Verrückter Sonnenuntergang c. 1921

Karl Wiener made this watercolor, Verrückter Sonnenuntergang, which I think means "crazy sunset," sometime between 1901 and 1949. Look at how he uses these vibrant washes and linear structures to create a kind of landscape. I can almost see him there, layering each colour with quick, assured strokes. He was probably building it up, shifting and changing with each layer, until he found something wild. I can relate to this idea of building structure with washes of color; it’s how I work, too. The columns down below—are they buildings, or tree trunks? They remind me a bit of the German Expressionists like Kirchner. The rainbow rays above use colour to communicate feeling, like they're pushing back against the dark mood. They are saying, I’m here, I’m present, I’m full of possibility! It's a reminder that artists are always in conversation, building on each other's energy. In painting we embrace uncertainty and the multiple ways a work can be interpreted.