous garments with meticulous precision. The monumentality of this painting testifies to the importance of the Hungarian aristocracy in the age of Maria Theresa. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2849/rdfReclining Woman with Book and Irises1931[Max Beckmann]Max BeckmannOil on canvasSie hat es sich bequem gemacht. Nur mit Strümpfen und engem Korsett bekleidet, liegt die Frau auf dem Sofa. Von ihrem Gesicht sind lediglich ein Teil des Mundes und ein stark geschminktes Auge zu sehen: Sie liest und rechnet zugleich mit dem männlichen Betrachter. Bestimmend für den Bildeindruck sind die kraftvoll-expressiven Farben. Schwarz ist dabei essenziell – in den Konturen, Strümpfen und im Sofa. Hinzu kommen die Grundfarben Gelb, Rot und Blau. Alles – Kleidung, Blumen, die aufreizende Haltung – lässt die Frau als Prostituierte erscheinen. Aber könnte es sich nicht auch um Beckmanns Gattin Mathilde handeln? Einen Hinweis darauf bieten die grauen Hausschuhe, die die Dargestellte trägt. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2914/rdfMount of Olivesc. 1750[Paul Troger]Paul TrogerOil on canvasIn the night before his crucifixion, Christ prayed to his Father—his hands clasped in despair, his head bowed low. Whereas other artists included the sleeping disciples in this biblical scene from the Garden of Gethsemane, the painter Paul Troger focused entirely on Christ’s loneliness. An angel and crying putti in the background accompany him in his agony. Troger painted several versions of Christ praying on the Mount of Olives. This example represents a culmination in dramatic intensity, expressed through the chiaroscuro and the reduction of the figures. As a member and later rector of Vienna’s art academy, Paul Troger’s expressive style influenced many artists. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2941/rdfOutdoor Merriment with Dancec. 1740[Franz Christoph Janneck]Franz Christoph JanneckOil on woodGesellschaftsstücke wie dieses prägen unsere Vorstellung vom Barock bis heute. Sie sind der Inbegriff für grenzenlose Lebensfreude und fanden reißenden Absatz. Als Sammelstücke begehrt waren vor allem die Werke niederländischer Meister des 17. Jahrhunderts. Da aber die Nachfrage das Angebot bei Weitem überstieg, verlegten sich österreichische Künstler wie Janneck auf derart erlesene Gemälde. Um die Tanzszene der Gegenwart zu entrücken, hüllte der Maler seine Figuren in Kostüme aus längst vergangener Zeit. Eine neue Errungenschaft brachte er durch die leuchtende Farbigkeit ins Spiel. Mit ihr wuchs der Österreicher weit über die Niederländer hinaus und wurde so selbst zum Klassiker seines Metiers.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2973/rdfThe Actress Josepha Hortensia Füger, the Artist’s Wifec. 1797[Friedrich Heinrich Füger]Friedrich Heinrich FügerOil on canvasLost in thought, the actor Josefa Hortensia Füger (1766–1808) looks up from her book. She appears to be preparing for a role, though which role is not disclosed by her husband, the painter Friedrich Heinrich Füger. He concentrates on his wife’s face. The ruff, the cloth, and the shawl are all made of a gossamer fabric that is merely suggested. The same applies to the trees and the cloudy sky. Füger had traveled far, especially to Rome and Naples, before finally settling permanently in Vienna in 1783. He was appointed vice-director of the city’s academy before being promoted to director in 1795. Under his leadership, this came to rival the Paris Académie as Europe’s preeminent art institution.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2988/rdfThe Judgement of Parisc. 1735[Georg Raphael Donner]Georg Raphael DonnerBronzeDem Jüngling scheint nicht ganz wohl in seiner Haut zu sein. Es ist auch keine leichte Aufgabe, die Paris zu erfüllen hat. Im Streit um den goldenen Apfel von Eris, der Göttin der Zwietracht, soll er ihn „der Schönsten“ übergeben. Unter drei Göttinnen entscheidet sich Paris für Aphrodite. Er reicht ihr den sprichwörtlichen „Zankapfel“, weil ihm die Göttin der Liebe mit Helena die schönste aller irdischen Frauen versprochen hatte. Das Relief wurde durch eine Komposition des von Donner verehrten Malers Raffael angeregt. Durch den Einsatz von gelängten Figuren verleiht der Bildhauer seiner Szene eine besondere Eleganz, die auch ihr Gegenstück, „Venus in der Schmiede des Vulkan“, auszeichnet.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/2992/rdfAllegory of the Transferral of the Imperial Gallery to the Belvedere1781[Vinzenz Fischer]Vinzenz FischerOil on canvasAthene, die Göttin der Weisheit und Kunst, erteilt Kaiser Joseph II. einen Ratschlag und weist ihn auf das Obere Belvedere hin. Die kaiserlichen Sammlungen waren im 18. Jahrhundert stark angewachsen, sodass es in der Hofburg nicht mehr ausreichend Platz für sie gab. Deshalb verlagerte man die Gemäldegalerie ab 1776 in die ehemalige Sommerresidenz Prinz Eugens. Das kleinformatige Bild diente vielleicht als Entwurf. Doch trotz der barocken Vorliebe für solch sinnbildhafte Darstellungen sind weder eine größere Ausführung noch Reproduktionsgrafiken bekannt. Ursache dafür könnte die fortschreitende Aufklärung sein, die statt barockem Prunk den maßvoll-verhaltenen Klassizismus bevorzugte.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3023/rdfThe Holy Kinshipc. 