A comparison between the major names in European art during the Renaissance and Baroque periods can be made mainly in the larger rooms, which house the larger canvases, and where visitors can also admire sumptuous, comfortable décor, with upholstered sofas, colorful walls, and dark marble barriers that separate the works.
However, a significant number of visitors prefer to spend more time visiting the smaller rooms, which surround the majestic halls and are less solemn than the settings of the "grand painting" works that are a legacy of the imperial collections of the Habsburgs. The sensation in these rooms is one of closer contact with the paintings, many of them masterpieces ready to be discovered little by little.
Among the most mysterious and fascinating works is a painting by Giorgione, traditionally titled "The Three Philosophers". Painted toward the end of the Venetian painter's short life, the painting features three men immersed in nature at the edge of a forest, as the sun sets among the trees. The younger one, who is seated, seems to be peering into the back of a cave, while the older one is holding diagrams showing the phases of the moon. Many interpretations have been made as to who the characters are: do they symbolize three different ages of man? Or three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa)? Or perhaps they represent the three wise men, waiting for evening to fall to observe the guiding star in the sky? The mystery of such a fascinating painting has not yet been revealed!
An interesting fact: Among the museum's treasures, in Room 8, is the famous "Summer" by the Italian artist Arcimboldo, who worked as a court painter here in Vienna. The painting is very special, because the figure, portrayed with human features, is made with a composition of fruit and plants. It is part of a series of four paintings on the theme of the seasons, in which Arcimboldo playfully seeks to reflect on the relationship between Man and Nature.
