September theme day: Photographing the photographer

I caught my friend getting a picture of the chandelier in this green tea room at a local art gallery. Right away, I knew it was the perfect shot for the theme day. You'll find more variations on this month's theme here.

Marbles

A collection of marble sculptures inside the newly refurbished wing of the Schloss Charlottenburg. I recently saw a performance of Mozart's greatest hits in one of the upper rooms. It was a real treat to see the palace "after hours" and the musicians were really talented, especially the soprano. Hopefully there will be other performances to enjoy in the future!

Dresden from the Left Bank

This painting of the Elbe in Dresden is by Italian artist Bernardo Bellotto. It is on display in the President's office in Schloss Bellevue. While each President has some freedom to decide which works will be displayed throughout the residence, this is one of the permanent works.

Golden room

This is the grand ballroom where state dinners are held. At one end of the room is this beautiful, golden painting; the other end has a similar piece with more pinkish tones. Both were grand pieces of art which fit the room. They were painted by German artist Gotthard Graubner.

Another Kollwitz

We're on a Käthe Kollwitz roll! This is proabably her best known sculpture, depicting a mother cradling her dead son in her arms. Kollwitz had personal experience with the loss of a child, her own son died in battle during WWI.

This work stands inside the Neue Wache just off Unter den Linden. It's a monument to all victims of war and tyranny. It's really a beautiful and moving monument and Kollwitz's work is the perfect fit. I've featured other works of hers previously here.

I am so happy the weekend is finally here. Do you have any plans? I'm going to a birthday party on Saturday and will maybe play some golf on Sunday. Hope you have something fun to look forward to too!

Kollwitz Platz

An imposing statue of Käthe Kollwitz stands right in the middle of Kollwitz Platz in Prenzlauerberg. There are tons of cute cafes and restaurants right around here and if you're lucky enough to be in Berlin in the springtime, you'll find an abundance of cherry blossoms lining the square.

This sculpture is both of and by Kollwitz. I really love her work. The people always look so ordinary, but somehow that's what touches me about them. I've shown another one of her sculpture selfies here.

Illicit shots

You may be wondering why I haven't shown you any of the art. There's a simple answer - photography of the art was not allowed. The Boros Sammlung is actually a private collection that Christian Boros, the owner and resident of the bunker, has been kind enough to open up to the public. I did, however, sneak these two shots on my way to the toilet before the tour started.

I don't recall the name of the artist who created these sculptures. It's a shame I couldn't really get the whole room as it's quite open, not what you'd expect in a bunker. Hope the lack of art won't stop you from coming back tomorrow for more on the bunker.

Selfie in black and white

Käthe Kollwitz only started sculpting during the later part of her life, but her works from this period have become some of her most well-known. In both her painting and sculpting, she did a lot of self portraits. This is one example that was on display at the Kollwitz Museum here in Berlin. The collection is small, but the museum is definitely worth visiting, if you're ever in the city.

PS: Don't forget to take a look at Halcyon Travels for more from my trip to Israel.

A phoenix in Berlin

Look closely and you'll see a Phoenix rising above the Berliner Philharmonie building in the middle of Berlin's Kulturforum. 

The bird was designed by Berlin native Hans Uhlmann and represents how the city of Berlin arose from the ashes of WWII and once again became a bright and vibrant city. The Kulturforum is just a short walk from Potsdamer Platz, which itself is a symbol of the reunification of East and West.

Limoges vase

Limoges is a city in Central France known for its beautiful vases painted with the email technique (enamel paint on copper). This little beauty was painted in 1927 by artist Henriette Marty. I just love the little bird and his bright blue color.

PS: Don't forget to stop by Halcyon Travels for a look at my recent trip to Israel.

Art deco glass

These two art deco period stained glass windows were originally created in the 1920s by artist César Klein for the apartment of famed Berlin art collector Wolfgang Gurlitt. Wouldn't you love to have something so beautiful in your home? They'd look especially nice in my south-facing living room.

PS: I have my in-person interview today. Please cross your fingers and hold your thumbs for me!

Memoria Urbana Berlin

This beautiful dome structure celebrates freedom of conscience and immigration. It stands on the ground of the former Bethlehem Church which was a center of worship for religious outcasts from Bohemia who were invited to resettle in what was then Prussian Berlin by Frederick William I.

Unfortunately, the original church was destroyed during the bombings of WWII, but this monument entitled Memoria Urbana Berlin was erected as a temporary art installment in 2013. It was so well-received that local administrators got permission to make it permanent. With the recent wave of immigrants and refugees to Germany, I find this memorial even more poignant. We need only to look to the past to help shape the future.