1755[Franz Anton Maulbertsch]Franz Anton MaulbertschOil on canvas The scene is bathed in mysterious chiaroscuro, the contrasting effects of light and dark. At the center is Anne, the mother of Mary. Her daughter sits beside her on the right with the infant Jesus on her lap. Joseph, looking down, stands behind his family. Maulbertsch depicts the faces of the Holy Family with unusually individual and characteristic features, whereas the host of angels in the heavens is rendered in a sketchy, almost grotesque manner. God the Father and the Holy Spirit hover above the scene; meanwhile a man reads the Holy Scripture in the foreground. Maulbertsch has placed Christ’s grandmother at the heart of his work, thereby casting her as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3025/rdfThe Sacrifice of Iphigenia1690/1691[Johann Michael Rottmayr]Johann Michael RottmayrOil on canvasIphigenie hat sich nichts zuschulden kommen lassen und soll dennoch getötet werden. Sie ist das Opfer ihres Vaters Agamemnon, der die Jagdgöttin Artemis durch das Blut seiner Erstgeborenen beschwichtigen will. Aus Mitleid verhindert Artemis selbst die grausame Tat und entführt Iphigenie nach Tauris, wo diese der Göttin fortan als Priesterin dient. Für seine dramatische Bilderzählung wählt Rottmayr den zentralen Handlungsmoment. Eben erst war der Künstler aus Venedig zurückgekehrt. Dort hatte er 13 Jahre verbracht und sich fundierte Kenntnisse der barocken Malerei angeeignet. In Österreich steht sein Werk wie kaum ein zweites für die Farbenpracht und Sinnesfreude der barocken Kunst.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3036/rdfVienna Revisited II1947/1948[Gerhart Frankl]Gerhart FranklTempera and India ink on canvasNach Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs reift in Frankl der Wille, sein Exilland England zu verlassen und wieder nach Wien zurückzukehren. 1946 kommt es in Wien zu einer Ausstellung seiner Werke in der Neuen Galerie. Die Freundschaft mit Fritz Novotny, zu jener Zeit interimistischer Leiter der Österreichischen Galerie im Belvedere, mag ihn auch in seinem Wunsch der Rückkehr bestärkt haben. 1948 lebt Frankl dann für ein Jahr in Wien und es entstehen zahlreiche Studien und Gemälde, die den Blick auf Wien vom Oberen Belvedere zeigen. Stilistisch fällt dieses Gemälde gegenüber den atmosphärisch-abstrakten Londoner Bildern zu jener Zeit heraus. Eine starke Konturlinie bestimmt die formale Erfassung der Häuser vor allem im unteren Teil des Bildes. Hingegen ist der Hintergrund der Landschaft formal freier im Duktus und atmosphärischer in der Farbgestaltung gehalten. Der Gesamteindruck des Tektonischen bleibt aber bestimmend. — [Harald Krejci, 10/2009]Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3050/rdfSquatting Couple (The Family)1918[Egon Schiele]Egon SchieleOil on canvasA man and a woman, both nude, are crouching in a dark room. A child peers out from between the woman’s legs. Positioned protectively behind them both, the man with alert eyes reveals Schiele’s features. His bony body contrasts with the woman’s soft curves, who looks down, lost in thought. Despite their physical proximity, the two bodies appear isolated. Schiele’s own family would never come into existence. His wife Edith died of Spanish flu on October 28, 1918, when she was six months pregnant. Egon Schiele died three days later. Art critic Berta Zuckerkandl thereupon first used the title “The Family” for Squatting Couple.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3071/rdfHouse Wall (Windows)1914[Egon Schiele]Egon SchieleOil on canvasRoughly plastered and riddled with cracks, the façade of the house shows all the traces of time. It is punctuated with windows in an irregular arrangement. Each window is unique: sometimes open, sometimes closed, every single one has different colors. Filling the picture space, the composition tells us nothing about the surroundings. Only a narrow path at the base of the image indicates space. It was probably a building in Český Krumlov (Krumau), where Schiele’s mother was born, which had inspired the artist on one of his sojourns in the town. Heightening the tactile effect, Schiele used paint that resembled plaster on a real façade. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3072/rdfAdam and Eve1916 - 1918[Gustav Klimt, Galerie Gustav Nebehay, Sonja Knips, Österreichische Galerie]Gustav KlimtOil on canvas (unfinished) Klimt rarely engaged with biblical subjects during his career. One of his last works, unfinished at his death, shows the first humans, Adam and Eve. He was not interested in the more traditional depiction of the Fall, however, instead focusing on the figure of Eve as the quintessential female. Adam has closed his eyes, intoxicated with love, as he tilts his head and nestles tenderly against Eve. But Eve is looking straight at us. The anemones on the ground are emblems of fertility; the leopard skin, meanwhile, was a symbol in ancient Greece of unbridled desire. In Klimt’s interpretation, then, it is Eve—and not the snake—who is the temptress.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3196/rdfSonja Knips1897/1898[Gustav Klimt, Sonja Knips, Österreichische Galerie]Gustav KlimtOil on canvas Calm and confident, Sonja Knips gazes back at us. A baroness by birth, she was one of Gustav Klimt’s most prominent patrons. The artist subtly composed her portrait with great sensitivity, alternating between hazy evocation and precision: Sonja Knips’s face is rendered naturalistically, while her sumptuous tulle gown dissolves in a cascade of soft brushstrokes. Leaning slightly forward, she sits on the edge of an armchair ready to rise at any moment. A red sketchbook in her right hand adds an accent of bright color. This is the first portrait that Klimt painted in a square format. It also marks the start of his rise to become one of the most sought-after portraitists of Viennese society.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3197/rdfHerbstblumenstrauß1949[Max Weiler]Max WeilerOil on canvas In a career that spanned around seven decades, Max Weiler, one of the most eminent Austrian painters of the twentieth century, produced an extensive oeuvre of paintings, works on paper, and large-format murals in public settings. The experience of nature and its spiritual dimension were pivotal to the Tyrolean artist’s work. The still life “Autumn Bouquet” dates from 1949. It marks the transition from representational painting to a style that emphasizes the expressive gesture. The muted palette of the abstractly rendered flowers and the somber gray backdrop suggest the season’s fading of natural beauty.