Selbstportrait 

Here is Karl Wiener's self-portrait, rendered in pencil, capturing his likeness with stark clarity. His gaze is fixed, accentuated by a monocle, a symbol that has traversed time, transforming from an emblem of aristocracy to a mark of intellectual distinction in the early 20th century. Consider the act of seeing, reflected back by Wiener. This single lens invites us to ponder perception itself. In antiquity, philosophers like Plato used the allegory of the cave to explore how limited perspectives shape our understanding. The monocle mirrors this concept; it focuses vision, yet also restricts it. The weight of intellectual pursuit is palpable. It reminds me of other portraits in which the sitter seeks to convey an idea beyond the purely representational. It evokes a certain intensity of feeling, a desire to convey intellectual depth and introspection. This motif—the focused gaze—has been passed down through history, each time resurfacing in new forms.