A Visit with Some Old Friends and Moving Day

Me in Vienna, 1981

When I arrived I Vienna for the first time in the fall of 1981, the wider English-speaking world was just beginning to become aware of the significance of Vienna in the development of modern culture. The book I mentioned earlier, Wittgensteins’s Vienna”, was published in 1973. However, it was the publication of “Fin-De-Siecle Vienna: Politics and Culture” by Carl Schorske that brought to prominence the role of Vienna. In 1986, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City mounted a major exhibit called: Vienna 1900: Art, Architecture and Design. The exhibit was a huge success and introduced many Americans for the first time to the wonders of Viennese art and design. I was fortunate enough to have been among those who had made my acquaintance with them a few years earlier.

The Upper Belvedere Palace

When I was studying German in Vienna, I had two afternoons each week when I did not usually go back to have lunch with my host family. On those afternoons, I would take in the rich offerings of the cultural scene in the city. On one such afternoon, I must have made my way to the Oberes Belvedere, the baroque palace that houses one of the major collections of Austrian art, especially from the late 19^th and early 20^th century. There it was that I was introduced to Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka and several others. They, in turn, introduced me to Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffman. These artists, architects, designers and craftsmen would become my life-long companions. Their visionary aesthetic principles and sense of purpose would continue to inspire and animate me. I always try to visit with them when I am in Vienna. Today was the day.

The portrait of Fritza Riedler

It was a damp and foggy morning when I boarded the tram for the ride to the Belvedere. Just the right weather to create the appropriate amount of “Schwermut”, which the dictionary translates as ‘melancholy’. I reached the museum and spent some time in the garden before going inside. In the fog, the garden had a special quality. Once inside, I did not go immediately to see my “friends” but dawdled a little among their 19^th century predecessors. I wanted to see if I could detect any hint of what was coming, but I couldn’t. Then it was time. I was lucky; the gallery was not very crowded today. When I reached the room with most of the Klimt paintings, I did not go immediately to look at “The Kiss”. Today I studied the portrait of Fritza Riedler first. The cool detachment with which she stares from the canvas in her hieratic pose is just so strikingly different from its antecedents. And, having just done some painting, I was interested in seeing how Klimt achieved his effects with paint. I’m not sure I did, but moving on to “The Kiss”, I went away more convinced than ever of Klimt’s genius. I left the museum feeling both exhilarated and exhausted.

"The Kiss"

I was not done here yet, though. In the Lower Belvedere, there was an exhibit dedicated to the museum’s collection of Egon Schiele’s work marking the centenary of his death in 1918. (Quite a few of these artists died as a result of the Spanish flu epidemic.) The exhibit focused on how the museum came to have the collection that it does. There was a plethora of supporting materials – letters, notes and cards relating to the sale of his works. It was fascinating to see Schiele, not just as an artist, but also as a self-promoter. As much as I enjoyed it, I was approaching my museum saturation point. Additionally, it was after 1:00 and I had an appointment at 3:00.

My Vienna digs

I went back to the hotel to collect my bag and grab a bite to eat. I needed to meet the person who would be letting me into the apartment where I would be living for the next week. I arrived right on schedule and introduced myself to Anita, the agency representative. We went inside and up a short flight of stairs to a door, which was my apartment. I was happy that it was on the first floor. When we went inside, the apartment was much more spacious than I had expected. A large room to the right served as the living/dining / kitchen space. The bedroom was a good size and off that was the shower room with a sink and the washing machine. Anita could see my concern and led us back towards the entrance, where she showed me the toilet, which was opposite the door to the main room. On the website, the apartment is listed as having 1 ½ baths. I guess that means something different in Vienna. Anyway, I was delighted. Anita handed me the keys – just two, thankfully. I am paranoid about locks and not being able to work them. Fortunately, this was straightforward. She said goodbye and I started to settle in.

The first task was to check the Wi-Fi. Bingo! It worked perfectly. Then, after checking the place out, it was time to get provisions. I found a nearby supermarket and set about buying what I thought I would need, but not too much. I was mostly concerned to have something to eat in the morning and maybe some snacks and drinks. I did not imagine myself actually cooking, which turned out to be the case. For dinner, I returned to D’Landesknecht where I had eaten on my first night. I got back to my new home, got comfy and watched the news on CNN from the couch. I was liking this already.