Lärm c. 1921

Curator: Welcome. Today, we're examining Karl Wiener's drawing, "Lärm," created circa 1921, rendered in colored pencil. Editor: My first thought? Absolute visual cacophony. It’s like peering into a kaleidoscope designed by a very enthusiastic, possibly overwhelmed, abstract expressionist. All those jagged shapes screaming for attention. Curator: Indeed. Wiener deploys a complex network of geometric forms, fracturing the picture plane into a mosaic of colored sections. Notice the dynamic tension between the sharp, angular lines and the softer, more muted tones within each fragment. Editor: Tension is right! It’s almost unsettling, but in a stimulating way. It reminds me of the hectic energy of a bustling city, maybe Vienna at the height of the Roaring Twenties. "Lärm," the title itself, means "noise" or "din." So it captures not just visual noise but perhaps social or psychological noise too? Curator: That is perceptive. We can interpret the piece through the lens of Expressionism and Art Nouveau, two prevalent styles of the era. Wiener combines the heightened emotion and subjective perspective of Expressionism with Art Nouveau's decorative, flowing lines – although here, the flow is disrupted, anxious even. Semiotically, the fracturing could symbolize a society similarly fragmented after the Great War. Editor: Oh, I like that. I was stuck on the pure sensory overload of it all. The chaotic arrangement and clashing colours mirror that post-war disarray beautifully. It’s as though Wiener took a stained-glass window and then shattered it, just to see what kind of crazy patterns he could glue back together. Curator: It also highlights Wiener’s preoccupation with line. Each line segment performs a structural role but simultaneously asserts its autonomy. Editor: Autonomy—exactly! It is less about perfect cohesion and more about individual energy within that vibrant confusion. I’m getting a weird, wonderful jolt from this piece. Curator: "Lärm" undoubtedly provokes a powerful visceral reaction. Its discord is not merely aesthetic but conceptual. Editor: Definitely a memorable piece! Makes you consider all kinds of beautiful messes, inside and out. Curator: Precisely. It exemplifies the turbulent, transformative spirit of its time.