Reykiawik Kt Luzern (1916) by Adolf Wölfli
Description: "Reykiawik Kt Luzern" (1916) by Adolf Wölfli is a highly imaginative and intricate work that showcases the artist's distinctive style of combining abstract forms, invented geographies, and rich, symbolic content. The title of the piece itself merges real and imagined places—"Reykiawik" appears to reference Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, while "Kt Luzern" refers to Canton Lucerne in Switzerland. This blending of names reflects Wölfli's unique approach to creating his own fantastical world, where actual locations are reimagined and intertwined with fictional elements. The artwork is filled with complex patterns, geometric shapes, and a multitude of visual motifs, such as spirals, crosses, and stars, that form a dense, dynamic composition.
In "Reykiawik Kt Luzern," Wölfli uses bright and contrasting colors—reds, blues, greens, and yellows—alongside intricate black outlines, creating a visually intense and vibrant piece. His drawings are often accompanied by invented text, music notations, and mathematical calculations, further adding to the layered complexity of his work. This piece, like many others in Wölfli’s oeuvre, reflects his desire to create an entire universe on paper, where he can navigate through spaces of his own making. His art is deeply personal, serving as both a creative outlet and a means of coping with his mental illness while institutionalized.
Adolf Wölfli (1864–1930) was a Swiss artist associated with Art Brut (Outsider Art), a movement celebrating the work of self-taught artists who operate outside the norms of mainstream art culture. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Wölfli spent most of his adult life in a psychiatric hospital, where he produced an extensive body of work that includes more than 1,600 drawings and 25,000 pages of text and music. His art is characterized by its detailed and ornate style, blending fantastical elements with a unique personal mythology.
Details:
-
Location and Date Created: Waldau psychiatric hospital, Bern, Switzerland, 1916.
-
Medium: Mixed media on paper, including colored pencils, crayons, and graphite.
-
Full Artwork Name: Reykiawik Kt Luzern (1916) by Adolf Wölfli.
-
Artwork Style: Art Brut (Outsider Art), Abstract.
-
Subject/Topic: A fantastical composition combining real and imaginary locations, intricate patterns, and symbolic elements, reflecting Wölfli’s inner world and complex narrative imagination.