Klee’s highly individual, colourful and insightfully abstract paintings uncover the mind of an intelligent and spiritual artist. His simple and preciously childlike perspectives, depicted with humour, juxtapose the turbulent times in which he worked, and his admitted inner conflicts. He sought tirelessly to depict a world beyond reality. When the First World War broke out, Klee was conscripted in 1916, and he revealed ‘I have long had this war inside of me,’ (1) suggesting a personal and creative struggle that is reflected in his art. This struggle could well have been rooted in the changing times and rapidly changing world of art in which he was trying to find himself, and to reconcile his musical talents with his artistry. Now recognised as one of the most famed and influential figures in the development of modern art, Klee’s work and artistic theories have transcended his own time and are widely recognised and respected.

It was Klee’s 1914 trip to Tunisia that has often been referred to as something of an artistic revelation for the draftsman, who at the time of the voyage was some 35 years of age. On this journey in North Africa, Klee is said to have discovered his inner painter, having already a worthy reputation as a talented draftsman in his native Germany. He was enlightened even approaching the shores of Tunis by the colour and richness of this new land; ‘The colourful clarity on the shore full of promise’ (2). His time in Tunisia represents a turning point in the work of the artist, and his experiences resonate through his work with colours thereafter.

In the work that Klee produced in Tunisia, it is first recognisable that he began to achieve abstraction through colour, something that he would pursue in later works and become renowned for; ‘that is the meaning of this happy hour. Colour and I are one. I am a painter’ (3). Indeed Klee notes in his diary that ‘this is an internal affair that will keep me busy for the next few years’. Adding dryly that there is ‘no use hurrying what you want so much’, (4) revealing perhaps the artist’s highest aim. One can imagine he refers to his work with abstraction and colour. His paintings from this period show the beginnings of his exploration away from faithfulness to nature, towards abstraction. For example in the watercolours White and Red Domes, 1914, and Hammamet with its Mosque, 1914, Klee starts to play with abstraction, colour, and the use of colour planes, ‘a beautiful rhythm of patches,’ (5) to represent different aspects of the landscape.

Klee, as an artist, was also influenced by Cubism and by Pablo Picasso. His Homage to Picasso, 1914, speaks of his reverence for his esteemed contemporary. The two are often considered the most influential exponents of modern art. Abstraction and the geometric lines and forms that the cubists were so famed for, can be seen reflected in some of Klee’s work. Another influence upon Klee’s work and his artistic evolution was the almanac and association dedicated to German expressionism, Der Blaue Reiter, founded in 1911 by fellow artists and later friend and colleague of Klee, Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky. The group, united by an interest in abstract forms, prismatic colours, and the renewal of art, put together exhibitions in 1911 and 1912 showcasing their expressive freedom, to which Klee contributed, advancing the cause and public interest in abstract art.

Particularly after the birth of Klee’s son, Felix, in 1907, the artist became interested in childlike forms and ways of seeing and drawing things as a child would. His painting At the Blue Bush, 1939, is a prime example of this style and there are notable childlike aspects in his Fancy Dress Couple of 1923. Using this ‘childlike naiveté’ (6) as an artistic tool, Klee could render worlds somewhere between reality and imagination, as indeed he wished to be considered not of this world; ‘I cannot be grasped in the here and now’. He noted the difference between calculated compositions and the spontaneous production of children, and this may well have informed his artistic move away from self-consciousness and reality, again towards the colourful and abstract realms of the subconscious and imagination. The naive and untutored quality that Klee infused his art with also reflects his humour and originality.

The various and varied influences that affected the artist’s work and development combine to produce a most colourful life story and oeuvre. Klee wished to be considered otherworldly, and certainly his legacy affords him a reputation for being an exploratory and unforgettable artist and prominent figure and influence on modern art and furthermore modern culture. Klee’s philosophy that ‘Art does not reproduce the visible, it makes it visible,’ opens realms of possibility for abstract art and the abstraction of colour. He has become ‘the embodiment par excellence of modern art’, (7) and has been accredited the ‘status as a representative of the formerly vilified modern’ (8).

Text by Sarah Bell

References:
(1) Klee, Felix, The Diaries of Paul Klee 1898-1918. University of California Press: London, 1992, p. 313
(2) Klee, Felix, The Diaries of Paul Klee 1898-1918. University of California Press: London, 1992, p. 286
(3) Klee, Felix, The Diaries of Paul Klee 1898-1918. University of California Press: London, 1992, p. 297
(4) Klee, Felix, The Diaries of Paul Klee 1898-1918. University of California Press: London, 1992, p. 290
(5) Klee, Felix, The Diaries of Paul Klee 1898-1918. University of California Press: London, 1992, p. 292
(6) Scholz, Dieter and Thompson, Christina (eds.), The Klee Universe. Hatje Cantz: Ostfildern, 2008, p. 98
(7) Scholz, Dieter and Thompson, Christina (eds.), The Klee Universe. Hatje Cantz: Ostfildern, 2008, p. 75
(8) Scholz, Dieter and Thompson, Christina (eds.), The Klee Universe. Hatje Cantz: Ostfildern, 2008, p. 70