Baum und Gestirne 1940

Curator: I am immediately struck by the composition. There is an otherworldly mood, even starkness, in what seems like a very elemental drawing. Editor: Indeed. We are looking at Karl Wiener's "Baum und Gestirne," created in 1940. It's a dry-media drawing, principally using pencil, which blends landscape with abstraction, conjuring celestial spheres around an imposing tree. Curator: 1940...considering the sociopolitical landscape of that time, does the starkness mirror the artist's environment, or does the dreamscape represent something deeper about the human condition in times of struggle? Editor: I’m fascinated by the contrast in materials and method; using commonplace materials like pencil to render these astronomical shapes elevates the ordinary to something ethereal, maybe even a bit of utopian yearning given the context. Wiener transforms cheap media into objects of reverie and resistance. Curator: The tree's stark branches against these cosmic figures, that peculiar, almost primitive, face…it suggests a tension between earthly constraints and spiritual longings. This reminds me of much feminist work on the self versus natural forces, how the artist represents the place of his or her self, or the world the artist is seeing as an entity that is controlled or to be subverted. Editor: Exactly, but also, I see how the work subtly erodes distinctions, collapsing these perceived boundaries in nature. We usually don’t discuss it this way. Notice, even the drawing itself pushes at its own limits through its use of shading—see how even this modest pencil strokes contribute to its scale? This drawing challenges rigid boundaries between mundane craft and art. Curator: These dry-media approaches become more potent in context with other drawings from that period, many dealing with exile, cultural alienation, identity, as Wiener moved and had his heritage pulled along during WWII. “Baum und Gestirne” echoes those themes, portraying rootlessness within the larger expanse. Editor: I agree. Ultimately, this work provides the ability of materials when considered for context. I find the combination of celestial fantasy and the groundedness of the tree especially compelling, underscoring tensions that defined Wiener's world.