Vienna MASKS

The rest of our time in Vienna was amazing. The mask exhibit was phenomenal! It displayed masks from many different cultures and provided info about the different interpretations of masks in different cultures over time. The first room contained many things and of them was a display of sculptured heads, faces, and necks cast from people just after their deaths. In Roman times up until the 20th century people created these casts of the dead in order to commemorate their deaths. It was considered the most important way to remember the deceased. We were extremely impressed with how intricately detailed the casts were. The hair, eyes, wrinkles, lump in the throat, etc. were defined so perfectly! It really did seem like we were looking at an actual person.

In other cultures (I forget which) the skulls of the deceased would be kept in close proximity to the family as a way of ensuring the dead person would live on and also to protect from evil spirits. Some of these skulls were on display.

The masks from African cultures were creatively exhuberant! Sometimes animal teeth or hair was woven into the mask, sometimes human hair - a few masks had big, natty dreads and /or afros weaved within and without them! These were by far the most fun, creative, and intricate masks.

However, most all the masks were creative in their own ways. The war-time armor masks were threatening and frightening-looking. Many of the expressions on all kinds of masks were so interesting! These were expressions a human face couldn't even make - some were warped and menacing (as in the case of the war-time masks), others twisted and goofy, others hollow and foreign.

I read there was a time in 18th century Rome(?) where masks were banned from the stage, at which point spectators began wearing masks to the shows. Take that, mask-banners! Masks became a part of everyday life and this is depicted in many paintings.

At one point it was noted that there was a time where masks shifted from having a celebratory function to playing a role in disguising and having
an association with lies (again I forget the society in which this took place). I recall reading an essay back in high school about "the mask that lies..." I forget who wrote it or what it was called but I wrote a short essay a year later using the concept. (Anyone remember this?)

Overall the exhibit was fascinating! Our pictures will show that. We both thought it was really great. I'd see it agian today if we were still there. Only downside: we didn't see Montezuma's mask because that part of the exhibit was closed. Still though - an amazing display of masks. Since then I've noticed masks in display windows of stores or in posters, etc. and I've felt compelled to point them out to Jack because I feel this certain excitement now when I see a mask!