Vorstadtfrühling c. 1929

Karl Wiener made this black and white print of a city in springtime. It’s all about mark-making, isn't it? I'm picturing Wiener carefully carving away at the block, thinking about what it might be like to live in one of these buildings. Maybe he lived there himself! Look how the bare branches reach up. I imagine Wiener wanted to capture that feeling of spring awakening in a dense urban environment. The contrast between the dark, solid blacks and the bright whites creates a dynamic tension, drawing the eye in and around the composition. This print reminds me of other German Expressionist artists playing with simplification and abstraction to evoke feelings of longing, isolation, and hope. Artists are constantly talking to one another through time! We all try to translate those feelings, and leave space for interpretation.