Aufbau in Grün und Rot c. 1921

Karl Wiener made this drawing titled, "Aufbau in Grün und Rot" with coloured pencils, and it feels like a sketch, like a quick thought jotted down. There’s something so raw and immediate about it, a directness I really appreciate. I love how the whole thing is outlined in thick black, like stained glass, creating a bold graphic punch. The red and green color scheme is so simple, almost childlike. Look at the cross-hatching in the red background. It's not trying to hide itself. You can see the hand of the artist, the pressure of the pencil, the slight imperfections that give it life. The shapes, those geometric forms stacked on top of each other, create a sense of depth, but it's also flattened and compressed. It’s a little bit Klee, maybe a touch of Kandinsky, but with a more blunt, outsider edge, like he wasn't playing by anyone's rules but his own. That makes it special.