Ohne Titel; aus; ‘Die 150 Blätter’ II 1940

This unsettling picture was made by Karl Wiener in 1940, its title translates as ‘without title’ and is one of a series. The piece has a dark, brooding palette of blues, reds, and blacks, built up with expressive mark making. You can see the texture of the paper showing through in places. It’s as if Wiener is embracing the imperfections, letting the materials speak. The angular lines and stark contrasts create an atmosphere of unease. Take a look at the figure’s face, those deep-set eyes behind dark glasses, the gaunt cheeks. The colours give them an almost spectral appearance and the orange specks in the background look like falling embers. Then above, what is that? Some kind of hovering object, held by lines, that is also projecting a light. This piece reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint’s more spiritual paintings, but with an anxiety unique to the time in which it was made. It shows that art can be a space for exploring the darker corners of our imagination, embracing ambiguity rather than chasing after easy answers.