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3364/rdfEduard Kosmack1910[Egon Schiele]Egon SchieleOil on canvasThe sitter is like a hypnotist casting his spell over us. Beneath an extremely high forehead, his penetrating gaze hits us full on. Kosmack’s bony hands and the arms pressed close to his body emphasize his withdrawn character. All that interrupts the strict symmetry of the portrait is the sunflower on the right. The figure of the publisher contrasts powerfully with the light background, its flat, planar character still closely resembling the art of the Vienna Secession. Yet Schiele’s expressive style is already visible here: gestures, body language, and facial expressions are now the principal elements of his portraits. The body has been transformed into a vehicle of human emotions.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3456/rdfJudith1901[Gustav Klimt, Anton Loew, Sophie Loew-Unger, Kunstauktion Galerie Moos, Berthe Hodler, Österreichische Galerie]Gustav KlimtOil and gold leaf on canvas The biblical story of the brave Judith has often been depicted in art. Judith, a chaste widow, gets the enemy commander Holofernes drunk with divine help, and then beheads him to free her people. Gustav Klimt interprets the Old Testament heroine as an erotic femme fatale. She gazes seductively at the viewer through half-closed eyes, her lips slightly parted. Only on closer inspection do we see the decapitated head of Holofernes. Judith holds it almost tenderly, as if to push it out of the picture. In Klimt’s painting there is no room for the male aggressor. He has transformed the biblical story of resistance in a political conflict into a battle of the sexes, and Judith’s triumph into a dangerously tantalizing icon of femininity.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3492/rdfLarge Seated Figure ("Human Cathedral")1949[Fritz Wotruba]Fritz WotrubaMannersdorf limestone Fritz Wotruba kehrt im Dezember 1945 nach sieben Jahren Exil in der Schweiz nach Wien zurück. Künstlerisch befindet sich der Bildhauer, der in der Folge eine zentrale Rolle für die österreichische wie die internationale Plastik der Nachkriegsmoderne einnehmen wird, zu dieser Zeit an einem Scheideweg. Er bricht mit der reduzierten Stilisierung der vergangenen Jahre und entwickelt ein neues Konzept für die Komposition der Figur. Dieses ist vom französischen Kubismus angeregt. Es zeigt jedoch ein eigenständiges Gestaltungsprinzip, das eine Abstrahierung und Tektonisierung, also eine Art flächige Gliederung, verfolgt, aber an der Ausgangsform der menschlichen Figur festhält. Die sichtbaren Bearbeitungsspuren lassen die Oberfläche der streng frontalen monumentalen Gestaltung felsig erscheinen und betonen die Materialität des Steins. Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3524/rdfPortrait of the painter Jobst Seyfridc. 1490[Rueland Frueauf d. Ä.]Rueland Frueauf d. Ä.Painting on limewoodThe man immortalized in this meticulously detailed portrait can be clearly identified from an inscription on the reverse: The sitter is a certain Jobst Seyfrid, who is documented in the sources as a painter in Passau. This was the location of Rueland Frueauf the Elder’s flourishing workshop. One of the first painters in German-speaking Europe to sign his works, Frueauf confidently monogrammed this portrait of Seyfrid with his initials “R F” at the top of the image. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3583/rdfThe 'Sonntagberg Madonna'c. 1360[Michaelermeister]MichaelermeisterPoplar, original groundingThis life-sized Madonna is named after its original location at the pilgrimage church in Sonntagberg in Lower Austria. The sweeping curve of the body, the soft folds of the drapery, and the overall idealized quality anticipate the later figures known as Beautiful Madonnas that appear from around 1400. This piece was made by an anonymous artist to whom two stone sculptures at Saint Michael’s Church in Vienna are also attributed. Hence, the sculptor was named the Master of Saint Michael’s. He was probably an itinerant artist who had trained in Italy and later worked in Vienna. Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3586/rdfSt Lawrence before the emperorc. 1465[Michael Pacher]Michael PacherPainting on Swiss stone pineThese four paintings once belonged to the high altarpiece in the parish church of San Lorenzo di Sebato in South Tyrol, which was Michael Pacher’s first documented altarpiece. The half-length images of the apostles Peter and Paul were intended for the predella, the base of the altarpiece. On the larger panels, the theme is from one of the saints’ lives during the period of persecution in the early Christian church. Pacher’s figures are imbued with expressive individuality and move freely in stage-like spaces that lead the eye into the pictorial depths. The accurately constructed central perspective and anatomically convincing poses suggest that the artist was trained in Italy. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3588/rdfThe 'Znojmo Altarpiece'c. 1440/1445[Meister des Friedrichsaltars]Meister des FriedrichsaltarsRelief in limewood on spruce planks, oak frame, largely original mounting, gold ground of right panel renewed c. 1500In the Late Gothic period, large-scale altarpieces usually had a very deep central shrine containing figures carved in the round. By contrast, the center of the Znaim Altarpiece is a relief representing a multifigured Crucifixion scene. At that time, narrative depictions of this kind are to be found more frequently in paintings, such as Conrad Laib’s Salzburg Crucifixion of 1449. The three-dimensional quality of the Znaim Altarpiece heightens the sense of realism and immediacy. This effect is further emphasized by the well-preserved polychromy. Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3602/rdfThe Fall of Man1521[Meister IP]Meister IPPearwood, unpolychromedAdam tenderly places his arm around Eve, who seductively offers him the forbidden fruit. On the right edge, we can see humanity’s original ancestors being expelled from paradise in punishment. In this work, the biblical story of the Fall was probably only a pretext for depicting naked figures in a landscape. Intricately carved with the most delicate of knives, this small panel was presumably an early cabinet or collector’s piece. In the spirit of the emerging Renaissance, this was valued primarily for its artistic quality. Reflecting this, its anonymous creator has signed it with his monogram on the lower left. Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3622/rdfAdmiral Tegetthoff in the Naval Battle of Lissa I1878-1880[Anton Romako]Anton RomakoOil on woodUnperturbed by the billowing smoke and flying shrapnel, Rear Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff (1827–1871) stands on the bridge. Sailors are keeping the ship on course, as we witness the moment before it sinks the Italian battleship Re d’Italia. Romako’s picture met with utter incomprehension. It included none of the customary features that would have glorified the Austrian naval victory: no sea, no flags, no burning ships. In fact, the opposite is the case. The Austrian flagship is barely more than implied. The battle itself is reflected in the figures, in Tegetthoff’s assurance of victory and in the energy and tense concentration of his officers and sailors. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/3783/rdf224 The Large Path1955[Friedensreich Hundertwasser]Friedensreich HundertwasserSynthetic resin on canvasLuminous red and luminous blue. The two colors form a spiral, painted by hand, with contours that are deliberately left open. The abstract form of the spiral is the central motif in the oeuvre of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Like the meditative raked grooves in a Japanese Zen garden, it is a symbolic representation of life, of its organic growth and eventual passing over into the infinite that is death. The artist received seminal impulses for the idea of a dynamic conception of the world from the works of Lao Tzu and Buddhist and Taoist writings. A painter, architect, and environmental activist, Hundertwasser was far ahead of his time in his engagement with the “green” concerns to which his work owes its unfading relevance.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4246/rdf"Character Head" No. 171777/1783[Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]Franz Xaver MesserschmidtBrown-flecked alabaster Auf den ersten Blick ähneln Franz Xaver Messerschmidts „Charakterköpfe“ den aus der akademischen Kunstausbildung seiner Zeit bekannten Vorlagewerken zur Darstellung von unterschiedlichen Mimiken. Die Büsten aus hochwertigen Materialien wie Alabaster und Metall sind jedoch als eigenständige Kunstwerke zu verstehen, an denen der Bildhauer ab den 1770er-Jahren ohne Auftrag arbeitet. Er zeigt darin eine Vielfalt menschlicher Ausdrucksformen, die mitunter wenig schmeichelhaft wirken, wie bei diesem Kopf mit weit aufgerissenen Augen und in tiefe Falten gelegter Stirn. Messerschmidts Gesichter im Ausnahmezustand sind alles andere als akademisch und begegnen so vielleicht der Strenge klassizistischer Ideale mit ungewöhnlichem Humor.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4260/rdfSlumbering Woman1849[Johann Baptist Reiter]Johann Baptist ReiterOil on canvasIt seems to be a warm summer’s day. Still half asleep, the almost nude woman stretches languorously. Light shines into the image, casting a shimmer across the woman’s thigh and lower arm. The bedsheets, in various shades of off-white, appear invitingly cool. The woman reclines in a seemingly natural way, and yet it is all a pose. Reiter is envisaging the viewer, who unexpectedly becomes a voyeur in front of this painting. There is a long tradition of female nudes in the history of art, although their nudity was generally justified by the myth they represented. Yet nothing in Slumbering Woman suggests a mythological story, making this the earliest profane nude in Austrian art history.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4298/rdfSelf-Portraitc. 1916[Koloman Moser]Koloman MoserOil on canvas, mounted on cardboardHis great talent was his versatility: painting and graphics, applied art, fashion, interior and set design—Koloman Moser was at home in all these disciplines. As a founder member of the Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte, he both paved the way and shaped the path of Viennese modernism. Moser portrays himself in a strictly frontal pose, his shirt open, his chest naked, his eyes wide. He has a visionary quality, almost Christlike with light encircling his head like a halo. The painting’s cool colors and the strictly symmetrical composition are also striking and were inspired by the work of his Swiss colleague Ferdinand Hodler.  Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4320/rdfCrucifixEnd of the 12th century/ c. 1200[Tiroler Bildschnitzer]Tiroler BildschnitzerAlder wood, the cross is not original, traces of old polychromyThis wooden figure is the oldest work in the Belvedere’s collection. As was usual in Romanesque art, it is a four-nail type of crucifixion: Christ’s feet are placed in parallel, each hand and foot nailed to the cross. The sculpture shows the pose of Christ Triumphant over death. He wears a crown and his body and face reveal no signs of suffering. During the course of the 13th century, this motif was replaced by depictions of Christ dying in agony on the cross. In keeping with late medieval piety, the aim was to inspire the worshipper to relive Christ’s suffering. Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4736/rdfThe Grossglockner with the Pasterze Glacier1832[Thomas Ender]Thomas EnderOil on canvas In July 1832, Thomas Ender accompanied Archduke Johann on the ascent to the Pasterze—Austria’s largest glacier. It was his task to document the form and appearance of this body of ice. The view is roughly from the viewpoint now known as the Kaiser-Franz-Josephs-Höhe looking toward the Grossglockner, the country’s highest mountain. At the heart of the depiction lies the vast expanse of the glacier with its numerous crevasses. The sole subject of the painting is nature as it has evolved over the millennia, its appearance depicted with almost scientific exactitude. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4818/rdfDreams1913[Helene Funke]Helene FunkeOil on canvas As if waiting for some unknown event to happen, a group of young women are dozing and dreaming. The figures sleep, chat to each other, turn their backs on the viewer. On the central table, a wilting bunch of tulips alludes to the passage of time. What could they be dreaming about? Helene Funke had to surmount many obstacles to achieve her goal of becoming a painter. Since women were not allowed to attend academies, she studied at a private art school in Munich. Funke’s time in France provided her with a wealth of inspiration, the most prominent influence being Henri Matisse’s vibrant colors that are echoed in this painting. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/4971/rdfThe Tigon1926[Oskar Kokoschka]Oskar KokoschkaOil on canvasNoch vor der morgendlichen Öffnung, so war es mit dem Direktor ausgemacht, besuchte Kokoschka den Londoner Zoo, um den Tigerlöwen zu malen. Schläfrig wartete er mit seiner Staffelei, bis „die Riesenkatze wie eine flammende, gelbe Bombe aus dem Dunkeln mit allen Vieren ins Licht, ins Freie“ stürmte und auf ihn zusprang, als wollte sie ihn „in Fetzen reißen“. Urweltlich und bedrohlich nah malt Kokoschka die Raubkatze. Furchterregend sind der große Kopf mit dem geöffneten Maul, der starre Blick und die Pranken auf dem erlegten Beutetier. Der Tigerlöwe, eine Kreuzung aus Tiger und Löwe, war eine Sensation des Londoner Zoos, wohin er 1924 als Geschenk eines indischen Maharadschas gelangt war.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/5073/rdfStill Life with Crockery, Onion and Kohlrabi1754[Anna Maria Punz]Anna Maria PunzOil on canvasIn the three paintings by Anna Maria Punz, meticulously rendered everyday objects play the starring roles. Their stark arrangement contrasts with the opulent and ornate still lifes of the Baroque. Although these works appear modern, calling to mind the style of New Objectivity from the 1920s and 1930s, the origins of this approach are to be found in Dutch still-life painting from the first half of the 17th century. Exactly where the painter found inspiration for these works is not recorded. Although the key dates of her life are documented, no further information about the artist’s career has as yet come to light.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/5642/rdfCalm Water1894[Fernand Khnopff]Fernand KhnopffOil on canvas The pond is utterly still. Isolated trees line the green bank, yet the artist directs our gaze to the water and not to the treetops. We can only identify the surroundings from the reflection. Fernand Khnopff sought to visualize a world unexplored by humanity. As an exponent of Symbolism, the Belgian artist’s depictions of ponds and glades were intended to make a deeper reality visible. The water’s surface becomes a metaphor of the unfathomable human psyche: it reflects the image like a mirror, but it is impossible to see into the pond’s depths. Khnopff’s works were shown at the first exhibitions of the Vienna Secession. Their subliminal messages fascinated the group of artists around Gustav Klimt.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/7541/rdfStudy for a Monument to Victor Hugo1890[Auguste Rodin]Auguste RodinTerracottaGedankenschwer blickt der französische Schriftsteller Victor Hugo (1802–1885) nach unten. Seine untere Körperhälfte scheint in einer schweren Masse gefangen, während über ihm drei weibliche Figuren schweben. Als Musen werden sie gedeutet oder als innere Stimmen, denen der Dichter lauscht. Mit Arbeiten wie dieser, die unvollendet wirken, deutliche Bearbeitungsspuren und rohe Oberflächen aufweisen, revolutioniert der französische Bildhauer Auguste Rodin die traditionelle Plastik. Nicht Überhöhung und Repräsentation, sondern Gestik, Mimik und Ausdruck – die Expression – stehen dabei im Mittelpunkt. Rodins Entwurf wird in veränderter Form zwischen 1895 und 1906 in Marmor ausgeführt und befindet sich heute im Musée Rodin in Paris.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/1116/rdfAction Photos1965–1966[Rudolf Schwarzkogler]Rudolf SchwarzkoglerBlack and white fotosRudolf Schwarzkogler’s art articulates a critical view of society with provocative ritualistic violations of taboos; it features insinuated acts of castration, electroshock therapy, dead animals, and bandaged heads. The Viennese actionist’s work insistently surveys the field between the poles of illness, injury, and healing. The bodies of friends serve him as the models on which he carries out actions he has planned with scrupulous precision. After a first performance held before a live audience, the camera’s lens becomes the only witness to Schwarzkogler’s actions. In 1966, the photographer Ludwig Hoffenreich, whom he has hired for the purpose, gathers sixty-one photographs from five different actions in this portfolio.Photographyhttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9538/rdfSelf-Portrait with Comb1926[Marie-Louise von Motesiczky]Marie-Louise von MotesiczkyOil on canvasAfter the early death of her father, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky grew up in the sheltered environment of the Jewish banking family of her mother Henriette von Lieben. She left school at the age of thirteen to take private drawing tuition. From 1927 she studied at the Städelschule in Frankfurt under Max Beckmann, who shaped her style and was to remain a lifelong friend and influence. After Austria’s annexation to Nazi Germany she fled via the Netherlands to London. In exile she was in close contact with other émigré artists, including Oskar Kokoschka and Elias Canetti. As an artist of independent means, she lived for the rest of her life in Britain. Her works were first exhibited in Vienna at the Secession in 1966. