Scheinwerfer in der Mondesfinsternis -… 1943

Karl Wiener made this pencil drawing, ‘Scheinwerfer in der Mondesfinsternis -…’, which translates as 'Spotlights in the Lunar Eclipse', sometime during or around 1943. The piece is all about mark-making as a process, where each stroke contributes to the overall atmosphere. The texture is built up through layers of graphite, creating a sense of depth and shadow, but the contrast is so stark that there is something brittle, too. Look at the beams of light cutting through the darkness. They are not just lines; they’re areas where the pencil is pressed harder, creating a sense of luminosity against the grain of the paper. This little moon, barely there, feels like a scar. Wiener’s drawing reminds me of some of Anselm Kiefer’s charcoal landscapes, with their somber tones and themes of memory and loss. Like Kiefer, Wiener embraces ambiguity, allowing the viewer to find their own meaning in the darkness.