Wand=Uhr=Schlange 1921 - 1922

This drawing is by Adolf Wölfli, who made it with colored pencil, probably sometime in the early 20th Century. The drawing is so meticulously rendered, every shape and line has a purpose. This level of detail tells me that Wölfli was deep in the process of making. The texture looks smooth, maybe even a little waxy because of the pencils. The colors are pretty saturated - red, blue, and yellow - yet somehow also muted. Look at how the colors fill the shapes, each one is carefully defined. My eye keeps darting around to different areas of the image, but I’m drawn to those two figure-eight shapes on either side of the central figure. They’re almost like hourglasses, reminding us that time is slipping away. I see some similarities between Wölfli's work and that of Gustav Klimt, especially in the use of pattern and ornament. Art isn't made in a vacuum. It's more like a big conversation, where artists respond to each other across time and space. Wölfli’s art reminds us that beauty and meaning can be found in the most unexpected places.