Wednesday, January 8, 2020

08.01.2020

               A large portion of todays time was spent viewing art of incomparable quality. The activities of today began at the Kunsthistorisches(art history) in Vienna with a guided tour around the painting gallery. While the level of artistry was indeed mind boggling, most of the paintings did not depict anything I found interesting. The paintings that I did find interesting all depicted scenes from mythology including the picture of Medusa's severed head and the Tower of Babel.
                 After the painting gallery, I went on to explore the rest of the museum starting with the coin collection. There were coin from periods long past countries all over the world. They came in all sizes, from no bigger than half a finger nail to big enough to cover a face, and in various levels of detail but only two shapes. My favorite exhibit in the museum was the Kunstkammer (art chamber). This exhibit was filled with incredible items of masterful craftmanship. The items present included intricately detailed clocks, many items that would be considered everyday if it were not for the level of craftmanship and the materials, and beautifully carved and cast scenes that demanded admiration.
               The last part of the day was going to see the Ballet Onegin at the Weiner Staatsoper. This was the first ballet I remember ever attending. I was quite surprised at how audible the steps and jumps of the dancers were even over the music. It was amusing how exaggerated the body language was portrayed in order to effectively display the mood of the characters. It was quite helpful to know the synopsis of the ballet before viewing it because, while amazing there was a lot of dancing that did nothing to move the plot along. The music itself was used to develop the characters. For example, just about every time Onegin was introduced into a scene the music darkened into what I would call villain music. The ballet was rather spectacular and the dancers and music were indeed very talented but I am not sure yet if I like the style of performance.

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