Armed with a map and blind ambition, Buda was my oyster. Did you know that the city of Budapest is actually an original combination of two cities lining the banks of the Danube River? The old city of Buda, with citadel, royal palace, and society housing is pinched against a hillside on the right bank and the flat agrarian plains of Pest extend from the left. About 80% of the modern population lives on the expansive flatlands of Pest, which is also home to the parliament building completed in 1904.
Buda is a classic European city with narrow streets lined with townhouses. Stairs climb the hill to a plateau to the government complex dating back to the sixteenth century. A great viewing platform is the Fishermen’s Bastion situated next to Matthias Church.
The white marble provides great contrast to the surrounding city and is home to the usual characters seeking “ever inventive” ways to capture the tourist dollar.
(Have you ever wanted to hold a bird of prey?)
The Royal Palace literally stretches for kilometers and practically joins the walled fortifications at points. The main complex has been turned into the Hungarian National Gallery. Wanting to escape the sun, I decided that a roughly $15 entrance fee, with access to dome views of the city and photography privileges was a good investment.
What I found in the National Gallery was an incredible display of architecture and well thought through exhibiting. The use of space was equally impressive as the art.
I wish that the “restoration” temporary exhibit had English commentary because the process of repairing artwork neglected or slashed by the Nazi’s and Russians was fascinating. The reconstruction of canvas ribbons back into historical works of art was really more of a technical, scientific, process than the expected artistic touch-up, after cleaning, of many restorations. While in the restoration temporary exhibit many pieces across media were displayed. I especially liked the expressions from these two religious works with their unusually animated faces. It made me stop and literally smile.
The happy, almost cherubim, expressions carried over to this angel as well.
Viewing Hungarian art from the Middle Ages to the present reinforced my appreciation for paintings circa 1850 and forward. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the masters and their uber detailed brushwork weighted by heavy backgrounds, but the openness of the more contemporary style or the pastoral scenes of the late nineteenth century set my mind to imagination.
I even like the ultra modern expressions that would drive a Victorian consciousness to distraction.
The paradigm that dawned on me in the Hungarian National Gallery was, “It doesn’t matter so much what one thinks about the actual art, but whether the art leads one to wonder what the artist was thinking or inspired by during creation.” Half the fun of modern art is trying to draw the link between the art’s title and the actual emanation.
With a full afternoon spent in the gallery, I was ready to view the city, with the afternoon light, from the dome. Budapest is stunning. The Danube makes a perfect trunk from which the historical buildings branch.
There are enough mid nineteenth century buildings that were either reconstructed after World War II or survived the bombings to set the scene. The city itself is not that broad either and there is something reassuring in being able to see the countryside off on the horizon.
(The Chain Bridge was rebuilt after WWII bombings.)
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