Aufbau in Grün und Rot c. 1921

Here's Karl Wiener's "Aufbau in Grün und Rot," made with crayon, presumably sometime before 1949. You can almost feel the artist working, making each mark and line a decision, a negotiation with the surface. I'm imagining Wiener, maybe a little frustrated, trying to wrangle the world into some kind of order on this small piece of paper. It's like the crayon is pushing back, saying, "Hey, I'm just a crayon, what do you want from me?" There is that boxy frame shape which contains and formalises the riot within. It reminds me of other artists who grappled with the same issues, like Paul Klee who was working at the same time. There's also something child-like about it, too, which is cool. Artists keep the conversation going and make their own additions to the world, even with simple materials, and I think that's amazing.