Landschaft in der Obersteiermark 1943

Curator: It feels... almost stark. The geometry of the mountains presses down on you, doesn’t it? It's beautiful but somber. Editor: Yes, there’s an undeniable austerity to it. We're looking at "Landschaft in der Obersteiermark," or "Landscape in Upper Styria," painted in 1943 by Karl Wiener. It seems to be a watercolor, or perhaps an oil painting, capturing an alpine landscape through a distinctly expressionistic lens. Considering the date, one has to wonder about the historical context. Curator: It does scream “expressionism,” doesn't it? The color choices are bold but muted. That turquoise sky... it’s not happy, it’s contemplative. And those olive green peaks seem to want to talk with us, tell their stories. Editor: The piece employs a kind of distilled geometry, a characteristic of some German Expressionist landscape paintings. It moves beyond mere representation, I would say, offering instead a visual interpretation of the artist’s emotional response to the land, which invites conversations on national identity. How are lands romanticized during nationalistic movements, and whose narratives get written out of the story? Curator: Absolutely. You can almost feel the weight of history and, dare I say, a little bit of melancholy imbued into those hillsides. And that golden foreground, so stark against the mountains… I can almost feel a quiet desperation there, like grasping for a better time. Editor: I agree. The geometric forms aren't just about aesthetics; they potentially represent a world forced into order, echoing, perhaps unconsciously, the socio-political pressures of wartime. Curator: I like to think the painting is showing how external landscapes mirror internal landscapes, how turmoil finds a way in—regardless of the intention of the one doing the painting. Editor: This work reminds us that even landscapes are not politically neutral; rather, they are canvases reflecting complex interactions between the artist, the land, and the zeitgeist. Curator: Landscapes hold memories like a hidden diary. Karl Wiener helped me flip through another page.