Großgroß=Keiserinn und Groß=Groß=Göttinn Hellveetia, im Haven von Daali; Indien 1917

Adolf Wölfli made this drawing, Großgroß=Keiserinn und Groß=Groß=Göttinn Hellveetia, im Haven von Daali; Indien, with colored pencil on paper. Just look at the surface of this piece! I can imagine Wölfli hunched over it, building up the image from so many tiny marks. He's creating a world, or maybe recording one he saw in his mind. It reminds me that making art can be like a form of notetaking. A record of what one sees, either out in the world, or in one’s mind. It’s a way to give form to something that’s otherwise invisible or unsayable. There is a tension between the flat, decorative surface and the depth of the image. He presents these figures in a shallow space, and the picture plane is really pushed to the front with this very controlled color palette. It makes me think about other artists who were exploring similar territories, like Gustav Klimt. Artists are always looking at each other’s work and figuring out what they want to do, and what they want to do differently.