My Favorite Reliefs in Franziskanerkirche, Graz

The Franziskanerkirche in Graz was visually pleasing in its simplicity, befitting to its name; even its many multiple-colored stained glass windows didn't distract from its purifying sparseness.



In that rather somber and scantly decorated space, what I found most striking was a small format relief cycle on the life of Jesus.  These emotionally charged reliefs were as simply and economically delineated as the church itself - terse, understated, and never showy or ostentatious.



Amongst this cycle, I found these two pieces below were most exemplary - The Nailing of Jesus to the Cross and The Resurrection:


The Nailing of Jesus to the Cross


Resurrection

The interplay and dialogues between the reliefs consisted of monochromatic and line drawing-like figures and the flat and light maroon tinted background, helped to create a somber and sanctified atmosphere and classic timelessness.  The drama was not diminished when the wrenching and emotional scenes were not presented in some obvious and overwrought styles; rather, the constraints of the execution of these reliefs enhanced their emotional impact.


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List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited

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My Favorite Altar and Fresco at Barmherzigenkirche, Graz

Though thee baroque monastery church, Barmherzigenkirche (Brotherhood of Compassion), in Graz, Austria, was founded by the Archduke Ferdinand and Max Ernst in 1615, the present construction was from later period - built in 1735-40, was by J. G. Stengg and it presented visitors stark contrasts between its austere though flowing architectural elements and the overstuffed, overwrought religious paintings, sculptures and altars. 



For the latter, it was their almost naïve sincerity and the heart-felt solemnity rescued them from the disaster of complete kitsch and drew viewers' attention to elaborate splendor.



Amongst those unusual objects, I found a huge altar centering on an ebony Madonna very intriguing and most memorable.  Underneath a seashell arch, enshrouded in beautifully decorated cloth of ceremony, which was covered with alternating dark and light patterns, this Madonna, shaped like a typical Christmas tree, embodied the universal elements, manifested by the bold motifs on the ceremonial cloth.  A tiny arm of hers held high the small head of the Baby, which, like his celestial mother, wore weighty crowns gilded in rich though subdued red gold.

I really love the primitive feeling of this particular Virgin Mary.







The second memorable piece in Barmherzigenkirche depicted a typical sacrificial scene of a certain saint.  It was a fresco on a side wall near an alter of the theme of the Lamentation.  What struck me most of this side fresco was the beauty of the subtle coloration, and the elegance of the postures, therefore, the rather terrifying scene was beautifully presented and such dichotomy generated a high drama of its own.  Furthermore, one could see that a sculptural lamenting cherub from the altar cast his sight on this painted scene, thus bound those two elements tightly together, forming a continuous narration from altar to the side wall and then back.






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List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited

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My Favorite Sculptures at Schloßberg, Graz

The hill in the city of Graz, Austria, Schloßberg, boasted many monuments, on the ground of the fortress destroyed by the conquering Napoleon's army, such as the Lion: Major-Hackher-Denkmal, Bastion of Schloßberg (above).

Amongst many memorable sculptures, my favorite one was a large relief, titled Untersteiermark unvergessene Heimat (Lower Styria Unforgotten Home) (Graz 1945), whose poignantly depiction of displayed people by the raging war.  In regardless of political situation, the horrible effect of war on people were just deplorable.



My second favorite sculpture was titled Furchtlos und Treu - INF.RGT.27 - 1682-1918 (Fearless and faithful).  This stone sculpture of a noble-looking man holding a heavy sword, looking straight forward in the most steadfast fashion. Its effect was enhanced by the fact that it was mounted on a red-brick wall of a fortress, dramatically draped with ivy leaves.  The heroism of the sculpture though had a disturbing taste of the nationalist fervor, much appreciated in totalitarian states, such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Unions.  Austria was the right place to reflect on ambiguity and contradiction.





My Favorite Museum Collection Series
>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 96: My Favorite Altar and Fresco at Barmherzigenkirche, Graz
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List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited

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My Favorite Artworks at Stadtpfarrkirche zum Hl. Blut, Graz

 
The Graz parish church, Stadtpfarrkirche zum Hl. Blut (Parish Church of Holy Blood), nestling quietly in the the busiest street of the city, Herrengasse, had a wonderful baroque façade containing my favorite sculpture of the church, a scholar or a clergyman in a distinctive long robe and cornered hat, holding a large folio and a paper roll. Face serene and intelligent, pose determined and a bit defiant, the figure was shrouded in a slight mystery.  The outline and the coloration of the figure and the background were so cleanly delineated that the sculpture was worthy of a drawing by the incomparable John Flexman. 



My second favorite art in the church was two large panels of stained glasses behind a large crucifixion.  These two panels were noteworthy, mostly for depicting the heinous Hitler and Mussolini watching the Taunting of Christ (left panel, right column, fourth pane from bottom).







A rightful posture of apology from Austrian people.


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>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 95: My Favorite Sculptures at Schloßberg, Graz

<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 93: My Favorite Altar Pieces at Mariahilferkirche, Graz

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My Favorite Altar Pieces at Mariahilferkirche, Graz

There are many interesting churches in Graz and one of them I visited in 2012, Mariahilferkirche and cloister, impressed me very much with its startling altar pieces.



