652 Jorney II and travel by rail 1967

Editor: So, this is Hundertwasser's "652 Jorney II and travel by rail" from 1967, a mixed-media painting. It feels almost dizzying to look at, a riot of colors and patterns swirling around what looks like abstract architecture. What do you make of this visual whirlwind? Curator: Ah, Hundertwasser. Always a trip, isn’t he? This isn’t just abstraction for abstraction’s sake, you know. He believed in the spiral – he called it the mathematical incarnation of life, refusing to paint straight lines, calling them "godless and immoral.” And here, that spiral envelopes everything – those vibrant colours, the almost cartoonish shapes… it’s like the city itself is breathing, living, traveling. Do you sense that energy too? Editor: Definitely! It's almost overwhelming, like being caught in a kaleidoscope. The naive art style makes it approachable despite its complexity. What is the significance of representing travel and rail this way? Curator: Hundertwasser saw the modern world as a bit of a beautiful, chaotic mess. Rail travel, for him, was perhaps symbolic of connection, but also of the sometimes jarring experience of movement and change. Notice how those rhythmic, almost hypnotic lines guide our eye around the canvas. It is organized chaos. Are we arriving or departing? The destination doesn’t matter. It's all about the journey itself, don’t you think? Editor: That’s a great point. I guess the focus isn't on the "where," but more on the "how." So, he wasn’t just painting a picture; he was painting a feeling, an experience? Curator: Precisely! Hundertwasser wasn’t interested in representing reality; he wanted to create a parallel one, full of vibrant life and unexpected perspectives. The kind you feel deep down within. He has always seemed to offer me this space of imaginative escapism... Editor: Wow, I’ll definitely see this with new eyes now! It makes the piece so much richer. Curator: Exactly! That’s the joy of art, isn’t it?