Weißenhorn 

Karl Ballenberger's "Weißenhorn" is a subtle pencil drawing held in the Städel Museum. The composition is dominated by the architectural structure of a medieval tower, carefully rendered with precise lines and a keen sense of perspective. The soft graphite medium brings a subdued, almost dreamlike quality to the scene. The artist meticulously delineates the tower’s stepped gables and the surrounding buildings, contrasting the geometric shapes of the architecture with the organic forms of the trees in the foreground. This interplay between natural and man-made elements introduces a dialogue about our imposition on the landscape. The drawing's muted tones invite contemplation on the nature of representation itself. It’s more than a mere depiction of a place; it's an exploration of how we perceive and structure our surroundings. The formal constraints Ballenberger imposes offer a rigorous framework for investigating perception and spatial arrangement, inviting us to look deeper into the built environment.