Church in Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Not much time today for writing, but if you can stand to see ONE more church, here goes . . .
This one is near the cemetery and mountain homes I have been writing about recently in Salzburg, Austria. This church is quite ornate. As I walked past the outer courtyard, I saw this skull with bat wings. What a way to enter a sacred place that is suppose to uplift one’s spirits!


On the other side of the entrance was a round stone hung on a wall (shown here). If anyone has any idea of what this is for, please enlighten me. I doubt it is a bed warmer!


The other two image show you how decorated this church is. I believe this is considered Baroque (or maybe Gothic – eheh), but I am not that familiar with the art history labels. Yeah, yeah, I know that I should be, but I rather like thinking of shapes and composition more than categorizing things.

Is that a justification for bad artist behaviour?

Mountain Escape Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

As my friend and hostess Sylvia and I cruised around Salzburg, we ended up in a large cluster of buildings, churches and the like, with the tombstones that were covered with the colorful live plants. I was beginning to wonder if all of Austria treated their dead in this way, never forgetting. I think the church was St. Peter’s. I know I am a terrible tour guide because I was content to look and not think of labels (names, locations, etc.). It was overcast that day, raining a bit. Sylvia was not happy with the large amount of unusual rain they had there during my visit, but I rather enjoyed it and felt like laughing a lot when we got caught in it.


Along the cliffside in this cemetery, one could view some mausoleums, presumably used by the wealthier families in Salzburg. And then above those one can make out windows embedded in the cliffs. Sylvia told me that these spaces were used to protect people during the war. I did not think there looked like there was much space in which to hide many people, but then I did not go up inside.



I remember that in the Carrara area of Italy, I was told similar stories about the mountains hiding locals from foreign attack. In fact, Lardo di Colonnata is a specialty dish of this Tuscan region, served even today. It is a “food” that is basically pig fat with pepper. It was all that people had to eat when they retreated up into the mountains to escape capture during wars. And it kept them alive. Perhaps that is why they cherish this dish so, but I have never had the desire to eat it.

StiftsKirche Nonnberg Convent Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

High on a hill overlooking Salzburg, Austria, is a beautiful convent called StiftsKirche Nonnberg.


The archway looked inviting and my friend Sylvia and I walked past the courtyard filled with flowered grave sites to see if the church was open. It was. We entered through these elegant wood doors with metal accent hardware. A nun quietly glided by in front of us and Sylvia whispered to me after the woman left that this was the first time she had actually seen a nun here.


This next image shows the main altar of the church on the ground floor, as well as a detail shot of the beams on the ceiling. These geometric shapes are more involved that those ceilings I saw in Italy, perhaps because there is no artwork overhead. Or is that a “chicken and egg” question?


To the right of the main altar was an iron lace gate leading downstairs to another altar directly underneath the main one. I believe it was also a holding place for a saint’s relic or perhaps his tomb. I am not sure why I did not approach it closer to find out for sure. Perhaps because I was not alone. This space had an “Edgar Allan Poe” feel that I found intriguing. Hard to believe, but this dark space was even more quiet than the rest of the church. I relished the peace for a moment . . .


This next image I took as I walked back up the stair and looked towards the back of the church. Organ pipes were on a balcony overhead, but in the back . . . that dark space shows a bit of Austrian history. Some ancient paintings were discovered but to protect them from light, one had to pay a machine 50 cents to light the space for a short time. I was able to snap off a few images of these sacred wall paintings through the glass before Sylvia and I again stood in the darkness.



And finally, I wanted to show you some of the iron lace work in this beautiful gate that segregated another altar to the right side of the main one. The simple shapes, the soothing colors, and the touch of loving care in the patterned lace altarcloth that I suspect is handmade seemed the perfect setting for quiet contemplation.

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Putti Baroque Sculpture Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I wanted to show you the stairway in the SchlossMirabell or Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria. Along the walls, in elegant niches, are stone carvings of male and female gods from Greek mythology. However, I was rather amused by the stone rail. Big babies, perhaps putti without wings, sit atop curvaceously carved marble.



