Deformation c. 1921

Karl Wiener made "Deformation" with crayon, and looking at it, I can imagine him hunched over a table letting loose. See how the strokes of color are laid down almost haphazardly, kind of free-wheeling? I feel like Wiener was interested in the tension between control and chaos; the work feels contained within a vaguely square space, but the lines themselves? They wiggle, overlap, and defy any easy reading. It's like he's wrestling with form itself, trying to find some kind of order in the mess. I'm thinking of other artists like Cy Twombly, who also used line in very loose, gestural ways. There is a kind of vulnerability in Wiener's mark-making. For me, painting is a way of working through things. It’s like the artist is trying to capture something fleeting. Ultimately, painting reminds us of the beauty and value of process, doubt, and change.