Wand=Uhr=Schlange 1921 - 1922

This highly symbolic image was made by Adolf Wölfli, who lived from 1864 to 1930. The shapes, patterns, and colors all feel very considered, like an ancient, mysterious message. I wonder what it was like to create this image – maybe Wölfli got lost in the making, and each color or shape led to the next, like a chain reaction. The layering and the detail really pull you in. There’s a figure in the center surrounded by these looping motifs. Are they snakes? Clocks? The title of the image suggests both! The edges feel precise, a frame within a frame, a containment of all the energy within. This piece reminds me of other artists who use repetition and pattern to create their own visual language. It's like he's in conversation with the likes of Gustav Klimt or Hilma af Klint, but with a voice all his own. Painting isn’t just about what we see, but how we see, how we each interpret and give meaning.