I hope you have a blue sky weekend ahead of you. It's looking a bit gray and cloudy here, but we've had such a spectacular fall, I can hardly complain. You'll find more skies at Skywatch.


PS: Don't forget to stop by Halcyon Travels for a look at my recent trip to Israel.

The religious room

Sometimes it seemed like the rooms at the Märkisches Museum would never end - there was so much variety in the exhibits. This room was dedicated to religious artifacts collected from Berlin churches over the years. A school class was visiting on the day I was there and these three girls stayed back to marvel over the alterpiece.

I, however, marveled over this piece. I'm not sure what the story is, but it looks like that fellow in the middle is having his head stepped on by Jesus. Ouch!

PS: I've got pictures from my recent trip to Israel on Halcyon Travels. Stop by and take a look!

Looking through

We're back to the Märkisches Museum. As I said before, I really loved the architecture and the details in this museum, like this wonderfully painted doorway. 

In the next room, there were some nice paintings on display, including this one of the Neue Kirche (aka Deutsche Dom) on Gendarmenmarkt. The church is called the "New Church" because it was built after the Reformation had been accepted in Berlin. When Berlin's leaders started leaning towards the reform teachings of Luther and Calvin, Catholic cathedrals were simply converted to protestant churches. Thus, it was nice for parishioners in this part of the city to have a brand new place to worship.

Marble gallery

When you walk into the Altes Museum, you come directly into this domed area which is encircled with marble statues of varying ages and subjects. I just loved the way they were presented here. I hope you've enjoyed this short tour of the museum, I'm going to move on to other subjects this week. Although I might come back at sometime in the future as I still have a few nice shots from here.

Deus ex machina

We are still at the Altes Museum. Today's work is entitled Medea Sarcophagus. It was found near Porta San Lorenzo in Rome and dates back to around 140 - 150 AD. Here is more about the piece:

The relief shows four scenes from the Medea myth following the homonymous tragedy by the Athenian poet Euripides. Topics from Greek mythology were a popular motif in Rome for sarcophagus reliefs, especially when the depicted, as is the case here, wedding and death, happiness and sorrow of life.

Refurbished colossal

Here's one of the beautiful marbles from the museum's collection. It is entitled Colossal Statue with Cornucopia, Snake and Portrait of Antonious. It was acquired by the museum in Rome in the late 1700s, but dates back to around 130 - 140 AD. Here is more information on the work:

Head and statue are ancient but were combined as recently as in the eighteenth century. The portrait depicts Emperor Hadrian's lover Antonious. The attributes allow the statue to be interpreted as Agathos Daimon (protective spirit). Restored with support from ZDF and the Lions Club Berlin-Alexanderplatz.

Guardian for the afterlife

This Funerary Lion was found somewhere around Athens and dates back to approximately 320 BC. Here's a little more information on the piece:

This large lion either marked a grave as an individual monument or, together with a counterpart, was a corner figure of a monumental funerary precinct in late classical Athens. As a symbolic guardian, the lion grants magical protection from grave robbers. Its artistic quality is indicative of the commissioner's wealth.

Free at last!

The Altes Museum is, as its name implies, Berlin's oldest museum. The collection is made up of mainly old Greek and Roman marbles. I enjoyed my stroll through antiquity and will share a few pieces with you this week.

This work is called Funerary Relief of Publius Aiedius and his Wife Aiedia. It was found in Rome and dates back to around 30 B.C. Here's a little more information:

This type of relief belonged to funerary buildings of freed slaves who were given civic rights. Clothing (toga) and clasped hands (wedding ritual) proudly demonstrate the acquired social status. The realistic rendering of the portrait is a traditional symbol of dignity and virtue.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour so far. For more signs, take a look at Signs, Signs.

September theme day: Curiosities

I hope no one is shocked, but this piece entitled Peace be with You, is certainly a curiosity! The man pictured here with his large member on the side of the TAZ (Tageszeitung) building bears a certain resemblance to Bild editor Kai Diekmann. A feud has been brewing between the rival newspapers since the sixties, but came to a head in 2009 when this work was erected. The mural is positioned so that it is perfectly visible from Diekmann's upper story corner office. Despite complaints from others in the neighborhood, the piece by artist Peter Lenk (known for his risque work) is now a protected landmark. The next time you're in Berlin, just take a detour down Rudi Dutschke Straße near Checkpoint Charlie to see it for yourself.

I can't believe September is already here. Where did the summer go? It's time for the latest CDP Theme Day and you'll find more examples of Curiosities from around the world here.