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9808/rdfMaternal, Paternal1968–1972[Bruno Gironcoli]Bruno GironcoliPolyester, wood, paint, metalWith its distinctive and characteristic formal idiom, Bruno Gironcoli’s oeuvre occupies a singular position within the postwar avant-garde. In 1977, Gironcoli succeeds Fritz Wotruba as head of the School of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna; until his retirement in 2004, he exerts a defining influence over younger generations of visual artists. Defamiliarization, amalgamation, and encryption are the strategies with which he develops a complex universe of forms and symbols that culminates in monumental large-scale sculptures. In “Maternal, Paternal,” the artist grapples with existential themes including sexuality, parenthood, and the duality of male and female.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9967/rdfUntitled1994-1998[Heimo Zobernig]Heimo ZobernigCardboard, wood, screws, felt-tipCrossing boundaries of media, the art of Heimo Zobernig, who emerged on the scene in the early 1980s, has been defined by searching reflections on colors, materials, and aesthetic effects. In this instance, a cardboard object on a wooden pedestal forms a contorted infinite loop. The work’s formal appearance is the medium of an interrogation of the exhibition framework. The museum itself becomes the object of investigation. The box serving as base gestures toward the conditions under which works of art are presented, stored, shipped, and manipulated. By relying on the most inexpensive supplies, Zobernig also demonstrates how a work of art can question the legitimacy of its own presence in the museum setting.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/10076/rdfWoman of Colour1997[Elke Silvia Krystufek]Elke Silvia KrystufekAcrylic, dispersion on canvas Elke Silvia Krystufek brazenly exhibits her own body. Launching her career as an artist in the early 1990s, the artist cultivates an image as an enfant terrible. Wrestling with the twin urges of narcissism and voyeurism, her works feature her as an artificial character or share highly intimate glimpses of her private life with the public. In this act of painterly exposure, Krystufek seeks to recapture the female nude as a medium of self-determination. It lets her be all in one: both active observer and passive image. As the artist herself feasts our eyes on her naked body, she disrupts the male regime of the gaze.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/10094/rdfDiving Bird1939[Erika Giovanna Klien]Erika Giovanna KlienOil on canvas Erika Giovanna Klien was one of the most important exponents of Viennese Kineticism. Her works are characterized by depictions of sequences of movement composed out of geometric forms. On the threshold between non-representational and figurative art, Diving Bird evokes the impression of a smooth wingbeat by capturing each moment of the bird’s swoop in a fanned array of forms and colors. Movement is dissected into its separate stages as if seen in slow motion. Rhythm, speed, and motion remained key themes in Klien’s art after she emigrated to the USA in 1929. It was here that she created her Diving Bird in 1939. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/10373/rdf[Untitled (Self With Little Fur)]1974/1977[Birgit Jürgenssen]Birgit JürgenssenColor photograph, vintage printBirgit Jürgenssen is one of the feminist avant-garde’s most important representatives in Austria. In the 1970s, she embarks on a searching examination of gender relations and models of femininity. Inspired by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis and approaches in Surrealism, she makes poetic art that is as conceptual as it is rich in associations. Many of her works adapt motifs from the world of fashion and the animal kingdom. “Self with Little Fur” stars Jürgenssen with a fox fur. Showing the artist metamorphosing into an animal, the self-portrait deftly plays with stereotypes that associate men with brains and control and women with the heart and libidinal urges.Photographyhttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/21335/rdfFormation of a columnca. 1979[Roland Goeschl]Roland GoeschlLacquered iron“Everyone can build their own color space.” This motto by Roland Goeschl dating from the year 1968 also applies to the work Column Formation. The three objects are not the result of an analytical deconstruction of a figure; rather, the relation they bear to one another is unique to this composition. Rotated to equal degrees around the shortest side, the otherwise static solid figures are lent a dynamism that makes one forget the weight of the material they are made from. This rotation around a shared axis also invites the viewer to actively explore the monumental object in its spatial setting—as if the cubes were calling on the viewer to pile them up or reposition them.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/22459/rdfWild Cube2011[Lois Weinberger]Lois WeinbergerIron ruderal fencing, spontaneous vegetationPlants that reclaim urban spaces—areas that have been greatly altered by human activities— are referred to as wild plants or, to use the technical term, “ruderal species.” They are mostly able to do so when land has been abandoned or is no longer used. It is precisely this kind of vegetation that is now on display in the Sculpture Garden of the Belvedere 21: Inside a huge iron cage various plants (including elm, birch, white poplar, and Norway maple) are growing rankly and uncontrolledly, their branches reaching out between the iron bars. They are part of a work by the artist Lois Weinberger, who conceived his "Wild Cube", as the installation is called, as a critical counterpart to the “white cube” of the typical museum setting.