A Puzzling Expeiience

By Baviu Buang
0f its tempoiaiy collection of
Biei, Nichelangelo, anu Rubens, the
photoiealistic painting of a haie by
Albiecht Biei has become the
Albeitina's icon piece. Playful, coloiful,
anu laigei than life-size haie mouels aie
spiinkleu aiounu the city neai the
builuing that was once the palace of Buke
Albeit of Saxen. The Albeitina is one of
the laigest anu most ienowneu ait
galleiies of vienna. Its laige expanse of
space houses an impiessive collection of
giaphic ait woiks. Nost people know the
Albeitina foi housing its peimanent
collection of paintings that contain many
woiks fiom the eaily 2u
th
centuiy. It also
houses many laige tempoiaiy exhibitions.
As I was walking thiough the
galleiies, I stumbleu acioss a paiticulai
painting that giippeu my attention with
gieat intensity. This painting was
uiffeient fiom the otheis. It lookeu like it
oiiginateu fiom the futuie. Stiaight lines
anu playful geometiical asymmetiy
tastefully appeais the painting of a calm
seashoie. Between a Nonet anu a Picasso
sat this goigeous painting that left me
uumbfounueu.

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The Bigh Shoie by Lyonel
Feiningei stoou out to me to be stiikingly
uiffeient fiom eveiy othei piece of ait at
the Albeitina. It was mouein in style anu
extiemely visually pleasing foi me. I
woulu not have believeu that it was
painteu in the yeai 192S hau it not been
foi the painting's infoimation plaque. It is
a lanuscape painting la Lyonel
Feiningei. Lyonel Feiningei boin as the
son of musically talenteu paients in
Ameiica on }uly 17, 1871. At the age of 16,
he moveu to ueimany with his paients to
stuuy ait. Be iemaineu in ueimany foi the
majoiity of his life befoie ietuining to
Ameiica 19S6 uuiing the iise of the Nazi
Paity.

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Feiningei's use of lines in the
painting is simplistic but the uelibeiate
use of lines anu loose geometiical shapes
give gieat eneigy to eveiy object in the
painting. The jaggeu foimation of iocks
that jut out in the foiegiounu ciawls into
the backgiounu, foiming a mountain
iising high above the hoiizon. The
painting's foiegiounu contains people,
anu Feiningei uepicts them with a
foimation of tiiangles.

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When I look at this piece, I am
ieminueu of my chiluhoou. As a kiu, I
loveu playing with blocks. Fiom Lego
blocks to tangiam puzzles, I loveu them
all. I ueiiveu absolute satisfaction fiom
the foimation of gieatei pictuies fiom
simple but well-uefineu geometiical
shapes. This painting looks like one giant
tangiam puzzle (Figuie 1). Fiom this
peispective, this painting looks moie like
a caiefully pieceu-togethei puzzle. It's a
beautiful puzzle that elegantly uepicts the
scene of seashoie with a jumble of
polygons. I feel an oveiwhelming sense of
satisfaction eveiy time I see this painting;
much similai to the feeling of completing
a laige jigsaw puzzle.
I feel that the style that Feiningei
employs in this painting is oiiginal anu
iefieshing fiom the typical lanuscape
painting obseiveu fiom this time peiiou.
It's bolu anu extiemely "futuiistic" anu
avant-gaiue foi its time. Foi the time
peiiou that this is painteu in, it biings
Feiningei in the foiefiont of the cubism
movement of the eaily 2u
th
centuiy.