Depression, Selbstporträt 1932

Karl Wiener made this watercolour self-portrait in 1932, and you can see how the washes pool and blend together. The artist's face emerges from the paper in shades of pink, while blues and purples surround his head. I think of him sitting alone in a studio, brush in hand, scrutinizing himself in the mirror. There's a tentative quality in the way the paint is applied, as if he's feeling his way through a fog. The colors are muted, almost melancholic, reflecting a somber mood. Look how the brushstrokes around the eyes seem to emphasize a sense of sadness. The marks gather there, in small concentrated pools. I wonder if Wiener was familiar with the work of other expressionist painters like Kirchner or Heckel? There's a similar intensity here, a raw honesty in the depiction of inner turmoil. It's like he's using the act of painting to try and understand his own feelings, laying them bare on the surface of the paper. It's a reminder that painting can be a powerful tool for self-exploration.