Männliches und weibliches Porträt c. 1930

Karl Wiener made this double portrait with what looks like charcoal on paper. The strokes are confident and build these angular, almost architectural faces. It makes me think about how we construct identities, both for ourselves and for others. There’s something very raw about the way the charcoal sits on the page; it’s not blended or softened, but left exposed, which gives it a feeling of immediacy, like we are witnessing the moment of creation. I keep coming back to the male figure’s brow line, these bold strokes, a formal device, sure, but they also give him this weight, a seriousness. The shadow cast on the side of his nose seems intentional, adding a mysterious complexity to his face. Looking at this piece, I'm reminded of Picasso’s early cubist portraits, where he broke down the face into geometric forms. This portrait shares a similar approach but feels more emotionally driven, capturing the essence of these two figures. Art’s just this big conversation through time, right?