Artful

Last week I had a rough day. I had been trying to resolve a frustrating situation and wrestling with anxiety about another situation when something negative unexpectedly occurred. In the grand scheme of things, none of these were horrible, but the culmination was too much for me that day. I decided to go to the Belvedere Museum. The focus there is on modern and contemporary art, but I like going there because of the gardens. I had read an article that viewing art is calming, and for me it is true.

The Belvedere has a collection of Gustav Klimt's work, including the famous The Kiss. I'm not a big fan of Klimt, but after seeing more of his works, he is growing on me. I prefer his landscapes more than anything. The painting that stuck out to me the most that day was Forester's House in Weissenbach I on the Attersee (Forsthaus in Weissenbach I am Attersee). The subject is calming and idyllic. The colors are inviting and the scene is peaceful. You can almost feel the sun, shade, and slight breeze, hear the birds in the trees, and lay down in the grass. What really struck me is that this was painted in 1914, in the beginnings of World War I. The world was violent, chaotic, unstable. Warfare had changed for the worse, and a generation of young men would be lost. The face of Europe would never be the same. "The war that would end all wars" set events in motion that would produce a more unfathomable nightmare. Yet, here is this house inviting respite and displaying beauty.

This painting made me reflect on my own life. If Klimt can find and create beauty in the midst of such a mess, I can too. It takes work, but it is possible. The world is not always what I want it to be, and the world is definitely not what it should be. Do I allow myself to remain a victim of my circumstances or do I seek beauty from the mess or create it if it is not there? Everyday provides an opportunity to answer this question again.

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