The most striking one was an altar of Pietà, whose particularity was that there was a sword piercing into Maria's breast.  It was a very disturbing and moving image and hard to forget.



I happened to have seen quite a few similar images during that trip; in the very same church, on the side wall, I also saw this standing alone Maria pierced by a sword.  In other church, I even saw a Maria pierced by seven swords!



The second favorite altar in Mariahilferkirche featured a dead scene of a saint, perhaps, Maria. 



The strong contrast between the splendidly colorful angel and the bleached dying Maria were very striking, and their postures echoed each other, and formed a broad and comforting embrace.  Very moving.




My Favorite Museum Collection Series
>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 94: My Favorite Artworks at Stadtpfarrkirche zum Hl. Blut, Graz
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 92: My Favorite Sculptures at Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz

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My Favorite Sculptures at Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz

As I reported shortly after my trip to Graz in 2012, I was delighted by my visit to Institut für Klassische Archäologie at Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, for its collections of many classical Roman and Greek marble sculptures and reliefs.  According to the university, "the Institute is home to significant archaeological collections of ancient vases of Greece, objects from local sites as well as casts of ancient sculptures."

There were many beautiful sculptures to admire, many of the had incredible ethereal beauty in their wonderfully proportioned forms and polished details, such as these works below:







Yet, pressed, I had to name the Niobe below as my favorite - it was not the most polished piece to behold and the deliberately clumsy posture of the grief-stricken queen was rather ungainly, yet more moving for that.  What moved me most were her stunned facial expression and the terrified face of her little daughter clinging to her, trying desperately to avoid the fury of the gods, who had just killed all her eleven siblings, provoked by the boasting, now belatedly repenting Niobe, a moving subject also propelled me to make an abstract installation last year.



My second favorite was a huge head of a noble horse, with its lean bones, fiery eyes and flaring nostrils, looked supremely eloquent and elegant:



My Favorite Museum Collection Series
>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 93: My Favorite Altar Pieces at Mariahilferkirche, Graz
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 91: My Favorite Paintings at Neue Galerie, Graz, Austria

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My Favorite Paintings at Neue Galerie, Graz, Austria

The other important museum I visited in Graz, besides Kunsthaus, was Neue Galerie, which housed many important Austrian art.





My favorite painting there was, again, by Egon Schiele (1890, Tulln an der Donau, Austria - 1918, Vienna),  titled Stadtende (Häuserbogen III) (City End, Houses Arc III). It depicted a jumble of houses in various shades and shapes and the whole composition was quite dynamic, full of contrast and movements. Despite the many colors employed by the artist, the painting was also very harmonious, predominately in various shades of gray, accented by stripes and patches of brilliant blue, red, and green colors.  It was a lovely painting, beautiful, a bit unsettling and menacing, mainly due to some very angular and irregular outlines of those houses.


Stadtende (Häuserbogen III), um 1917, Egon Schiele

My second favorite piece was by a Graz artist, Axl Leskoschek (1889, Graz -1976, Wien), Der Doppelgänger (The Double).  It was a somewhat spooky painting, monochromatic and enigmatic.  It featured actually not two, but three figures - the doubles and an image reflection in a mirror, looking out of the frame, as if mocking at the live two, in their fancifully dinner jackets, with intriguing postures and facial express warranted endless interpretations.  It was an unforgettable piece.


Der Doppelgänger, 1945, Axl Leskoschek (1889, Graz -1976, Wien)

My Favorite Museum Collection Series
>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 92: My Favorite Sculptures at Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 90: My Favorite Artworks in Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria

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My Favorite Artworks in Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria

The ultra-modern museum, Kunsthaus, in Graz, Austria, was a distinctive architecture and its attraction is itself.







That said, I did see some very interesting works in this museum during my 2012 visit to Graz.  My favorite item was an installation - a wooden forest flourishing under several intense circular florescent lights, suggesting a giant incubator, or an solemn, almost spiritual outer space, where several stars or planets converging upon alien soil.  Very intriguing.



My second favorite was a 30 minutes video, titled True False Else, white outlines of ever-morphing objects continuously expanded and contracted against a dark background, reminiscent of the famous William Kentridge's drawing animation.  Mesmerizing.


True False Else, 1992, Constanze Ruhm, 30 min.

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<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 89: My Favorite Artworks in Schloss Eggenberg, Graz, Austria

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My Favorite Artworks in Schloss Eggenberg, Graz, Austria

Schloss Eggenberg in Graz, Austria is a magnificent Baroque palace and in 2010 was included in the listing of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.  In 2012, when I made a brief stop at Graz, though I was not able to visit the museum housed inside the Schoss, Universalmuseum Joanneum, I was able to tour the building and its lovely garden ground.



Though I couldn't go inside many marvelous rooms, I was able to see this wonderful triptych below through the window and though it was medieval in style, the coloration and rendering of its figures were reminiscent those of the great Jan van Eyck.



My second favorite in the Schloss was a bearded figure with a heavy crown, a Kaiser, I assume, holding a model of a town with some effort, looking imploringly heavenwards.  A pious figure, seemingly suffered under the weight of his charges, almost pathetically tragic. Hard to forget.




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>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 90: My Favorite Artworks in Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 88: My Favorite Artworks in the Mausoleum, Graz, Austria

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