I love looking out for the little things in life: Random constellations in nature, unexpected street art, things that aren’t where they would be found usually, or things that are combined in a remarkably new way…

While staying on the island of Krk this fall, I discovered this backyard right behind the house we rented… At first, I didn’t even pay attention to it, because it looked unspectacular and little chaotic.

But then I realized that there was something adoringly different in this disordered little garden: Among the colorful branches of early fall stood an old grand piano. The keyboard was chipped, the once expensive wood was stained and bleached, the music stand was broken… I was completely dazzled by this scene, because it combined destruction, stillness and beauty like a romanticist’s painting of church ruins.

Finding art in the little unexpected things on the road – my favorite thing about being a traveling art historian!