Sehnsucht 1944

This collage, made by Karl Wiener, presents a woman gazing at stars, symbols laden with the weight of human yearning. Stars, throughout history, have been more than celestial bodies; they are guiding lights, sources of hope, and symbols of destiny. We see this longing echoed across time, from ancient mariners navigating by constellations to Van Gogh's swirling skies ablaze with existential angst. Consider the arrows at the bottom of the collage; are they pointing upward, mirroring the woman's gaze, or are they grounded, tethered to earthly desires? This tension between the terrestrial and the celestial, between what we grasp and what we aspire to, is a recurring theme in the human psyche. The stars and upward-pointing arrows evoke a powerful emotional state. The woman's gaze carries not just hope but a deep-seated, almost primal Sehnsucht – that profound, untranslatable German word for longing. It’s a feeling that has propelled our species forward, driving us to explore, to create, and to dream, even in the face of the unknown. The cyclical recurrence of stars and the desire for more is a testament to our restless spirits.