Naturstudie I c. 1924

Karl Wiener made this watercolor landscape study with washes of blue, green, and grey. I can imagine him outside, with his paper and paints, trying to capture the bigness of the sky, those looming clouds. It's not easy, is it? To take something so expansive and make it fit on a small piece of paper. I wonder if he struggled with the clouds, trying to get their shape just right, adding more water to the paint to make them soft and airy. The way the colors blend together, it’s so delicate and subtle, like he was trying to catch a fleeting moment. See how he built the green hills in the foreground with short, horizontal strokes? It makes them look solid, like they're holding everything else up. There’s a real sense of depth here. It makes me think about Turner’s atmospheric landscapes, how he used light and color to create a feeling of awe and wonder. Wiener is doing something similar here, but in a more intimate, personal way. They are all in the same conversation about the possibilities of the landscape.