155 Three High Houses 1953

Friedensreich Hundertwasser made this print, titled "155 Three High Houses," using screen printing, and it’s like a playful take on cityscapes. I love how the rigid grid is subverted by the hand. The texture isn't smooth; it's got this raw, almost imperfect feel. The blues and reds pop against the off-white background, creating a visual buzz. Look at how the lines wiggle and the colors bleed a little, giving it a handmade quality. It's like Hundertwasser’s inviting us to see the world with a bit of humor. Take for example the grid marks. The bold lines create structure, and also look a little like the kind of colored tape you might find on a modernist building. Looking at his architectural pieces, you see a similar rejection of the mundane, but here it’s simplified. Like Miro, he takes the everyday and turns it into something whimsical, reminding us that art is as much about feeling as it is about seeing.