Naturstudie XI 1924

Karl Wiener made this study of nature, Naturstudie XI, with watercolour. I can imagine him outside somewhere with his paper and paints. Look at the way he's built up the clouds with layers of violet and grey, then a sudden burst of yellow peeking through—it’s like he’s trying to capture the exact moment when the sun breaks through after a storm. I think the sky looks as if it’s in motion, the clouds swirling and shifting. It reminds me of Turner. The way Wiener uses the watercolour is so skillful; he’s letting the colours bleed into each other, creating these soft, dreamy effects. It feels intimate, like he’s sharing a personal moment. And that little cluster of trees at the bottom, grounding the whole scene. Painters are always talking to each other, across time and space, influencing and inspiring.