Naturstudie XI 1924

Karl Wiener made this watercolour called 'Naturstudie XI', but when I don't know - sometime between 1901 and 1949. The wispy strokes of blues and purples blend, creating a sky that feels both expansive and intimate. Look at the way he’s let the colours bleed into each other – it’s like he’s chasing a feeling more than a precise representation. The real magic is in those clouds, though. That sun bursting through is almost Rothko-esque, don’t you think? You can almost feel the heat radiating off the paper. Notice how the sharp edges create a sense of light and movement, like the sky is alive and breathing. It’s that kind of balance – the wild and the controlled – that makes a piece stick with you. Sort of like Helen Frankenthaler - you have a sense of the moment, the light, the air.