Obersteirische Winterlandschaft 

This work, titled "Obersteirische Winterlandschaft," was created by Karl Wiener in 1943. It is a pencil drawing on paper. The artist has captured a snow-covered mountainous landscape with sparse trees. Notice how the material qualities of graphite—its darkness, its ability to create both sharp lines and soft gradations—are used to create the scene. Graphite as a medium is portable and immediate. The artist probably produced this sketch outside during the winter. You can see it in the loose, expressive lines that capture the play of light and shadow on the snow. Consider the physical act of drawing, the labor involved in translating a three-dimensional scene onto a two-dimensional surface. The artist's hand, guided by their eye and mind, has meticulously rendered the details of the landscape. This drawing underscores how even the simplest of materials, when wielded with skill and intention, can evoke a sense of time, place, and feeling.