The Mysterious Art Museum
Chapter 49 (1) - The Mysterious Art Museum

Klimt, after asking a photographer, who was accompanied by his brother, to take photos of all the nobles and landowners of Vienna with their faces clearly visible, returned to his studio and lit his pipe. Klimt, enveloped in a thick haze of smoke, was lost in thought.

Ernst, his brother, came back to the office a bit later and said while hanging his bowler hat on the coat rack, “I had to ask for the photos on credit, we’re short on cash right now.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“………………”

“When I mentioned credit, the photographer’s face twisted. Just moments ago, he was happily snapping photos without worrying about wasting film.”

“Our neighbor will understand.”

“Hmm.”

Indeed, there was a photography studio in the neighboring unit of this commercial building.

Ernst, who didn’t add any comments to confirm if his brother was right, took off his jacket, sat down, and started cleaning his pipe. “What are you thinking about?”

“………………………..”

“If it’s a painting to commemorate the Burg Theater, it should naturally be of the museum’s interior or an exterior view. Why did you waste that expensive film on photos of those fat pigs?”

Klimt, immersed in his thoughts, finally stood up.

“How long will it take for the photos to develop?”

“Can’t you just answer?”

“………………………..”

“Sigh, I heard it takes about two days.”

I, living in the modern era where taking and developing photos only takes 30 minutes, chuckled at this. Two days to develop photos? This era sure had its inconveniences.

Of course, the modern age has become simpler, but not necessarily better.

**

Two days later, at Klimt's house.

I had been following Klimt for the past two days.

This unusually long dream showed everything Klimt did over those two days. It wasn’t anything spectacular. He went to the theater to observe its interior with his own eyes and closely examined the faces of the nobles and landowners who were part of the election campaign procession.

Finally, the photos were developed, and Klimt was sticking over 40 pictures on the wall.

But something was odd. He set aside the photos of the theater he was supposed to draw and was instead arranging and sticking the photos of the nobles and landowners on the wall in various positions.

Klimt, engaged in this peculiar activity, first placed a photo of a man with a stylish mustache at the front, then moved it to the far right, and arranged the photos of noblewomen at the front.

"What on earth are you thinking?"

Unable to understand Klimt, I merely observed him and then glanced at the theater photos set aside.

The photographer was quite skilled. He took a photo from the very back of the stage, pointing upwards, capturing the ceiling and the audience seats in a single shot. The empty audience seats gave a desolate feeling, but filled with people, it would have been a magnificent sight, blending beautifully with the theater scenery.

I paused as I looked at the photo.

"Wait a minute."

The old Burgtheater. Have I seen this painting before?

Struggling to recall, I remembered this painting, tucked away in a corner of my mind.

"This painting. Klimt had painted the audience seats filled with people. I'm sure of it."

Many of Klimt's ceiling and mural paintings are famous. This one, being relatively less known, had slipped my mind until now. In my memory, the painting showed the audience seats packed with people.

I narrowed my eyes, alternating between the photos of people that Klimt was arranging on the wall and the photo of the empty theater.

"He filled the empty audience seats with portraits of landowners and nobles."

I understood that, but why?

Didn't he call them money-grubbing pigs two days ago?

Why would he preserve such people in this beautiful painting, to be passed down through generations?

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