Why 1940

This collage, “Why,” made by Karl Wiener in 1940, uses found imagery to unsettle the viewer. The unsettling effect is immediate, achieved through Wiener's fragmented use of newspaper clippings, photographs, and printed ephemera. The composition eschews traditional perspective, presenting a flattened plane where images collide. We see a soldier juxtaposed with explosions, ration stamps, and distorted figures. The use of black and white imagery against colored fragments creates visual discord. It destabilizes any coherent narrative. Wiener employs semiotic disruption. Familiar symbols like bells and regimented text of ration stamps are made absurd by their illogical arrangement. The nonsensical placement of the elements serves as a critique. Through this visual assault, Wiener challenges fixed meanings, offering a commentary on the chaos and absurdity of war. The collage form, with its inherent fragmentation, embodies the fractured experience of reality.