Greenhouse 1939

Walter Kurt Wiemken painted "Greenhouse" with oils, but I can't tell you exactly when. Wiemken laid down this translucent, watery blue for the greenhouse structure, then packed in greens, creamy yellows and whites, and a whole orchestra of linear brushstrokes to bring it to life. The color is dreamy, but the brushwork is very assertive, and for me this tension animates the painting. Take a look at the lower-right corner where he's laid down these vertical, almost calligraphic marks, right up against those blues from the greenhouse's frame. These vertical strokes are very close in tone, but different enough to create a subtle tension, a kind of shimmering discord. You could also see Picasso, or even Dubuffet in this painting. But Wiemken makes it all his own.