Putti is an Italian word and is the plural form of ‘putto.’ It means ‘male human babies.’ However, over the years it has come be used strictly as an art term, small babies usually with wings. I get the impression that they could be cherubs or small angels, but it depends on the context of the artwork. Putti are generally associated with Cupid or Eros, and thus would be present in art depicting mythological subjects. They are generally associated with love, or sometimes a mischievous love.


Like real babies, these sculptured figures are twisting, wriggling, and vivacious. I especially enjoyed the stone babies who seem to be gesturing to guests to move on up the stairs. And then once at the top, I got a kick out of the baby who is lying back with one wrist to his forehead as if saying to himself, “Doh!” Drama Queen . . .

Since these babies are not winged, perhaps there is another significance that I did not learn when I was in Austria. Any thoughts?

Mirabell Palace Wedding Hall Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

The SchlossMirabell or Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria, contains the Marmorsaal (Marble Hall) also called Trauungs-Saal. People travel from great distances to be married inside these luxurious settings.



I really had not researched at all my trip to Salzburg and so was very fortunate that my friend Sylvia wanted to show me many things that are special in her area of Austria. She noticed as we entered the stairwell that the Trauungs-Saal was open and said that this is rare, encouraging me to hurry on up and take a peek inside the slightly open door.

PS I have recently published my art newsletter (sign-up via my Web site). check it out online at www.borsheimarts.com/news/2009_08.htm

Tony Cragg and the Elliptical Nave

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Not too far from the Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Austria, lies what I believe is called the Holy Trinity Church. There is a small piazza in front of the church that includes a tented seating area for eating, a green lawn, and a bizarre sculpture by Tony Cragg that reminded me of science fiction.



My friend Sylvia enjoys this artist’s work. I am still unsure of what I think, although I am leaning towards the view of . . . beh! At her suggestion I later saw Tony Cragg’s exhibit in the Museum der Moderne Salzburg that will continue until October 4, 2009. In general, I do not like it when the words about the art speak to me more than the actual art. That said, there were some drawings that I found intriguing in the artist’s exploration of showing the path of movement in objects.

As an artist whose style is more classical than not, you might think that style is the only kind of art that I like. Not true. And I think that the world is more interesting with a variety of expressions. That does not mean that I have to like them all and in all contexts. And thus, I had assumed that this sculpture I show you here was on temporary exhibit, although I suspect that assumption is wrong. I do like the color contrasts of the Cragg sculpture with the surrounding architecture and trees and the idea of old with new; I am just not convinced that this particular piece is the one that fits right in this space.

However, it is the church that I wanted to write about. She is lovely with a relatively simple elegance compared to many European churches that I have seen. I like the attention to details, such as in this hinge design. I never cease to be amazed at the charm and beauty in how we combine stone, metal, and wood.


Although the iron gate inside was locked, the outside wooden doors allowed us to enter and I took most of these images through the gate. The frescoes or paintings that grace the upper walls between the three altars are simple swashes of orange (essentially the robes of figures). Their simplicity seems right against the busy-ness of the altars.


What is unusual about this church, and something I had not noticed when viewing the dome outside, is that the nave and dome are elliptical, not circular. Maybe the twin towers in front of the dome outside help to hide her unexpected shape. In any event, I was grateful that we got to see inside a bit.

Construction in Austria

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I am not sure why I seem to be so fascinated by construction. Maybe it is just processes in general that are so intriguing. I first became conscious of this when I was photographing men arranging small stone squares in a sidewalk repair job in Prague, Czech Republic many years ago.


Today I wanted to share with you three of my favorite construction images from my recent trip to Austria. The first two were taken in Hallstatt and the last one is Salzburg.

I could have easily added an image of Florence, Italy, here. One of these tall cranes has graced the Uffizi Corridor for several months at least.