Melancholie c. 1924

Karl Wiener made this ink drawing, "Melancholie," employing a distinctive approach to mark-making. There is a sort of static to the hatch marks in the background. It’s like the light is buzzing behind the figure. The physical properties of the medium take center stage. Wiener uses the ink almost sculpturally, building depth and texture through the density of the marks. The color is intense, especially in the blue of the figure’s dress. Look at the way the lines on the dress create the illusion of volume. It’s very graphic, and simplified, but the density and rhythm of the marks imply a lot of form. The tension between the flatness of the lines and the implied volume of the dress is palpable. It has that outsider art quality of knowing and not knowing. Thinking of other artists, maybe someone like Emil Nolde. There's a similar emotional intensity, and the way Wiener embraces ambiguity in his marks reminds me of his work.