Laterne und drei Vögel c. 1920

Karl Wiener made this drawing, Laterne und drei Vögel, with ink on paper. The simplicity of the lines, like counting steps, really captures a sense of time passing, of a moment stretched out. Look at how he builds up the form of the lantern post with these tiny, careful marks, this kind of reminds me of Agnes Martin, where the grid becomes a space for meditation. The horizontal lines in the sky, or water, seem to vibrate. I love the way the three birds are almost like musical notes, floating on the page. The whole scene is rendered with such a light touch, it is as if he isn’t weighing the image down with any unnecessary detail. This reminds me how art, in its essence, is about paring things back, finding the most direct way to express an idea, leaving space for our own interpretations. I wonder what November in Vienna was like for Wiener, and what he was hoping to capture with this simple drawing.