Albertina as a source of muse

LETTERS FROM VIENNA

THE ALBERTINA AS

pureSOURCE OF MUSE

When was the last time you just went to a museum or gallery? When was the last time you put your phone on airplane mode and just consciously listened to your downloaded music while strolling through beautiful rooms full of special artwork?

I love to take a dive into a museum on my lunch break. In the meantime, I have the following three addresses to choose from among my annual admissions: The Museum of Art History Vienna, the Natural History Museum Vienna und the Albertina. I would like to talk about the latter in a bit more detail today, as I arrived back home absolutely inspired and full of energy during my last visits.

There are always new temporary exhibitions, but one remains constant… the permanent exhibition „Monet to Picasso – The Batliner Collection“.

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.

– PABLO PICASSO

Pablo Picasso - Head of the medical student (study for Les Demoiselles d'Avignon)
„Everything you can imagine is real.“

– PABLO PICASSO

With 800 drawings and paintings, Picasso prepares the brothel scene of the Demoiselles d'Avignon, which is originally also to be attended by a medical student with a skull in his hand as a memento mori. Picasso tries out stylistic variations, each half of the face has its own identity. The nose outlined with a few strokes, the small mouth and the widened almond-shaped eyes, the absent gaze and the protruding oversized ear are inspired by a prehistoric Iberian head from the Louvre that Picasso saw there in 1906. (…)

– DESCRIPTION IN THE ALBERTINA

800 drawings as preparation

Especially the part of the picture description „With 800 drawings and paintings Picasso prepares himself“ inspired me particularly. When does anyone in today’s design scene bother to prepare for a final result with 800 hand sketches or paintings?

Often... we are fools

Later, I was very moved by a picture by Paul Klee depicting a Jester. I see this as modern man making an ever greater fool of himself with multitasking and restlessness. I have to admit it to myself as well… too often I try to keep many balls in the air at the same time. But at a certain point, this is anything but productive. In brand development, too, it is important to work step by step and thus approach the tasks with maximum attention and clarity in mind.

Paul Klee – Figurine „Der Narr“ 1927
„Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet.“

– PABLO PICASSO

Source of the muse? Absolutely.

Even though I’ve only touched on two of the many works that inspired me in this post… all I can say is go to the museum more often. Even if it’s only 10 minutes. Go inside, put your phone on silent or activate airplane mode as best as possible and give yourself some precious time to recharge your creative batteries.

This is exactly how I start my brand workshops. When was the last time you consciously looked at a new inspiration? A painting? A piece of music? An advertising poster? A film?

Feel free to let me know what has particularly inspired you along the way.