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/25247/rdfArt without Artist1969/2011[Oswald Oberhuber]Oswald OberhuberGlass, wood, cable, plastic Oswald Oberhuber emerges in the 1960s as a central figure on the Vienna arts scene. His manifesto, in which he calls for constant innovation in art, underlies his own work as well as his activities as a curator and teacher. In his art, Oberhuber interrogates his own means, the circumstances in which art is made, and the concept of artwork and authorship. A characteristic example is the installation “Art without Artists,” which is related to an exhibition of the same title held at Galerie nächst St. Stephan in 1969. By accumulating trivial leftovers from his studio in stacked glass cubes, Oberhuber gives chance a say in his production.Object arthttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/25618/rdfExhibition Griechenbeisl1971[Josef Bauer]Josef BauerMixed mediaJosef Bauer’s work always revolves around the question of what art can be used to articulate and how. He is especially interested in the linguistic potential of objects, which his installations highlight. He transposes verbal signifiers into the spatial dimension and moreover involves them in physical interaction. “Tactile poetry”—poetry in the medium of touch—is the label the conceptual artist coins for his art. This multipart installation composed of letters and objects was first presented at Vienna’s Galerie im Griechenbeisl in 1968 and drew international attention. The inspiration Bauer took from semiotics is evident: he presents objects to our eyes as individual signifiers but leaves it up to us to draw significant connections between them.Object arthttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/28025/rdfJohannes Lindner (White Portrait)1919[Herbert Boeckl]Herbert BoecklOil on canvasEin „Star“ im Scheinwerferlicht? In ungezwungener Haltung und angenehmer Atmosphäre scheint Johannes Lindner (1896–1985) dem Künstler gegenüberzusitzen. Boeckl schildert den Kärntner Lyriker und Erzähler als Summe von expressiven kühlen Farbtönen. Der Grad der Abstraktion führt dazu, dass sich das Motiv nicht sofort erschließt, sondern entdeckt werden muss. Im Entstehungsjahr des Gemäldes gab Boeckl sein Architekturstudium in Wien endgültig auf, um sich nur noch der Malerei zu widmen. Mit Werken wie diesem stellt er einen ausgeprägten Personalstil unter Beweis, der innerhalb der österreichischen Kunstszene keine Parallele finden sollte.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/14394/rdfO4undated[Marc Adrian]Marc AdrianMounting behind glass, tempera on panel, relief, riffled glass, lead strips, wooden box In the late 1950s, the Austrian avant-gardist Marc Adrian is a pioneer of the expansion of painting and sculpture, incorporating the factors of movement, time, and participation into his art. His work “O4,” for example, looks different depending on your standpoint. It is a reverse glass montage: The artist painted a panel with cubic shapes in the primary colors yellow, red, and blue, plus black and white elements. He then placed the painting in a wooden box and covered it with panes of ribbed glass. The texture and grid-like structure of the glazing make the assemblage’s appearance change as you approach it from different angles. The color fields start moving.Object arthttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/34492/rdfInsertion1976[VALIE EXPORT]VALIE EXPORTGelatin silver print, vintage print, India ink Since the late 1960s, VALIE EXPORT has grappled with questions of female identity and how a society dominated by men oppresses women and denies them self-determination. The body occupies a central role in her performances and actions. In the photographic series “Body Configurations,” she analyzes body language as an expression of mental and emotional states by inserting female bodies into the architecture of public spaces. In this image the figure is sitting in a corner of a building. A black line underscores her pose with outstretched arms, visualizing the tensions between the individual and the reigning power structures.Photographyhttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/37470/rdfSchüttbild mit Malhemd2011[Hermann Nitsch]Hermann NitschAcrylic and shirt on jute The acclaimed painter and action artist Hermann Nitsch’s work on his vision of an Orgies Mysteries Theater goes back to the 1960s. Uniting theater, cult, concert, and painting, the conception calls for a richly sensual, ritualized, and provocative experience prompting the spectators to contemplate their own existence. A characteristic feature of Nitsch’s art is the use of the splattering technique, which he has honed since the days of Viennese Actionism. This “Splatter Picture with Painter’s Shirt” dates from the 59th Action at Prinzendorf Palace in the summer of 2011. It belongs to the genre Nitsch calls fountain pictures: he places a small format atop a large canvas, splatters it with paint, and then replaces it with a painter’s shirt.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/59652/rdfOhne Titel2003[Künstlergruppe gelatin]Künstlergruppe gelatinMixed Media und Plastilin auf Fotocollage Overcoming inhibitions, taking delight in the cringeworthy and disgusting, framing the body as a sculpture: these are only some aspects of gelatin’s creative practice. The works of the Vienna-based artists’ collective—Wolfgang Gantner, Ali Janka, Florian Reiter, and Tobias Urban—have made a splash in Austria and abroad. For the 2002 Liverpool Biennial, gelatin built a small performance bunker out of waste products—in the tightest of spaces, “Armpit” featured a stage, a bar, a dancing pole, and urinals. The guests were to weave through the crowd like particles passing through tightly packed matter, the music, dancing, and drinks charging them with energy. The photocollage with plasticine elements memorializes the experiment.Object arthttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/62704/rdfone minute sculpture1997/2005[Erwin Wurm]Erwin WurmC-PrintErwin Wurm’s work tests the limits of sculpture. In the late 1990s, he begins separating the authorship of his art from its execution by having others perform actions. Following precise graphic or written instructions, individuals pose and interact with perfectly ordinary objects in absurd ways. The sixty-second performative acts produce temporary sculptures that are recorded in photographs or on video. Seasoned with humor, Wurm’s “One Minute Sculptures” explore the sculptural potentials of commonplace situations, actions, and objects.Photographyhttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/66107/rdfPrince Eugene of Savoy as Commanderc. 