398 The Mosque 1959

Friedensreich Hundertwasser made *398 The Mosque* with paint, sometime in the last century. I can just imagine Hundertwasser starting with that watery, washy blue at the bottom, like a memory seeping through. Then comes this madcap architecture above, like a Dr. Seuss landscape. The dome feels alive, pulsating with horizontal stripes of red and orange—maybe it's a sunset, or a fever dream. That green structure surrounding the dome is so playful, like a kid stacking blocks. I'm sure Hundertwasser was in conversation with other artists like Paul Klee, but with a touch all his own. It’s like they are sharing ideas, riffing off each other. Painting lets us hold onto these fleeting moments, these thoughts, these jokes. It’s a reminder that uncertainty is part of the fun.