1725/1730[Johann Gottfried Auerbach]Johann Gottfried AuerbachOil on canvas In this full-figure portrait, Johann Gottfried Auerbach depicted Prince Eugene—statesman, art collector, and owner of the Belvedere—as a victorious commander in a heroic pose. He points to a battle in the background with his commander’s baton. A Black page wearing an imagined uniform and a turban assists him by holding the helmet from the prince’s ceremonial armor. Whereas Eugene self-confidently looks out at the viewer, the page gazes at the prince. This anonymous figure does not depict a specific person. Against the backdrop of colonial expansion, he represents the stereotypical “other.” Black servants were included in further examples of European aristocratic portraits during this period as a way of conveying the sitter’s power and influence. Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/67618/rdfOld Figure1960–1963[Walter Pichler]Walter PichlerWood, Tin, Copper, Mattresses, Sheet A key protagonist of the postwar avant-garde, Walter Pichler is regarded as a radical visionary. In the 1960s, he develops utopian projects straddling the lines between architecture, design, and sculpture. For “Old Figure,” he sets an upright metal object on the head end of a bed made of layered mattresses. Beds, cots, and stretchers figure in many of the artist’s works as grim emblems of frailty, illness, and death, attesting to his deeply felt awareness of the finitude of human—and ultimately, his own—existence. Hence the central role of the fusion of life and art in Pichler’s oeuvre: this installation originally had its place right next to his own bed.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/85414/rdfModell der Kirche zur Heiligsten Dreifaltigkeit in Wien-Mauer1967[Fritz Wotruba]Fritz WotrubaGipsguss nach Tonmodell Fritz Wotruba’s oeuvre ranks among the classics of modern sculpture. After 1945, the artist develops his characteristic abstraction of the human figure on the basis of geometric forms. He also branches out into stage design, which helps him devise ways to open up his works: Wotruba now constructs, layers, and piles up blocks. One culmination of these efforts is the maquette for the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, which synthesizes his visions of the human figure, nature, landscape, and architecture. The so-called Wotruba Church is realized on the outskirts of Vienna between 1974 and 1976 based on plans for which the artist collaborates with the architect Fritz Gerhard Mayr.Sculpturehttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/45940/rdfOn Corpus Christi Morning1857[Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller]Ferdinand Georg WaldmüllerOil on wood Bubbling with anticipation, a group of cheerful children get ready for the Corpus Christi procession. The girls’ fine white dresses shine brightly in the sunlight. A boy holding a candle laughs and turns back to the group. However, the children in the foreground look very different: barefoot and shabbily dressed, they gaze in amazement at their peers. Although it resembles a snapshot of a fleeting moment, this work is a meticulously composed scene that also demonstrates Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller’s distinctive approach to sunlight. The artist was dedicated to the study of nature and introduced bold effects of light and shadow in his paintings.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/8841/rdfLesbia contra Motor1947[Curt Stenvert]Curt StenvertOil and gold leaf on wood Curt Stenvert ranks among the most important artists of the Viennese postwar avant-garde. The study of movement is a central trait of his oeuvre, leading him to branch out into photography and eventually into film. Created shortly after the war, the painting “Lesbia contra Motor” signals the dawn of a fresh start in art. In dismantling the human body into formal elements, Stenvert harks back to Cubism. The motif of the motor and its dynamic energy, meanwhile, quotes the Futurists. The result is an abstract dramatization of sexuality: a pair of women set before a red-and-black checkered backdrop is confronted by the male in the guise of an engine.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9078/rdfDouble Self-portrait with Camera1974[Maria Lassnig]Maria LassnigOil on canvas Self-examination in paintings is at the center of Maria Lassnig’s artistic exploration. In her body awareness painting she developed a visual language that revolves intensely around the relationship between how we perceive ourselves and how we are perceived by others. This iconic double self-portrait shows the artist depicted on the background canvas in a frontal standing pose, a confident filmmaker holding a camera. At the same time she appears in the foreground—pensive, introspective, seated. In her work she addresses with searing concentration representation, mediality, but also the emancipated gaze. Lassnig’s oeuvre of paintings and films, which was late in receiving due recognition, places her among the greatest Austrian artists from the second half of the 20th century.Paintinghttps://sammlungtest.belvedere.at/objects/9319/rdf